Lillund, William Allan
Air Force Major

William Allan Lillund from Fortuna, California, Humboldt county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Wednesday, October 4, 1967
Death details: 

On October 4, 1967, an F-105 Thunderchief (tail number 63-8346, call sign “Splendid”) carrying two crew members departed Korat Air Base, Thailand, on a night low-level strike mission over enemy targets in North Vietnam. The last known contact with the aircraft occurred just after it refueled over northern Thailand and headed towards its target, and it was not seen again. When the aircraft failed to return to base on schedule, electronic search efforts were conducted. The next day, search and rescue teams flew over the Thunderchief’s flight path but failed to locate a crash site or either of the crew members.

Captain William Allan Lillund, who joined the U.S. Air Force from California, served with the 13th Tactical Fighter Squadron. He was the electronic warfare officer aboard the Thunderchief when it disappeared, and his remains were not recovered. After the incident, the Air Force promoted Capt Lillund to the rank of Major (Maj). Today, Major Lillund is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency