The Wall › Panel 14E › Michigan › Robert John Welch
ROBERT JOHN WELCH
Colonel · U.S. Air Force
March 23, 1926 – January 16, 1967
Service recordRobert John Welch, of Detroit, Michigan, served as a Colonel in the U.S. Air Force. He was lost on January 16, 1967, in North Vietnam, and was later declared dead. His name is inscribed on Panel 14E, Line 41 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 14E · Line 41
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 (1325F)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 555 TFS
- Born
- March 23, 1926
- Home of record
- Detroit, Michigan (Wayne County)
Casualty
- Date of loss
- January 16, 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
13 names on the Wall carry the date January 16, 1967. In January 1967, 638 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
Also on Panel 14E, Line 41
- FRANK THOMAS KRESESKIE JRPrivate First Class · January 16, 1967
- FRANK LEE SMITHPrivate First Class · January 16, 1967
- ARTHUR WAYNE WILKIESpecialist Four · January 16, 1967
- LOWELL ASTLEY WOLFRIESStaff Sergeant · January 16, 1967
From Detroit
- SAMUEL EUGENE HURDAirman Third Class · January 3, 1964
- LEO BERT ABRAMOSKICaptain · July 28, 1964
- GEORGE PAUL ZUPANCICCorporal · June 26, 1965
- MARSHALL DANIEL HOLMANPrivate First Class · July 9, 1965
- ELIAS BELL JRCorporal · July 13, 1965
- ARTHUR F HAMMARSTROM JRLieutenant Colonel · July 24, 1965
- JAMES THOMAS CLARKPrivate · August 17, 1965
- BRUCE JAMES HENRICHPrivate First Class · August 18, 1965
- ROBERT TAGLIONESergeant · August 18, 1965
- MERRILL LAGENE LANTRYCorporal · September 2, 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.