University City Missouri

Chorlins, Richard David
Air Force Captain

Richard David Chorlins, age 24, from University City, Missouri, Saint Louis county.

Spouse: Nancy Jean Charlins

Service era: Vietnam
Schools: University City High (1963), Air Force Academy (1967), Georgetown University graduate

Date of death: Sunday, January 11, 1970
Death details: On January 20, 2015, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now DPAA) identified the remains of Captain Richard David Chorlins, missing from the Vietnam War. Captain Chorlins entered the U.S. Air Force from Missouri and served with the 602nd Special Operations Squadron. On January 11, 1970, he piloted an A-1H Skyraider (tail number unknown) flying as the lead aircraft in a two-plane flight on a combat mission over Laos. His aircraft crashed into a mountainside while attacking enemy targets in Khammouan Province, Laos, killing Capt Chorlins. His body was not recovered at the time of his loss. However, in 2003, the Department of Defense received a package containing human remains from an American citizen who had previously received them from a Vietnamese local living near Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam; modern forensic techniques were eventually able to identify the remains as those of Capt Chorlins.

Source: National Archives, Saint Louis Post Dispatch (1970), Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Savoy, M. J.
Navy Airman

M. J. Savoy, age 28, from University City, Missouri, Saint Louis county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Friday, June 17, 1966
Death details: On June 17, 1966, a C-130E Hercules (tail number 63-7785) carrying fourteen service members took off from Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam, en route to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan. Approximately twenty minutes after take-off, the Hercules exploded for unknown reasons and crashed into the South China Sea. Nearby ships witnessed the incident and quickly arrived on the scene to assist in rescue operations, and recovered the remains of two service members. However, twelve individuals who were aboard the aircraft were lost during the incident and remain unaccounted-for. Airman M.J. Savoy entered the U.S. Navy from Missouri and was a member of Air Transport Squadron 7. He was a crew member aboard this Hercules when it crashed, and his remains could not be recovered following the incident. Today, Airman Savoy 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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