Charles George Hughes, age 39, from Freeland, Pennsylvania, Luzerne county.
Parents: Eleanor (Sims) Hughes
Spouse: Eva, children, son Charles G. Hughes Jr. died in 1964
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Wednesday, November 11, 1970
Death details: Non-hostile, died in South Vietnam.
Cemetery: Freeland
Source: National Archives, Hazleton Standard Speaker (1970)
Richard Evancho, age 20, from Freeland, Pennsylvania, Luzerne county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Tuesday, March 26, 1968
Death details: On March 26, 1968, a UH-34D Choctaw (bureau number 144654, call sign “Murry Medevac Chase”) was the wingman aircraft in a flight of two on an emergency medical evacuation mission from Hue-Phu Bai to Da Nang, South Vietnam. The helicopter four crew members and three passengers. During the flight, this Choctaw’s pilot lost sight of the lead aircraft due to weather conditions, and put the aircraft on instruments while continuing to locate the lead helicopter. It was while flying under instrument control that the Choctaw nose-dived into the water. Search and rescue teams responded to the crash site and rescued the pilot and the copilot, but were unable to locate the other two crew members or the three passengers. Lance Corporal (LCpl) Richard (nmn) Evancho, who joined the U.S. Marine Corps from Pennsylvania, served with Marine Air Base Squadron 36, Marine Air Group 36, 1st Marine Air Wing. He was a patient being evacuated aboard the helicopter on a medical evacuation mission when it crashed, and his remains were not recovered. Today, LCpl Evancho is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, findagrave.com