Pruett, William David
Air Force Senior Master Sergeant

William David Pruett, age 39, from Bluefield, Virginia, Tazewell county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Wednesday, January 28, 1970
Death details: On January 28, 1970, an HH-53B Super Jolly Green Giant (tail number 14434, call sign Jolly Green 71) with a crew of six took off on a search and rescue mission in Laos. While in a holding pattern over the rescue area, the helicopter was struck by enemy fire, causing it to crash. Search and rescue efforts could not be conducted due to a strong enemy presence in the area. The remains of the helicopter’s pilot were returned to U.S. custody after the war; however, the rest of the crew is still unaccounted for. Senior Master Sergeant William David Pruett, who joined the U.S. Air Force from Virginia, was a member of the 3rd Air Rescue and Recovery Group. He was a pararescueman aboard the HH-53B when it went down, and was lost with the aircraft. Attempts to recover or identify his remains following the incident have been unsuccessful. Today, Senior Master Sergeant Pruett is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives