Benton County Oregon

William Louis Kinkade from Corvallis, Oregon, Benton county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Sunday, September 1, 1968
Death details: On September 1, 1968, an F-4D Phantom II (tail number 66-8688, call sign “Carter Two”) with two crew members took off as part of an armed reconnaissance mission over enemy targets in North Vietnam. While over the target area, the aircraft commander aboard “Carter Two” reportedly witnessed an extremely bright light, after which point the plane began to fall apart and explode. The aircraft commander was thrown from the aircraft in mid-air but survived the incident and was eventually rescued and returned to U.S. custody. However, the other crew member aboard “Carter Two” was lost during the incident and has not been recovered.

First Lieutenant William Louis Kinkade, who joined the U.S. Air Force from Oregon, was a member of the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron. He was the pilot systems operator of “Carter Two” when it went down and was the crew member lost during the incident. He was not seen or heard from again, and his remains have not been recovered. After the incident, the Air Force promoted 1st Lt Kinkade to the rank of Captain (Capt). Today, Captain Kinkade is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency