Andrews, Stuart Merrill
Air Force Colonel

Stuart Merrill Andrews, age 37, from Fairfield County Stamford, Connecticut .

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Friday, March 4, 1966
Death details: On March 4, 1966, an O-1E Bird Dog (tail number 54-2499) carrying two crew members took off on a visual reconnaissance flight from Qui Nhon to Cheo Reo, South Vietnam. The crew’s last radio contact occurred 30 minutes into the flight when the Van Canh Special Forces Camp requested the aircraft make a visual reconnaissance because campfires from unknown sources were observed in the area. There was no indication from the crew that they were experiencing mechanical or other difficulties with the aircraft at that time, and no further radio contact was established. When the aircraft failed to arrive at Cheo Reo, a communication check was made with nearby airfields but there were no reports of the missing aircraft and it was declared missing that evening. Extensive air searches over the next six days failed to find any signs of the missing Bird Dog or its crew. Major Stuart Merrill Andrews, who joined the U.S. Air Force from Connecticut, served with the 21st Tactical Air Support Squadron. He was the pilot of the Bird Dog when it disappeared on March 4, 1966, and attempts to recover his remains have been unsuccessful. After the incident, the Air Force posthumously promoted Maj Andrews to the rank of Colonel (Col). Today, Colonel Andrews is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, dpaa