The Wall › Panel 61E › Florida › David J Rickel
DAVID J RICKEL
Major · U.S. Air Force
October 5, 1942 – May 16, 1968
Service recordDavid J Rickel, of Ft Lauderdale, Florida, served as a Major in the U.S. Air Force. He was lost on May 16, 1968, in North Vietnam, and was later declared dead. His name is inscribed on Panel 61E, Line 18 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 61E · Line 18
Names are inscribed in the order of loss, starting at Panel 1E at the apex and ending at Panel 1W. At the Memorial, find the panel number at the base and count down from the top line.
Remember
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Service
- Branch
- U.S. Air Force
- Rank
- Major (MAJ)
- Service
- Regular
- Occupation
- Pilot (1115F)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 435 TFS
- Born
- October 5, 1942
- Home of record
- Ft Lauderdale, Florida (Broward County)
Casualty
- Date of loss
- May 16, 1968
- Country
- North Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Declared Dead
- Circumstance
- Aircraft Crash — crew
- First reported
- Missing in action
- Remains
- Not recovered as of the 2008 DoD record
Context · from the records
What was happening
80 names on the Wall carry the date May 16, 1968. In May 1968, 2,418 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The unit recorded as “435 TFS”, his unit in the record, lost 2 of its members that month.
He died in North Vietnam while Operation Rolling Thunder was under way. Operation Rolling Thunder (March 1965–November 1968) was the sustained U.S. bombing campaign against North Vietnam, flown by Air Force fighter-bombers from Thailand and Navy aircraft from carriers in the Gulf of Tonkin against some of the densest air defenses in the world.
His remains had not been recovered when the 2008 record was compiled. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency continues to search for Americans still missing from the war; families can find case information through dpaa.mil.
Read the history
On the Wall
Also on Panel 61E, Line 18
- ANUND C ROARKSergeant · May 16, 1968
- SAMUEL FLOYD ROLENPrivate First Class · May 16, 1968
- ALBERT W ROMINESergeant · May 16, 1968
- JOHN ROTONNELLISpecialist Four · May 16, 1968
Same unit, same day
- GERALD JOSEPH CROSSON JRMajor · Panel 61E, Line 8
From Ft Lauderdale
- EARL LEE CROMWELLPrivate · December 24, 1965
- JAMES ROBERT TAYLORPrivate First Class · January 28, 1966
- JOHN H MINCEYPrivate First Class · February 9, 1966
- JAMES RAYMOND SCOTTSpecialist Four · March 4, 1966
- HENRY BENTONPrivate First Class · May 21, 1966
- EARL KENNETH TYNESSpecialist Four · May 29, 1966
- RICHARD JAMES CURRIER JRCorporal · July 24, 1966
- ARTHUR HARRY FIKEStaff Sergeant · August 19, 1966
- BRUCE ALLAN TIMMONSPetty Officer Third Class · November 15, 1966
- FREDERICK MONOTT BONANNOSpecialist Five · January 29, 1967
Source. U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Casualty Analysis System, Vietnam Conflict Extract Data File (as of April 29, 2008), Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Record Group 330, National Archives (NAID 2240992). Panel and line as recorded in that file. This page presents the official record and its historical context; no biography has been written for him yet. See something wrong? Report a correction.