Kerr, Ernest Claney Jr.
Marines Lance corporal

Ernest Claney Jr. Kerr, age 21, from Akron, Ohio, Summit county.

Parents: Ernest Sr. and Helen
Spouse: None
Children: None

Service era: Vietnam
Schools: East High graduate

Date of death: Tuesday, March 26, 1968
Death details: On March 26, 1968, a UH-34D Choctaw (bureau number 144654, call sign “Murry Medevac Chase”) was the wingman aircraft in a flight of two on an emergency medical evacuation mission from Hue-Phu Bai to Da Nang, South Vietnam. The helicopter four crew members and three passengers. During the flight, this Choctaw’s pilot lost sight of the lead aircraft due to weather conditions, and put the aircraft on instruments while continuing to locate the lead helicopter. It was while flying under instrument control that the Choctaw nose-dived into the water. Search and rescue teams responded to the crash site and rescued the pilot and the copilot, but were unable to locate the other two crew members or the three passengers. Lance Corporal Ernest Claney Kerr Jr., who joined the U.S. Marine Corps from Ohio, served with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 363, Marine Air Group 36, 1st Marine Air Wing. He was an aerial gunner aboard this Choctaw when it crashed in open water, during a medical evacuation mission on March 26, 1968. His remains were not recovered. Today, Lance Corporal Kerr 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, Akron Beacon Journal (1968)