Mauterer, Oscar
Air Force Colonel

Oscar Mauterer, age 40, from Morris County Gillette, New Jersey .

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Tuesday, February 15, 1966
Death details: Major Oscar Mauterer, who entered the U.S. Air Force from New Jersey, served with the 602nd Tactical Fighter Squadron. On February 15, 1966, he was the pilot of a single-seat A-1E Skyraider (tail number 52-133885, call sign “Sandy 22”) as the wingman in a flight of two, providing cover for two forward air controller (FAC) aircraft over Laos. After making attack runs on a target, Maj Mauterer’s aircraft was hit just prior to departing the area. He radioed that his aircraft was on fire and he would bail out. Maj Mauterer successfully descended and reached the ground in the vicinity of (GC) WE 761 257, but the enemy ground fire was seen coming from the area where he landed. Multiple air strikes were conducted at the enemy ground fire, and search and rescue helicopters arrived on the scene roughly thirty minutes later. Rescuers attempted to locate Maj Mauterer but were repulsed by heavy enemy fire, and he remains unaccounted-for. While carried in the status of MIA, the Air Force promoted Maj Mauterer to the rank of Colonel (Col). Today, Colonel Mauterer is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives., dpaa