
Richard Rehe, age 22, from Long Beach, California, Los Angeles county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Tuesday, January 9, 1968
Death details: On January 8, 1968, American troops from Company A and Company D of the 3rd Battalion, 196th Light Infantry Brigade, were ambushed by Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces in Quang Tin Province, South Vietnam. In addition to suffering several casualties, eight Americans were captured during the engagement. The following day on January 9, two more were captured as their units searched for the wounded and missing from the previous day’s action. Private First Class Richard Raymond Rehe entered the U.S. Army from California and served in Company A, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 196th Infantry Brigade, 196th Light Infantry Brigade. He was severely wounded during the ambush and then captured on January 9, 1968, and was last seen with other prisoners within a roughly two-hour walking distance away from the battle area, completely debilitated and left behind as the enemy moved along with the other prisoners. He was not seen again and his remains were not recovered. Following the incident, the Army promoted PFC Rehe to the rank of Staff Sergeant (SSG). Today, Staff Sergeant Rehe is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency