Ridgewood New Jersey

Bruce Carlton Fryar, age 25, from Ridgewood, New Jersey.

Date of death: Janaury 2, 1970
Death details:  On January 2, 1970, an A-6A Intruder (bureau number 152937) with two crew members launched from the USS Ranger (CVA-61) as the wingman aircraft in a flight of two on a strike mission over the Mu Gia pass in Laos. During this Intruder’s second attack run against targets in the Mu Gia Pass area, the Forward Air Controller (FAC) aircraft and the flight leader reported that it had caught fire, exploded, and crashed, possibly due to a hit from enemy ground fire. They also observed both crew members successfully eject. A short time later, a search and rescue helicopter spotted one of the two crew men unconscious on the ground, but was unable to attach a recovery line before being driven off by heavy enemy fire. Although search and recovery ran operations for several more days, they failed to recover either crew member. The navigator’s remains were eventually returned to U.S. custody, but the remains of the pilot are still unaccounted for.

Lieutenant Bruce Carlton Fryar entered the U.S. Navy from New Jersey and was a member of Attack Squadron 196, Carrier Air Wing 2, embarked aboard the Ranger. He was the pilot of this Intruder when it was shot down. He was able to parachute from the aircraft but was not seen following the incident, and his remains have not been recovered. Today, Lieutenant Fryar is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Sources: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency