Raymond Anthony Wagner, age 20, from Evansville, Indiana, Vanderburgh county.
Spouse: Single
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Rex Mundi (1969)
Date of death: Monday, March 27, 1972
Death details:
On March 27, 1972, an HH-53C Super Jolly Green Giant (tail number 68-10359, call sign “Jolly Green 61”) with a crew of five took off from Nakhon Phanom Airfield, Thailand, as the number two aircraft in a flight of three aircraft on a escort mission over Cambodia. While over Stoeng Treng Province, Cambodia, southeast of the city of Siempang, one of the other aircraft on the mission radio attempted contact with “Jolly Green 61” and did not receive an answer. The pilot of the other aircraft then tried to locate “Jolly Green 61” visually and spotted a column of black smoke coming from the jungle below. Aerial investigation determined that the helicopter had crashed and the smoke was coming from its burning wreckage. A pararescue specialist was lowered to the ground at the crash site to check for survivors, but due to the intense heat of the flames, he could not approach the wreck closely. Three hours later a second rescue specialist was deployed, but reported the wreckage was still burning. The five crew members aboard “Jolly Green 61” remain unaccounted for.
Airman First Class Raymond Anthony Wagner entered the U.S. Air Force from Indiana and was a member of the 40th Air Rescue and Recovery Squadron. He was a Paraqrescue Specialist and a member of the para-rescue team aboard this helicopter when it crashed and he was lost with the aircraft. His remains were not recovered.
Source: National Archives, “Legacy of War”, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
