In Honored Remembrance Of Lieutenant Hodges
Posted for: DAVID LAWTON HODGES:
24_184_90_115_200898.gif
April 16, 1999

The remains of six American servicemen previously unaccounted-for from thewar in Southeast Asia have been identified and are being returned to their families for burial in the United States.

They are identified as Air Force Capt. Dean A. Wadsworth, Clarendon, Texas; Marine SSgt. Harold E. Reid, Salt Lake City, Utah; Navy Lt. David L. Hodges, Chevy Chase, Md.; Air Force Lt. Col. Lewis M. Robinson, Saginaw, Mich.; Air Force Capt. Douglas K. Martin, Tyler, Texas; and Air Force Capt. Samuel L. James, Chattanooga, Tenn.

On October 7, 1967, Hodges was leading a strike mission near Hanoi, North Vietnam when his A-4E Skyhawk was struck by an enemy surface-to-air missile. His wingman reported receiving a radio transmission from the lieutenant that his engine had flamed out. As the wingman watched, Hodges' burning aircraft rolled to the right, entered a steep dive, and crashed. No parachute was sighted and no emergency beeper signals were heard. Because of enemy control of the area, there was no search and rescue mission mounted.

Acting on information obtained from Vietnamese wartime documents, a joint U.S.-Vietnamese team interviewed villagers in July 1995 who claimed to have visited the site shortly after the crash and buried the pilot. But the crash crater had been filled with dirt to allow farming, so the team found no evidence of a crash. But the following April, another team mounted an excavation at the site where they did recover remains, a wristwatch fragment, pilot-related items and aircraft wreckage. Later, in September 1996, a third team continued the excavation and found additional remains among the wreckage.

Hodges, David Lawton
Born 21 November 1937
Died 7 October 1967
US Navy, LT
Res: Asheville, NC,
Buried In Arlington National Cemetery: Section 66, Grave 5357, buried 30 July 1999

http://www.arlingtoncemetery.com/dlhodges.htm


Section 66, Grave 5357, buried 30 July 1999
Posted by: Michael Robert Patterson
Email:
Relationship:
Sunday, August 26, 2001
Edit this Remembrance   Remove this Remembrance      Share this on Facebook
Donate to Build the Center
Social Media Header



Search The Wall
go
Today We Remember
On May 28,
  202 service members made the ultimate sacrifice.
On this day in 1962,
  1 service members made the ultimate sacrifice.
On this day in 1963,
  1 service members made the ultimate sacrifice.
On this day in 1965,
  14 service members made the ultimate sacrifice.
On this day in 1966,
  10 service members made the ultimate sacrifice.
On this day in 1967,
  28 service members made the ultimate sacrifice.
On this day in 1968,
  74 service members made the ultimate sacrifice.
On this day in 1969,
  40 service members made the ultimate sacrifice.
On this day in 1970,
  28 service members made the ultimate sacrifice.
On this day in 1971,
  5 service members made the ultimate sacrifice.
On this day in 1973,
  1 service members made the ultimate sacrifice.
Click on the number of lives lost
to view the names.
Tour the Center


Our Charity Ratings

    The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund takes our stewardship of your donations seriously. The programs we fund are designed to help us achieve our mission of preserving the legacy of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, promoting healing and educating about the impact of the Vietnam War.