The Wall › Panel 9E › California › Rainford Tiffin
RAINFORD TIFFIN
Major · U.S. Air Force
March 4, 1938 – July 21, 1966
Service recordRainford Tiffin, of Santa Cruz, California, served as a Major in the U.S. Air Force. He was lost on July 21, 1966, in North Vietnam, and was later declared dead. His name is inscribed on Panel 9E, Line 54 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 9E · Line 54
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
- Reserve / National Guard
- Occupation
- Pilot (1115E)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 34 TFS
- Born
- March 4, 1938
- Home of record
- Santa Cruz, California (Santa Cruz County)
Casualty
- Date of loss
- July 21, 1966
- 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
19 names on the Wall carry the date July 21, 1966. In July 1966, 562 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 9E, Line 54
- RICHARD FRANCIS MCNICHOLSCorporal · July 21, 1966
- MARK ERNEST STOLTENBURGCorporal · July 21, 1966
- LARRY VANCLIEFSpecialist Four · July 21, 1966
- OSCAR CHARLIE BELL JRPrivate First Class · July 22, 1966
From Santa Cruz
- DARYL LAVERNE KEENPetty Officer Third Class · July 16, 1965
- VINCENT LOCATELLIPrivate First Class · November 17, 1965
- STEPHEN MARK PASHMANPrivate First Class · January 25, 1966
- LEO BUDDY BUCKHOLDTPrivate First Class · June 16, 1966
- RONALD JOE JOHNSONSpecialist Four · December 17, 1966
- RONALD RUNYAN KINGLieutenant Colonel · October 3, 1967
- JACK WILEY MCKINNON JRSpecialist Four · January 3, 1968
- WILTON RAY PICKETTSpecialist Four · January 9, 1968
- GEORGE WALTER SKAKELSergeant · March 6, 1968
- LE ROY FRED ARELLANOSergeant · June 22, 1968
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.