Corle, John Thomas
Marines Corporal
John Thomas Corle, age 23, from Allegheny County Pitcairn, Pennsylvania .
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Wednesday, December 8, 1965
Death details: On December 8, 1965, a UH-34D Choctaw (bureau number 145768) carrying four crew members took off from Da Nang Air Base as one in a flight of four aircraft en route to Ky Ha Airfield for a routine supply mission. While flying roughly one mile offshore, the helicopter’s engine failed without warning. The aircraft auto-rotated then impacted the water roughly 300 yards from shore in heavy surf. All four crew members escaped the aircraft; however, only three were rescued following the crash. Corporal John Thomas Corle entered the U.S. Marine Corps from Pennsylvania and served in Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364, Marine Air Group 36, 1st Marine Air Wing. He was the gunner aboard this UH-34 when it crashed, and was last seen swimming to shore after the incident. Survivors reported that Corporal Corle went under the waves in the heavy surf and was not seen again. Attempts to locate him or his remains following the incident were unsuccessful. Today, Corporal Corle 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., dpaa, findagrave.com