Campbell, Clyde William
Air Force Captain

Clyde William Campbell, age 24, from Longview, Texas, Gregg county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Saturday, March 1, 1969
Death details: On March 1, 1969, Campbell was a pilot aboard an A-1J Skyraider aircraft that crashed while carrying out a close air-support mission in Houaphan Province, Laos. American forward air controllers directing the mission in the area reported hearing an explosion that they believed to be Campbell’s bombs, but later learned Campbell’s aircraft had crashed. No parachutes were seen in the area. In 1997, a joint United States – Lao People’s Democratic Republic (L.P.D.R.) team investigated a crash site in Houaphan Province, Laos, within 330 feet of the last known location of Campbell. In addition to human remains, the team located aircraft wreckage and military equipment, which correlated with Campbell’s aircraft. From 2009 to 2010, additional joint U.S.-L.P.D.R. recovery teams investigated and excavated the crash site three times. Teams recovered additional human remains, military equipment — including an aircraft data plate — and a .38-caliber pistol matching the serial number issued to Campbell.
Cemetery: Arlington National, buried June 21, 2012.

Source: National Archives, Department of Defense