Roy Lee Chaney, age 20, from Indianapolis, Indiana, Marion county.
Parents: Clara D. Chaney
Spouse: Cheryl A. Engelhardt
Service era: Vietnam
Military history: 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment
Date of death: Thursday, December 31, 1970
Death details: Hostile in South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Indianapolis Star, Associated Press (1970)
Bruce Gordon Sempsrott, age 20, from Indianapolis, Indiana, Marion county.
Parents: Ralph G. Sempsrott
Spouse: Nancy West
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Tech High (1968)
Military history: 173rd Airborne Brigade
Date of death: Friday, December 18, 1970
Death details: Drowned in South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Indianapolis News, Associated Press (1970)
Harry Allen Watson, age 36, from Indianapolis, Indiana, Marion county.
Spouse: Virginia Watson
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Sunday, November 29, 1970
Death details: Ten minutes after his departure from Phan Rang Air Base, the pilot started the descent to Cam Ranh Bay via a steep valley (3 km wide and 15 km long) at an altitude of 2,700 feet via heading 30°. Shortly later, ATC instructed the crew to change heading to 100° when contact was lost. The airplane struck trees with its both wings, stalled and crashed in flames in a dense wooded area located few km from Cam Ranh Bay Airport. Rescuers arrived on the scene five days later and found two men still alive while 42 other occupants were killed. At the time of the accident, the visibility was nil due to low clouds.
Source: National Archives. Pensacola News Journal (1970), Sacrament Bee (1970)
William W. Jr. Bancroft, age 25, from Indianapolis, Indiana, Marion county.
Spouse: Sally Bancroft
Children: William W. Bancroft III
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: North Central High, Purdue University
Date of death: Friday, November 13, 1970
Death details: On November 13, 1970, an RF-4C Phantom II (tail number 66-0420) carrying two crew members took off as the lead aircraft in a two-plane low-level photo reconnaissance mission over North Vietnam. The Phantom was hit by enemy anti-aircraft fire while making a run over the target, causing it to explode in mid-air and crash in the vicinity of (GC) 48Q WE 864 957. Witnesses in the other aircraft on the mission reported that no parachutes emerged from the Phantom before it went down, and there was no sign of survivors at the crash site. Search efforts could not be conducted, as the incident took place deep in hostile territory. Both members of the Phantom’s crew remain unaccounted for. First Lieutenant William Warner Bancroft Jr., who joined the U.S. Air Force from Indiana, was a member of the 14th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron. He was the navigator aboard the Phantom when it went down, and he remains unaccounted for. Today, First Lieutenant Bancroft is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Indianapolis Star (1970), Associated Press (1970)
John Thomas Sr. Pettitt, age 27, from Indianapolis, Indiana, Marion county.
Parents: Arthur Pettitt
Children: Kelly Jean and John T.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Friday, November 6, 1970
Death details: Hostile in South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Indianapolis News (1970), Associated Press (1970)
Stephen Thomas Smith, age 23, from Indianapolis, Indiana, Marion county.
Parents: Carl J. Smith
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Franklin Central High
Date of death: Monday, September 21, 1970
Death details: Hostile, wounded in South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Indianapolis News (1970)
William Anderson II Craig, age 19, from Indianapolis, Indiana, Marion county.
Parents: Louis H. Craig
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Shortridge High (1968)
Military history: 1st Battalion, 52nd Infantry of the Americal Division
Date of death: Wednesday, August 5, 1970
Death details: Hostile in South Vietnam
Cemetery: Crown Hill
Source: National Archives, Indianapolis Star (1970)
Marvin Eugene Neeley, age 21, from Indianapolis, Indiana, Marion county.
Parents: James P. Neeley
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Ben Davis High (1966), Sams Technical Institute
Military history: 1st Air Cavalry Division
Date of death: Sunday, June 7, 1970
Death details: Killed in action in Cambodia
Source: National Archives, Indianapolis Star (1970)
Brian John Devaney, age 23, from Indianapolis, Indiana, Marion county.
Parents: Murray L. Devaney
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Broad Ripple High, Indiana University
Date of death: Saturday, May 30, 1970
Death details: Hostile in Laos
Cemetery: Calvary
Source: National Archives, Indianapolis Star (1970)
William H. III Vaught, age 21, from Indianapolis, Indiana, Marion county.
Spouse: Marcia Vaught
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Saturday, May 23, 1970
Death details: Hostile in South Vietnam
Source: National Archives