Massucci, Martin John
Air Force Major

Martin John Massucci, age 25, from Royal Oak, Michigan, Oakland county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: October 1, 1965
Death details:  On October 1, 1965, an F-4 Phantom II (tail number: 63-7712, call sign “Gator 3”) with two crew members participated in a flight of three aircraft on a strike and armed road reconnaissance mission against the Ban Tang staging area on Route 155 in North Vietnam. Near the target, the flight encountered anti-aircraft fire, and one of the other air crews noticed that “Gator 3” was on fire and warned the crew to bail out. The other two aircraft in the flight saw one parachute leave “Gator 3” and land near (GC) 48Q VJ 635 388 before the aircraft crashed into the side of Suong Mountain, in the vicinity of (GC) 48Q VJ 730 340. The flight circled the crash site for ten minutes but could not establish radio communication with either of the crew members of “Gator 3.” Subsequent search and rescue teams saw no signs that any crew members survived the crash.

First Lieutenant (1st Lt) Martin John Massucci, who joined the U.S. Air Force from Michigan, served with the 43rd Tactical Fighter Wing. He was the pilot of the Phantom when it crashed, and his remains have not been recovered. Following the incident, the U.S. Air Force promoted 1st Lt Massucci to the rank of Major (Maj). Today, Major Massucci is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

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