Cappelli, Charles Edward
Air Force Lieutenant colonel

Charles Edward Cappelli from Providence, Rhode Island.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: November 17, 1967
Death details: On May 4, 1989, the Central Identification Lab-Hawaii (CILHI, now DPAA) identified the remains of Lieutenant Colonel Charles Edward Cappelli, missing from the Vietnam War.

Lieutenant Colonel Cappelli, who joined the U.S. Air Force from Rhode Island, served with the 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron. On November 17, 1967, he piloted an F-105D Thunderchief on a mission over Hoi Binh Province, North Vietnam. During the mission, the Thunderchief was shot down. Lieutenant Colonel Cappelli was last seen bailing out from his aircraft, although he died after the ejection due to unknown circumstances. Hostile presence in the area inhibited recovery efforts following the crash. In 1988, the Vietnamese government repatriated human remains to the U.S. which were later identified as those of Lt Col Cappelli.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency