Causey, John Bernard
Air Force Captain

John Bernard Causey, age 28, from Madison County Granite City, Illinois .

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Friday, February 25, 1966
Death details: On February 25, 1966, an RB-66C Destroyer (tail number 54-0457) carrying six crew members took off on a combat mission over Vinh, North Vietnam. During the mission, an enemy surface-to-air missile damaged the aircraft. The aircraft headed out to sea and a mayday call was initiated. The crew was forced to eject over the Gulf of Tonkin. Search and rescue efforts were made and five survivors were rescued in the vicinity of (GC) 48Q YE 547 565; however, one crew member could not be located. Captain John Bernard Causey entered the U.S. Air Force from Illinois and was a member of the 41st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron. He was the electronic warfare supervisor aboard this Destroyer when it was lost on February 25, 1966, and he was the crew member who could not be located following the incident. Further search efforts were unable to locate him and he remains unaccounted-for. Today, Captain Causey 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