Roberts, Harold James Jr.
Air Force Major sergeant

Harold James Jr. Roberts, age 43, from Multnomah County Portland, Oregon .

Spouse: Vivian V. Roberts

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Friday, June 18, 1965
Death details: On June 18, 1965, two B-52F Stratofortresses (tail numbers 57-179 and 57-047) carrying six crew members each collided in mid-air over the South China Sea while en route to Vietnam. Both aircraft were destroyed in the collision. Search and rescue efforts recovered four survivors and the remains of one additional crew member. The remaining seven crew members could not be found. Master Sergeant Harold James Roberts Jr., who entered the U.S. Air Force from Oregon, served with the 441st Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) and was a gunner aboard one of these B-52s. He was lost with his aircraft and remains unaccounted for. Today, Master Sergeant Roberts is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed along with all his fallen comrades on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC. Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual’s case to be in the analytical category of Non-recoverable.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Associated Press (1965)