Helicopter Pilots Killed in Action (KIA)

Detailed KIA information is on the VHPA web site at http://www.vhpa.org/KIA/KIAINDEX.HTM

VHPA STATISTICS FOR THE VIETNAM WAR PERIOD (1961 - 1975)

Total in all U. S. military services .......................... 8,744,000

Serving in Southeast Asia .................................... 3,385,000

Serving in South Vietnam ..................................... 2,594,000

Killed or Body Not Returned ..................................... 58,220

Helicopter pilots KIA or BNR ...................................... 2,197

Helicopter Pilot KIAs by Service and Estimated Total Number with SEA Service

VHPA Abbreviation		Service or Organization	Killed In Action	Body Not Returned	Remains Returned	Total	Estimated Total Number with SEA Service		Comments
	AR	Army	1732	104	33	1869	37,500
	MC	Marine Corps	176	22	2	200	4,500
	AF	Air Force	33	9	6	48	2,000
	AA, CV	Air America & other Civilian Companies	26	0	0	26	900	Located anywhere in Southeast Asia
	NA	Navy	24	8	1	33	400
	AN, AY, RA	Australian (all)	7	0	0	7	200	Includes New Zealand
	VF	RVN Air Force	12	0	0	12	750
	CG	Coast Guard	0	1	0	1	11	Served with USAF
	KO	Korean Army	1	0	0	1	120
	LA, TH, PA	Lao, Thailand, etc.	0	0	0	0	300
		Totals	2,011	143	43	2197	46,681
	Note: All MIAs have been declared dead by the Department of Defense

	KIA by Rank													KIA by Location				KIA by Age
	Rank		AR	MC	AF	NA	AA	AN	VF	KO	CG	Total	Ave Age	Area		KIA BNR		Age		KIA BNR
	WO1		854	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	855	23.1	Cambodia		50		19			61
	CW2		290	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	290	26.7	Laos		77		20			161
	CW3		54	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	54	28.2	Thailand		8		21			279
	CW4		6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	42.5	North Vietnam		22		22			272
	ENS		0	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	23.2	South Vietnam				23			212
	PO		0	0	0	0	3	1	0	0	0	4	n/a	I Corps	649			24			258
	2LT		14	6	2	0	0	1	7	0	0	30	24.8	II Corps	347			25			205
	SLT		0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	2	N/a	III Corps	516			26			128
	X1		0	0	0	0	0	0	3	1	0	4	n.a	IV Corps	195			27			100
	1LT		268	107	2	0	0	0	2	0	0	379	24.7	Unk	320			28			73
	LJG		0	0	0	19	0	0	0	0	0	19	25.6	SVN Total		2027		29			69
	CPT		289	61	29	0	23	0	0	0	0	402	27.1	Unk Country		13		30			64
	LT		0	0	0	9	0	1	0	0	1	11	29.1					31-34			150
	MAJ		75	24	11	0	0	1	0	0	0	111	33.2	Total		2197		35-39			90
	LCR		0	0	0	2	0	1	0	0	0	3	34.0					40-44			21
	LTC		16	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	18	38.3					45-49			9
	COL		1	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	40.9					50+			2
	BG		1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	46.9					Unk			43
	MG		1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	48.3
Totals		1869		200	48	33	26	7	12	1	1	2197	25.5				Total		2197

Facts about Vietnam helicopter pilot deaths

Youngest to be killed = WO1 Raymond H. Chase, Jr., KIA 10 Nov 1967 DOB 13 Aug 1948, 7028 days old, 19.3 years old	First to be killed = FO Charles H. Mateer and CPT Walter L. Wizbowski on 30 May 1961 in Laos flying for Air America
Average tour length before being killed = 154 days	First U.S. military to be killed = CW2 Joseph A. Goldberg 15 July 1962
	Last to be killed = USAF 2LT Richard Vande Geer on 15 May 1975