Richard Dean Roberts, age 19, from Lansing, Michigan, Ingham county.
Spouse: Linda Roberts
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Everett High
Date of death: Tuesday, March 25, 1969
Death details: On March 25, 1969, three members of the 4th Infantry Division were conducting a road interdiction mission in Kontum Province, South Vietnam, when their unit came in contact with an enemy force in the vicinity of (GC) YB 790 002. During the ensuing firefight, one member was seriously wounded and became unable to walk on his own. The unit pulled back and the wounded man placed on a litter and carried out. As the unit moved to high ground, it encountered enemy forces again and during this second contact, while moving down a hill, the three soldiers became separated from the group and were not seen again. On April 5, the area was searched by a reconnaissance team, which found personal items belonging to two of the missing men, but no additional remains or signs of the men were located. Private First Class Richard Dean Roberts entered the U.S. Army from Michigan and served with Company B, 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. He was one of the three men who were lost during this action, and his remains were not recovered. After the incident, the Army postumously promoted PFC Roberts to the rank of Sergeant First Class (SFC). Today, Sergeant First Class Roberts is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, findagrave.com, Lansing State Journal (1978)