Mayer, Roderick Lewis
Navy Lieutenatn commander

Roderick Lewis Mayer, age 26, from Nez Perce County Lewiston, Idaho .

Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Graduated high school in Lewiston

Date of death: Sunday, October 17, 1965
Death details: On October 17, 1965, an F-4B Phantom II (bureau number: 150631, call sign: “Egg Shell 105”) with a crew of two launched from the aircraft carrier USS Independence (CVA 62) to take part in a strike mission against the Thai Nguyen Bridge, North Vietnam. During the mission, this Phantom was hit by enemy anti-aircraft artillery. The aircraft rolled over and crashed, but both crew members were able to eject before it hit the ground. Following the incident, both men were seen on the ground in the vicinity of (GC) 48Q XJ 689 966, but could not be found by the time a rescue helicopter arrived two hours later. The helicopter came under intense ground fire and could not land, and a ground search could not be performed due to the continued enemy presence in the area. The area was kept under radio surveillance for two days but there was no contact with either crew member. It was later discovered that one crew member had been captured by the enemy, and he was subsequently released; the other crew member remains unaccounted for. Lieutenant Roderick Lewis Mayer entered the U.S. Navy from Idaho and was a member of Fighter Squadron 41. He was the pilot of this Phantom when it was hit by enemy fire on October 17, 1965, and he was last seen on the ground near the crash site after ejecting prior to the crash. However, he was not be found when the rescue helicopter reached the scene, and he remains unaccounted-for. Following the incident, the U.S. Navy promoted LT Mayer to the rank of Commander (CDR). Today, CDR Mayer is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed along with all his fallen comrades on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Spokane Chronicle (1971)