Robert Donald Beutel, age 25, from Tremont, Illinois, Tazewell county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: November 26, 1971
Death details:
On November 26, 1971, an F-4 Phantom II (tail number 66-7752, call sign “Owl 08”) conducted a forward air control mission over a heavily wooded, mountainous jungle area in eastern Laos. The last radio contact with the aircraft occurred as it was en route to the target area in Savannakhet Province in the vicinity of (GC) VD 964 056. Weather conditions were extremely poor, with rain, clouds and low visibility. When controllers could not re-establish radio contact with the crew of the Phantom, a seven day search and rescue effort began. Continuing bad weather and the rugged terrain hampered visual and photographic searches, and radio and electronic contact could not be established. The search was unsuccessful and the crew were declared missing.
First Lieutenant Robert Donald Beutel, who joined the U.S. Air Force from Illinois, served with the 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 8th Tactical Fighter Wing. He was the weapon systems operator aboard the Phantom when it disappeared, and his remains were not recovered. Subsequent to the incident, and while carried in the status of missing in action (MIA), the U.S. Air Force promoted First Lieutenant Beutel to the rank of Captain (Capt). Today, Captain Beutel is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency