North California

Mccoy, Meril Olen Jr.
Navy Lieutenant

Meril Olen Jr. Mccoy, age 23, from North, California, Sacramento county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Tuesday, December 15, 1970
Death details: On December 15, 1970, a C-2A Greyhound (bureau number 155120) carrying six crew and passengers launched from the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CVA 61) in the South China Sea. About ten seconds after launch, the aircraft stalled and crashed into the sea. Search and rescue units responded immediately but there were no survivors. Searchers were able to retrieve the remains of two of the men aboard the aircraft, but the other four could not be recovered. Lieutenant Meril Olen McCoy Jr., who entered the U.S. Navy from California, served with Fleet Tactical Support Squadron 50 and was the pilot of this Greyhound at the time of its loss. He was not recovered after the crash and remains unaccounted for. Today, Lieutenant McCoy 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

Reid, Edward Rowan Jr.
Army Private 1st class

Edward Rowan Jr. Reid, age 23, from North, California, Los Angeles county.

Service era: Vietnam
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment

Date of death: Wednesday, March 1, 1967
Death details: Bronze Star citation: For heroism in connection with military operations against a hostile force: Private First Class Reid distinguished himself by heroic actions on March 1 1967, while serving as a rifleman for the Reconnaissance Platoon of the 1st Battalion, 35th Infantry, during a search and destroy mission when it made contact with an estimated North Vietnamese company-size force. Private First Class Reid was ordered to maneuver to the right flank of the platoon with the remainder of his squad. This was in the direction of the heaviest contact at that time. Private First Class Reid engaged the enemy with other elements of his squad, but he noticed that part of his squad’s sector was left uncovered by fire. He immediately moved, without command, to this sector and encountered two North Vietnamese soldiers firing automatic weapons and attempting to penetrate the right flank of the platoon. With complete disregard for his personal safety, he engaged the two enemy soldiers head-on and brought effective fire upon them, eliminating them both and preventing further exploitation of the platoon’s right flank. Private First Class Reid was mortally wounded in his engagement with the enemy, but through his decisive actions and personal courage, his platoon was able to successfully accomplish its mission and overrun the enemy, Private First Class Reid’s outstanding display of aggressiveness, devotion to duty and personal bravery is in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service, and reflects great credit upon himself, his unit, and the Armed Forces of the United States.

Cemetery: Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale

Source: National Archives, 35th Infantry Regiment Association

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