Conner, Edwin Ray
Navy Senior chief aviation machinist’s mate

Edwin Ray Conner, age 35, from Hillsboro, Texas, Hill county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Saturday, May 16, 1970
Death details: On May 16, 1970, an EKA-3B Skywarrior (bureau number 142657, call sign “Homebrew 615”) carrying three crew members took off from Cubi Point, Philippines, on a transport mission. During the mission, “Homebrew 615” crashed in to the Gulf of Tonkin in the vicinity of (GC) 49Q BU 368 386, due to unknown causes. An extensive search was immediately conducted, which recovered and identified the remains of the navigator from “Homebrew 615’s” crew. The other two crew members of the aircraft are still unaccounted for. Senior Chief Aviation Machinist’s Mate Edwin Ray Conner, who joined the U.S. Navy from Texas, was a member of Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 135. He was a crew member aboard the Skywarrior when it crashed, and was lost with the aircraft. His remains were not recovered following the incident. Today, Senior Chief Aviation Machinist’s Mate Conner is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual’s case to be in the analytical category of Non-recoverable.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, MIA