Sniper 67

Horsky, Robert Milvoy
Air Force Major

Robert Milvoy Horsky, age 39, from Linn County Cedar Rapids, Iowa .

Parents: Mrs. William Paseka
Spouse: Joan (Woodford)
Children: Jan, 1

Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Coe College, Purdue University

Date of death: Saturday, December 11, 1965
Death details: On February 27, 1979, the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory-Hawaii(CILHI, now DPAA) identified the remains of Major Robert Milvoy Horsky, missing from the Vietnam War. Major Horsky joined the U.S. Air Force from Iowa and was a member of the 309th Air Commando Squadron. On December 11, 1965, he piloted a C-123B Provider (tail number 56-4376, call sign “Snipe 67”) that carried three other crew members and eighty-one members of the Republic of Vietnam Army on a transport mission from Pleiku Air Base, Vietnam, to Tuy Hoa Air Base. The Provider went down during its flight to Tuy Hoa, killing Maj Horsky and the others on board. Their remains could not be recovered at the time. On June 16, 1974, South Vietnamese military personnel found the crash site in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, and collected human remains from the aircraft wreckage. The remains and artifacts were later turned over to CILHI, and Maj Horsky was identified among the remains recovered. Major Horsky is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed along with all his fallen comrades on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Cedar Rapids Gazette (1966)

McKnight, George Parker
Air Force Captain

George Parker McKnight, age 19, from Lafayette County Lafayette, Louisiana .

Spouse: Lois H. McKnight

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Saturday, December 11, 1965
Death details: On May 4, 2017, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Captain George Parker McKnight, missing from the Vietnam War. Captain McKnight joined the U.S. Air Force from Louisiana and was a member of the 309th Air Commando Squadron, 315th Air Commando Group. On December 11, 1965, he was the copilot of a C-123B Provider (tail number 56-4376, call sign “Snipe 67”) that carried three other crew members and eighty-one South Vietnamese personnel on a transport mission from Pleiku Air Base, Vietnam, to Tuy Hoa Air Base. The Provider went down during its flight to Tuy Hoa. Search teams found its wreckage on December 23, 1965, but no signs of survivors or remains were found at the time. In June 1974, a local recovery team traveled to the “Snipe 67” crash site and recovered remains among the wreckage; however, none of these remains could be individually identified at the time. In 2017, extensive analysis and modern forensic techniques identified Capt McKnight among the remains recovered. Captain McKnight is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed along with all his fallen comrades on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, The Times (1966)

Salinas, Mercedes Perez
Air Force Staff sergeant

Mercedes Perez Salinas, age 37, from Hidalgo County Mission, Texas .

Spouse: Suzanne Salinas

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Saturday, December 11, 1965
Death details: On February 27, 1979, the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory-Hawaii(CILHI, now DPAA) identified the remains of Staff Sergeant Mercedes Perez Salinas, missing from the Vietnam War. Staff Sergeant Salinas joined the U.S. Air Force from Texas and was a member of the 309th Air Commando Squadron. On December 11, 1965, he was the flight engineer aboard a C-123B Provider (tail number 56-4376, call sign “Snipe 67”) that carried three other crew members and eighty-one members of the Republic of Vietnam Army on a transport mission from Pleiku Air Base, Vietnam, to Tuy Hoa Air Base. The Provider went down during its flight to Tuy Hoa, killing SSgt Salinas and the others on board. Their remains could not be recovered at the time. On June 16, 1974, South Vietnamese military personnel found the crash site in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, and collected human remains from the aircraft wreckage. The remains and artifacts were later turned over to CILHI and SSgt Salinas was identified among the remains recovered. Staff Sergeant Salinas is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed along with all his fallen comrades on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Corsincana Daily Sun (1966)

Stewart, Donald David
Air Force Staff sergeant

Donald David Stewart, age 29, from Harnett County Coats, North Carolina .

Parents: Mr. and Mrs. Odell Hasty, Robert G. Stewart
Spouse: Wanda Stewart Adams
Children: Dona Stewart

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Saturday, December 11, 1965
Death details: On February 27, 1979, the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory-Hawaii(CILHI, now DPAA) identified the remains of Staff Sergeant Donald David Stewart, missing from the Vietnam War. Staff Sergeant Stewart joined the U.S. Air Force from North Carolina and was a member of the 309th Air Commando Squadron. On December 11, 1965, he was the loadmaster aboard a C-123B Provider (tail number 56-4376, call sign “Snipe 67”) that carried three other crew members and eighty-one members of the Republic of Vietnam Army on a transport mission from Pleiku Air Base, Vietnam, to Tuy Hoa Air Base. The Provider went down during its flight to Tuy Hoa, killing SSgt Stewart and the others on board. Their remains could not be recovered at the time. On June 16, 1974, South Vietnamese military personnel found the crash site in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, and collected human remains from the aircraft wreckage. The remains and artifacts were turned over to CILHI, and SSgt Stewart was identified among the remains recovered. Staff Sergeant Stewart is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed along with all his fallen comrades on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, News and Observer (1966)

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