21 Jul 1998 REMEMBERED

 

A Note from The Virtual Wall On 02 Dec 1967 a UH-1D (tail number 66-00811) of the 48th AHC departed Phu Hiep airfield to return Captain Woo Shik Pak, a Korean, to his unit located about 25 miles south along the coast. When the aircraft did not return to Phu Hiep at the scheduled time, a communications and ramp check was initiated without success. Unsuccessful search and rescue efforts were conducted along the coastal and mountain area for the next week. When no trace of aircraft or crew could be found, the five men were classed as missing in action. As time passed, the Secretary of the Army approved Presumptive Findings of Death for the American crewmembers on the dates shown below in parentheses: CWO Wallace W. Leeper, Wellington, CO (07/17/1974) CWO Floyd W. Strange, Chico, CA (05/22/1978) SSG Richard A. Crosby, Spokane, WA (03/27/1978) SSG Manuel J. Moreida, Harlingen, TX (03/13/1978) The wreckage of the aircraft was located in the early 1990s, and excavations conducted in 1993 resulted in the recovery and repatriation of human remains. Positive identification of the US crewmen was announced on 07 Dec 2001. Three of the families agreed on a joint burial, and on 24 Oct 2002 the remains of CWO Strange, CW3 Leeper, and SSG Crosby were interred in Site 7763, Section 60, of the Arlington National Cemetery. SFC Manuel Moreida was buried on 27 Sep 2002 in Site 39, Section 28, of the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.

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