Brazik, Richard
Air Force Captain

Richard Brazik, age 25, from Bay Village, Ohio, Cuyahoga county.

Parents: Elsie and Elmer Brazik. Elmer died in 1987.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Wednesday, July 26, 1967
Death details: On July 26, 1967, an F-4C Phantom II (tail number 64-0848) with a crew of two took off from Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base in Thailand as the number two aircraft in a flight of two on a nighttime armed reconnaissance mission over North Vietnam. The F-4C reached the target area, released its ordnance, and was then seen to explode in mid-air by the flight leader. No parachutes were observed and no signals from rescue beepers were received. The flight leader circled the area and attempted to establish radio contact with the crew of the F-4C but was unsuccessful. The loss area was deep in enemy territory, so an immediate search for survivors could not be conducted. Later investigations of the crash site failed to recover the remains of the crew. First Lieutenant Richard Brazik, who joined the U.S. Air Force from Ohio, served with the 433rd Tactical Fighter Squadron, 8th Tactical Fighter Wing. He was the pilot of the F-4C when it crashed, and his remains were not recovered. Subsequent to the incident, and while carried in the status of MIA, the U.S. Air Force promoted First Lieutenant Brazik to the rank of Captain (Capt). Today, Captain Brazik is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Bradenton Herald (1968)