Gonzales, David
Marines Sergeant

David Gonzales, age 22, from Ventura, California, Ventura county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Saturday, March 21, 1970
Death details:  On March 21, 1970, a UH-1E Iroquois (bureau number 152427) with four crew members participated in a two-helicopter combat mission over Laos. The UH-1 was hit by small arms fire while over Saravane Province, and began leaking fuel. Crew men aboard the other helicopter in the flight then saw the UH-1 catch fire and crash in dense jungle. The UH-1 exploded on impact, and initial aerial reconnaissance indicated there were no survivors. Two weeks later, however, the co-pilot was rescued, and the remains of the pilot were recovered. Although an extensive ground search was conducted, the remains of the crew chief and gunner could not be found.

Sergeant David Gonzales, who joined the U.S. Marine Corps from California, served with Marine Light Helicopter Squadron 167, Marine Air Group 16, 1st Marine Air Wing. He was the crew chief aboard the UH-1 when it crashed, and his remains were not recovered. Today, Sergeant Gonzales is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency