More detail on this person: Captain Philip
Rucker Ramsey age 26 born 07/21/1948 died
01/21/1976 in Richmond, VA from a helicopter
crash. This information was last updated 05/18/2016
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Date posted on this site:
03/10/2024
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Philip died on what was to be his last routine
flight for the Army Reserves from Byrd Airport in
Richmond, Va. His helicopter was past due for
it's routine checkup. The rear rotor just flew
off, according to eyewitnesses. He and his
copilot crashed a few miles from the airport in a
field. They both burned to death in the
helicopter. He loved to fly and was planning on
getting a degree as an optomotrist and then
reenter the Army to complete his twenty years
service.
He served in Vietnam and then in the Canal Zone,
which was like a wonderland to him. I think he
would say that his Army years were the best of his
life and that he was grateful to serve his country
while having such an all round fantastic
adventure.
Survivors: My parents, Elmer and Virginia Ramsey
are both deceased. My brother Wharton Ramsey
lives in Roanoke Virginia and my sister In
Raleigh, North Carolina. My son, Thomas Lloyd
Bowden Jr., aged 19, is considering Army ROTC at
the University of Washington and Lee in Lexington,
Virginia. He will work through the ROTC program at
VMI. It makes me very proud.
From: Constance Ramsey Bowden