The Wall › Panel 24E › Kansas › Richard Ames Claflin
RICHARD AMES CLAFLIN
Major · U.S. Air Force
July 2, 1939 – July 26, 1967
Service recordRichard Ames Claflin, of Kansas City, Kansas, served as a Major in the U.S. Air Force. He was lost on July 26, 1967, in North Vietnam, and was later declared dead. His name is inscribed on Panel 24E, Line 2 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 24E · Line 2
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)
- 433 TFS UBON AB
- Born
- July 2, 1939
- Home of record
- Kansas City, Kansas (Wyandotte County)
Casualty
- Date of loss
- July 26, 1967
- 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
14 names on the Wall carry the date July 26, 1967. In July 1967, 1,057 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The unit recorded as “433 TFS UBON AB”, 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 24E, Line 2
- GEORGE SAMUEL CAMPBELLSpecialist Four · July 26, 1967
- JAMMIE VAN FRANKLINStaff Sergeant · July 26, 1967
- EDWARD CHARLES GOELZPrivate First Class · July 26, 1967
- CHARLES DAVID HARMANHospitalman · July 26, 1967
Same unit, same day
- RICHARD BRAZIKCaptain · Panel 24E, Line 1
From Kansas City
- KENNETH LEE SORENSENPrivate First Class · December 4, 1965
- JACK SHIVELY SWENDERLance Corporal · December 18, 1965
- JOHN MARK TIDERMANLieutenant Commander · March 21, 1966
- JAMES IRA COURTNEYStaff Sergeant · June 8, 1966
- FELIX PACHECOPrivate First Class · August 25, 1966
- BILLY RAY MOOREPrivate First Class · September 6, 1966
- LAWRENCE R COSTELLOSergeant · November 1, 1966
- EMMETT RAY DAVISPrivate First Class · November 22, 1966
- LEE EDWARD REUKAUFPrivate First Class · February 28, 1967
- ROGER RALPH WILLIAMSSpecialist Four · March 3, 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.