Forman, William Stannard
Navy Lieutenant commander

William Stannard Forman, age 29, from Pipestone County Pipestone, Minnesota .

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Saturday, January 22, 1966
Death details: On January 22, 1966, an S-2D Tracker (bureau number 149252) carrying four crew members launched from the USS Hornet (CVS 12) on a surveillance mission over North Vietnam. While returning to the ship and flying over the Gulf of Tonkin, the Tracker’s pilot radioed he would investigate a possible target appearing on the water’s surface and shortly thereafter, the aircraft disappeared from radar in the vicinity of (GC) 48Q YG 481 761. The aircraft was presumed to have fallen out of radar contact because of its flying at a lower altitude while investigating the possible target. Contact with the aircraft was not reestablished, and it was not seen or heard from again. An extensive search was made but failed in locating the missing aircraft or its crew.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, UPI (1966)