Thomas Wayne Johnson, age 23, from East Gary, Indiana, Lake county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Tuesday, May 19, 1970
Death details: Hostile in South Vietnam
Source: National Archives
Johnson, Thomas Wayne
DeLaGarza, Emilio A. Jr.
Marines Lance corporal
Emilio A. Jr. DeLaGarza, age 20, from East Chicago, Indiana, Lake county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Saturday, April 11, 1970
Death details: Medal of Honor citation presented September 9, 1971: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a machine gunner with Company E. Returning with his squad from a night ambush operation, L/Cpl. De La Garza joined his platoon commander and another marine in searching for two enemy soldiers who had been observed fleeing for cover toward a small pond. Moments later, he located one of the enemy soldiers hiding among the reeds and brush. As the three marines attempted to remove the resisting soldier from the pond, L/Cpl. De La Garza observed him pull the pin on a grenade. Shouting a warning, L/Cpl. De La Garza placed himself between the other two marines and the ensuing blast from the grenade, thereby saving the lives of his comrades at the sacrifice of his life. By his prompt and decisive action and his great personal valor in the face of almost certain death, L/Cpl. De La Garza upheld and further enhanced the finest traditions of the Marine Corps and the U.S. Naval Service.
Cemetery: Saint John’s in Hammond, Indiana
Source: National Archives, Medal of Honor Society
Chappey, John Michael
Army Corporal
John Michael Chappey, age 20, from Hammond, Indiana, Lake county.
Parents: John A. Chappey
Spouse: Barbara Chappey
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Bishop Noll Institute (1967)
Military history: Company B, 1st Battalion 5th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division
Date of death: Wednesday, March 11, 1970
Death details: Hostile, killed in an explosion in South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Munster Times (1970)
Jaroscak, John Paul
Army Private 1st class
John Paul Jaroscak, age 20, from Gary, Indiana, Lake county.
Parents: Mike Jaroscak
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Merrillville High graduate
Date of death: Wednesday, March 4, 1970
Death details: Drowned in South Vietnam while loading fuel on a barge.
Source: National Archives, Indianapolis News (1970)
Schwuchow, Gerald Lee
Army Specialist 4
Gerald Lee Schwuchow, age 20, from Hobart, Indiana, Lake county.
Parents: Robert Schwuchow
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Wednesday, January 14, 1970
Death details: Hostile in South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1970)
Ahart, William Junior
Army Specialist 5
William Junior Ahart, age 23, from Crown Point, Indiana, Lake county.
Parents: Thomas T. Ahart
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Friday, January 9, 1970
Death details: Non-hostile in South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1970)
Rogers, Billy Lee
Navy Seaman
Billy Lee Rogers from Gary, Indiana.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Monday, December 1, 1969
Death details: Seaman Billy Lee Rogers entered the U.S. Navy from Indiana and served aboard the USS Ranger (CVA 61). On December 1, 1969, he fell overboard in the South China Sea in the vicinity of (GC) 48Q YF 555 214. Search efforts with helicopters and small boats were initiated and continued the next morning but had no success in locating the missing seaman. His remains were not recovered. Today, Seaman Rogers is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual’s case to be in the analytical category of Non-recoverable.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Midnight, Francis Barnes
Air Force Captain
Francis Barnes Midnight from Gary, Indiana.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Wednesday, August 23, 1967
Death details: On August 23, 1967, an F-4 Phantom II (tail number 66-7517, call sign “Sapphire 02”) took off for an armed reconnaissance mission over Quang Binh Province, North Vietnam. When the Phantom reached the target area, the pilot radioed in that he was rolling in to attack, and shortly thereafter the Phantom crashed near the target in the vicinity of grid coordinates XE 712 139, producing a large fireball. The copilot successfully ejected; radio contact with him was immediately established, and he was recovered by a search and rescue effort. The aircraft commander could not be recovered. After being rescued, the surviving crew member stated that the other man had not had time to eject before the crash.
Captain Francis Barnes Midnight, who joined the U.S. Air Force from Indiana, served with the 435th Tactical Fighter Squadron. He was the aircraft commander of the Phantom when it crashed, and attempts to locate and recover his remains have been unsuccessful. Today, Captain Midnight is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Soucy, Ronald Philip Sr.
Navy Aviation machinist’s mate 2
Ronald Philip Sr. Soucy, age 30, from Whitting Lake, Indiana, Lake county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Tuesday, May 23, 1967
Death details: On May 23, 1967, an SH-3A Sea King (bureau 148985, call sign “Chink”) with a crew of four took off from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CVS 12) in the Gulf of Tonkin on a search and rescue mission. On their approach, the crew radioed that they expected to be at the destination within half an hour, but made no further contact and was not seen again. A radio check was conducted on all frequencies, but contact with the crew could not be re-established. The helicopter never returned to the Hornet. Aerial and surface searches continued but none of the crew members were ever recovered. Aviation Machinist’s Mate (Jet Engines) Second Class Ronald Philip Soucy, who joined the U.S. Navy from Indiana, was a member of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 2, embarked aboard the Hornet. He was a crew member aboard the Sea King when it went missing, and was lost with the aircraft. His remains were not recovered. After the incident, the Navy promoted ADJ2 Soucy to the rank of Aviation Machinist’s Mate (Jet Engines) First Class (ADJ1). Today, Aviation Machinist’s Mate (Jet Engines) First Class Soucy is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual’s case to be in the analytical category of Non-recoverable.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Rogers, Charles Edward
Air Force Major
Charles Edward Rogers, age 38, from Gary, Indiana.
Service era: Vietnam
Spouse: Jean
Children: Three
Parent: Edward Rogers
Date of death: Thursday, May 4, 1967
Death details: Hostile, missing, body not recovered in Laos. Major Charles Edward Rogers told his mother he had to serve a second tour in Vietnam because “this was what a man should do.” He entered the U.S. Air Force from Indiana and was a member of the 1st Air Commando Squadron. On May 4, 1967, he was the pilot of a single-seat A1-E Skyraider (tail number 52-132638, call sign “Hobo 21”) that was the lead aircraft in a flight of two that took off from Pleiku Air Base, South Vietnam, on a combat mission over Laos. When the flight was ten miles south of Attopeu, Maj Rogers’ Skyraider was hit by enemy ground fire, causing it to crash and explode on impact. His wingman witnessed the crash and did not report seeing a parachute or hearing a rescue beeper following the crash. Attempts to locate Maj Rogers following the incident have been unsuccessful. Today, Major Rogers 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 News (1967)