Estocin, Michael John
Navy Commander
Michael John Estocin from Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, Allegheny county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: April 27, 1967
Death details: Lieutenant Commander Michael John Estocin, who joined the U.S. Navy from Pennsylvania, served with Attack Squadron 192. On April 26, 1967, he piloted an A-4E Skyhawk (bureau number 151073, call sign “Jury 208”) on a surface to air missile (SAM) suppression mission over North Vietnam. During the mission, his Skyhawk was hit by a SAM and went out of control. Observers radioed LCDR Estocin and told him that his aircraft was on fire. He regained control of the aircraft and radioed that he was switching to the search and rescue (SAR) frequency. That was the last recieved communication from LCDR Estocin. The Skyhawk was last seen in the vicinity of (GC) 48 Q YH 134 919 when it entered a cloud layer at 3,500 feet. When nothing further was heard from LCDR Estocin, SAR efforts were initiated, but they were unsuccessful in locating the aircraft or a crash site. Lieutenant Commander Estocin’s remains have not been recovered. After the incident, the Navy promoted LCDR Estocin to the rank of Captain. Today, Captain Estocin is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency