South Saint Paul Minnesota

Cedergren, David Ashley
Navy Petty officer 3rd class

David Ashley Cedergren, age 25, from South St Paul, Minnesota, Dakota county.

Parents: Bart Cedergren and Deb Cedergren

Service era: Iraq
Military history: Small Craft Co, 2Ndbn, 2Ndmar, 1Stmardiv

Date of death: Saturday, September 11, 2004
Death details: Camp Kal-Su, Iraq. Died after being found unconscious in a shower. Department of Defense originally told the family the death was due to natural causes, but later said he was electrocuted while showering. The death became part of a wider criminal investigation due to similar deaths.
Cemetery: Fort Snelling National Cemetery

Source: Department of Defense, Pioneer Press

Christophersen, Keith Allen
Navy lieutenant (junior grade)

Keith Allen Christophersen, 26, from South Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Sunday, January 21, 1973
Death details: 

On January 21, 1973, an EKA-3B Skywarrior (bureau number 142634) carrying a crew of three was to make a night catapult launch from the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-61), located in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of North Vietnam. A malfunction occurred during the launch, causing the Skywarrior to run off the carrier deck at a slow speed. It crashed into the water and sank. An extensive search for the aircraft’s crew was unsuccessful in locating them. All three members of the Skywarrior’s crew remain unaccounted for.

Lieutenant Junior Grade Keith Allen Christophersen, who joined the U.S. Navy from Minnesota, was a member of Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 130. He was a crew member aboard this Skywarrior when it crashed, and was lost with the aircraft. His remains were not recovered. Today, Lieutenant Junior Grade Christophersen 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, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

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