The Wall › Panel 8E › California › Robert Alexander Cairns
ROBERT ALEXANDER CAIRNS
Staff Sergeant · U.S. Air Force
December 15, 1931 – June 17, 1966
Service recordRobert Alexander Cairns, of Highland, California, served as a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Air Force. He died on June 17, 1966, offshore, South Vietnam, at age 34. His name is inscribed on Panel 8E, Line 55 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 8E · Line 55
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
- Staff Sergeant (SSGT)
- Service
- Regular
- Unit (as recorded)
- 51 FDM SQ
- Born
- December 15, 1931
- Home of record
- Highland, California (San Bernardino County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- June 17, 1966
- Age
- 34
- Province
- Offshore
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Non-hostile
- Category
- Accident
- Circumstance
- Aircraft Crash — Passenger (MC)
- Remains
- Not recovered as of the 2008 DoD record
Context · from the records
What was happening
23 names on the Wall carry the date June 17, 1966. In June 1966, 595 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The unit recorded as “51 FDM SQ”, his unit in the record, lost 2 of its members that month.
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 8E, Line 55
- MICHAEL WATERSPrivate First Class · June 16, 1966
- OLEY NEAL ADAMSStaff Sergeant · June 17, 1966
- RALPH BURTON COBBSLieutenant Commander · June 17, 1966
- CURTIS DAVID COLLETTEPetty Officer Second Class · June 17, 1966
Same unit, same day
- LARRY EUGENE WASHBURNAirman Second Class · Panel 8E, Line 59
From Highland
- DANIEL DAVID YARNELLCorporal · November 12, 1966
- GARY MICHAEL BARNARDLance Corporal · July 2, 1967
- DOUGLAS REX SEAVEYSpecialist Four · November 22, 1968
- JAMES ALEXANDER NICHOLSONSpecialist Four · January 27, 1969
- WILLIAM HENRY RODDICKPrivate First Class · June 26, 1969
- EDWARD THOMSON DAVIS JRChief Warrant Officer 2 · November 26, 1969
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.