Air Force Col. William E. Campbell, 37, of McAllen, Texas, accounted for on Dec. 5, 2016, was buried May 18 in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, On Jan. 29, 1969, Campbell was a member of the 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron as an aircraft commander in a flight of two F-4Ds on an armed reconnaissance mission over southern Laos. Campbell was cleared to engage a target, and his ordnance was seen impacting the ground. Haze in the area made for difficult visibility but immediately thereafter, aircrews saw a large fireball on the ground in the vicinity of the target. The crewmem
Air Force Col. William E. Campbell, 37, of McAllen, Texas, accounted for on Dec. 5, 2016, was buried May 18 in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, On Jan. 29, 1969, Campbell was a member of the 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron as an aircraft commander in a flight of two F-4Ds on an armed reconnaissance mission over southern Laos. Campbell was cleared to engage a target, and his ordnance was seen impacting the ground. Haze in the area made for difficult visibility but immediately thereafter, aircrews saw a large fireball on the ground in the vicinity of the target. The crewmember on another aircraft radioed the missing aircraft but received no reply, and no parachutes were seen. Efforts to make contact with Campbell continued until the remaining planes were forced to leave the area due to low fuel. Campbell was subsequently declared missing in action. He was identified through DNA and anthropological analysis, and returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
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