The Wall › Panel 15W › Maryland › John Thomas West
JOHN THOMAS WEST
Captain · U.S. Air Force
July 26, 1942 – January 2, 1970
Service recordJohn Thomas West, of Baltimore, Maryland, served as a Captain in the U.S. Air Force. He was lost on January 2, 1970, in Laos, and was later declared dead. His name is inscribed on Panel 15W, Line 117 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 15W · Line 117
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
Did you know him? Family members and friends are invited to share a photograph or a memory. Nothing is posted until it has been reviewed.
Service
- Branch
- U.S. Air Force
- Rank
- Captain (CAPT)
- Service
- Regular
- Occupation
- Pilot (1115F)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 25 TFS 8 TFW
- Born
- July 26, 1942
- Home of record
- Baltimore, Maryland (Baltimore (City) County)
Casualty
- Date of loss
- January 2, 1970
- Country
- Laos
- 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
22 names on the Wall carry the date January 2, 1970. In January 1970, 529 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The unit recorded as “25 TFS 8 TFW”, his unit in the record, lost 2 of its members that month.
He died in Laos while the air war over Laos was under way. From 1964 to 1973, U.S. aircraft bombed the Ho Chi Minh Trail and supported the war in northern Laos; many of the Americans lost over Laos were never recovered.
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 15W, Line 117
- NICHOLAS GEORGE BROOKSLieutenant Commander · January 2, 1970
- TANNER MARTIN BROWN JRCorporal · January 2, 1970
- ROBERT EDWARD CARMICHAELFirst Lieutenant · January 2, 1970
- JOSEPH MICHAEL DANGELICOSpecialist Four · January 2, 1970
Same unit, same day
- RONNIE GEORGE LINDSTROMCaptain · Panel 15W, Line 119
From Baltimore
- EVERETTE LEROY DONALDSONPrivate First Class · June 29, 1964
- WILLIAM EDWARD FOWLERLance Corporal · July 9, 1965
- FRANK ROBERT SAXONLance Corporal · September 14, 1965
- JAMES MCKINLEY LONGPrivate First Class · October 5, 1965
- THOMAS JAMES SCHINDLERSergeant · October 5, 1965
- SAMUEL L HOLMANSergeant · November 17, 1965
- RICHARD DEANE OTTStaff Sergeant · November 17, 1965
- JAMES ODELL VAUGHANStaff Sergeant · November 17, 1965
- JAMES ANTHONY WATSONSecond Lieutenant · December 4, 1965
- PHILIP JAMES MCCARTHYSergeant · December 5, 1965
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.