McDaniel, Morris Larosco Jr.
Air Force Colonel
Morris Larosco Jr. McDaniel from Ft. Valley, Georgia, Peach county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Wednesday, October 4, 1967.
On October 4, 1967, an F-105 Thunderchief (tail number 63-8346, call sign “Splendid”) carrying two crew members departed Korat Air Base, Thailand, on a night low-level strike mission over enemy targets in North Vietnam. The last known contact with the aircraft occurred just after it refueled over northern Thailand and headed towards its target, and it was not seen again. When the aircraft failed to return to base on schedule, electronic search efforts were conducted. The next day, search and rescue teams flew over the Thunderchief’s flight path but failed to locate a crash site or either of the crew members.
Major Morris Larosco McDaniel Jr., who joined the U.S. Air Force from Georgia, served with the 13th Tactical Fighter Squadron. He was the pilot of the Thunderchief when it disappeared, and his remains were not recovered. After the incident, the Air Force promoted Maj McDaniel to the rank of Colonel (Col). Today, Colonel McDaniel is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
