SCHIELE CRAIG BRIAN

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Name: CPT Craig Brian Schiele
Status: Killed In Action from an incident on 10/24/1970 while performing the duty of Pilot.
Age at death: 27.2
Date of Birth: 08/09/1943
Home City: Steubenville, OH
Service: regular component of the U.S. Air Force.
Unit: 21 SOS
Service: U.S. Air Force.
The Wall location: 06W-019
Short Summary: Died of injuries when helicopter crashed in MuGia Pass. Two crew members survived.
Aircraft: CH-3C tail number 66-13287
Call sign: KNIFE 33
Country: Laos
MOS: *
Started Tour: 01/10/1970
"Official" listing: helicopter air casualty - pilot
Length of service: *

Additional information about this casualty:
NEWS RELEASE from the United States Department of Defense No. 281-02 (703)697-5131(media) IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 3, 2002 (703)697-5737(public/industry) VIETNAM WAR MIAS IDENTIFIED The remains of two U.S. Air Force servicemen killed in action during the Vietnam War have been identified and are being returned home to their families. They are Master Sgt. Thomas E. Heideman and Capt. Craig B. Schiele, both of Chicago. On Oct. 24, 1970, Heideman and Schiele were crewmembers of a CH-3E helicopter as the lead of a two-ship formation on a mission to extract friendly forces from Laos. Shortly after takeoff, the helicopter crashed into nearby dense jungle. Eight Laotians and two American servicemen were rescued. A rescue mission was continued the next morning, but there was no evidence of survivors. The only body recovered from the crash site at that time was later identified as the pilot, Capt. Schiele, who was subsequently buried in Bartlesville, Okla. On Dec. 14, 1994, a U.S. - Lao team, led by Joint Task Force-Full Accounting, conducted an investigation at the crash site in the Laotian province of Khammouan. Material from the recovered wreckage included aircraft debris and personal artifacts but no human remains. In the spring of 1995, a second joint team excavated the crash site and recovered human remains and additional personal affects that were submitted to the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii (CILHI). By compiling eyewitness accounts and other physical evidence such as personal artifacts and the human remains, the forensic scientists at CILHI identified the remains as those of Schiele and Heideman. A group burial with full military honors for these two servicemen will be conducted June 7 at Arlington National Cemetery.

Reason: aircraft lost or crashed
Casualty type: Non-hostile - died of other causes
married male U.S. citizen
Race: Caucasian
Religion: Presbyterian
Burial information: ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, VA
This record was last updated on 06/03/2002


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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023


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