Rausch, Robert Ernest
Air Force Major

Robert Ernest Rausch, age 31, from Hicksville, New York, Nassau county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: April 16, 1970
Death details: 

On April 16, 1970, an RF-4C Phantom II (tail number 66-0409) with two crew members took off on a reconnaissance mission in the general vicinity of the tri-border area between Laos and North and South Vietnam. During the mission, the aircraft completed an in-flight refueling and reported to the Forward Air Controller that it was moving north to another target area. This was the last known transmission from the aircraft, and it failed to return to base. Searches were made along the flight path but were unsuccessful in locating either crew member.

Captain Robert Ernest Rausch entered the U.S. Air Force from New York and served in the 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron. He was the navigator aboard the RF-4C when it went missing and his remains were never recovered. After the incident, the Air Force promoted Captain Rausch to Major.  Today, Major Rausch is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency