The Wall › Panel 48W › Texas › Michael Owen McElhanon
MICHAEL OWEN MCELHANON
Colonel · U.S. Air Force
January 6, 1934 – August 16, 1968
Service recordMichael Owen McElhanon, of Ft Worth, Texas, served as a Colonel in the U.S. Air Force. He was lost on August 16, 1968, in North Vietnam, and was later declared dead. His name is inscribed on Panel 48W, Line 29 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 48W · Line 29
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
- Colonel (COL)
- Service
- Reserve / National Guard
- Occupation
- Pilot (1023C)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 37 TFW
- Born
- January 6, 1934
- Home of record
- Ft Worth, Texas (Tarrant County)
Casualty
- Date of loss
- August 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
55 names on the Wall carry the date August 16, 1968. In August 1968, 1,313 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
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 48W, Line 29
- DONALD C MCALLISTER JRPrivate First Class · August 16, 1968
- JOHN FRANCIS OVERLOCKLieutenant Colonel · August 16, 1968
- JEPPIE JOSEPH PAYNEStaff Sergeant · August 16, 1968
- GARY RAY RALPHPrivate First Class · August 16, 1968
From Ft Worth
- GEORGE MARKOSCaptain · February 7, 1965
- CHARLES M DANSBYCaptain · April 24, 1965
- JACK WILTON WEATHERBYCaptain · July 29, 1965
- PAUL WAYNE MANSIRPrivate First Class · September 11, 1965
- JAMES EDWARD THOMASPrivate First Class · October 3, 1965
- DONALD JAY TANNERLance Corporal · December 4, 1965
- DONALD REY HAWLEYCaptain · December 17, 1965
- OTHA THEANDER THOMPSONCorporal · August 24, 1965
- HARVEY WAYNE JONESPrivate First Class · March 4, 1966
- LEWIS DOUGLAS BELLMajor · March 5, 1966
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.