CESTARE, JOSEPH ANGELO

Name: Joseph Angelo Cestare
Branch/Rank: United States Marine Corps/O2
Unit: AVIATION MARINE OBSERVATION 2 MARINE AIR GROUP 16
Date of Birth: 04 November 1942
Home City of Record: NEW YORK NY
Date of Loss: 20 April 1968
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 154839 North  1080638 East
Status (in 1973): Killed In Action/Body Not Recovered
Category: 5
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: UH1E #152346
Missions:

Other Personnel in Incident: William Walker, Killed in Action/Body not
Recovered

Refno: 1136

Source: Compiled by P.O.W. NETWORK from one or more of the following: raw
data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA
families, published sources, interviews and CACCF = Combined Action
Combat Casualty File. Updated 2003  - see source below.   2020

REMARKS:

QUANG NAM

==========================================

Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2003 20:15:14 -0500
From: Jerry Ostapowicz <jostapwicz@comcast.net>
USMC/Vietnam Helicopter Pilots
Subject: Comments on Cestare, Joseph Angelo, et al

Incident Date 680420 HML-167 UH-1E 152436+

Zutterman Jr., Joseph A SGT Gunner VMO-2 680420
Cestare, Joseph Angelo 1stLT Pilot HML-167 680420
Walker, William John MAJ Copilot 1stMAW 680420


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CESTARE JOSEPH ANGELO : 095688 : USMC : 1stLT : O2 : 7563 : 25 : NEW YORK :
NY : 19680420 : hostile, crash, land : Pilot : body NOT recovered : Quang
Nam(DaNang) :02 : 19421104 : Cauc : Roman Catholic/single : 51E : 005
WALKER WILLIAM JOHN : 073919 : USMCR : MAJ : O4 : 7564 H-53: 33 : RIVERSIDE
: CA : 19680420 : hostile, crash, land : Copilot : body NOT recovered :
Quang Nam(DaNang) :12 : 19341121 : Cauc : Protestant/married : 51E : 014

ZUTTERMAN JOSEPH A JR : 2067649 : USMCR :SGT : E5 : 5711 : 23 : MARYSVILLE :
KS : 19680420 : hostile, crash, land : Crew : body NOT recovered : Quang
Nam(DaNang) :02 : 19441003 : Cauc : Roman Catholic/single : 51E : 009

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From VMO-2 Squadron command Chronology:
On 20 April, two VMO-2 gunships and one HML-167 gunship launched a search
and destroy mission in the [Operation] Foster area. During a gun run, the
HML-167 aircraft crashed, killing all aboard. The VMO-2 gunships provided
cover in the crash area, and other gunships were launched to provide
suppressive fire in the area.
Comments on Incident:
Various members of the Wing Staff came to the VMO squadrons for proficiency
flight time in the UH-1E (huey). Maj Bill Walker, who was an H-53 pilot by
MOS, was doing this as the copilot on this day with HML-167. Many of the
crews were integrated from different squadrons, as HML-167 was newly
commissioned as a Marine Light Helicopter (huey) squadron on 15 March 1968,
obtaining many of its crew members and aircraft from VMO-2.

Submitted by
Alan H. Barbour, pilot, VMO-2

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01/2020

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000KYr9EAG

1STLT JOSEPH A CESTARE

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On April 20, 1968, a UH-1E Iroquois (bureau number 152436) carrying four crew members was on a combat mission near Da Nang, South Vietnam, when it was hit by enemy ground fire and crashed and burned in the vicinity of (GC) 900 550. The remains of three of the crew members were destroyed in the fire and could not be recovered.

First Lieutenant Joseph Cestare, who entered the U.S. Marine Corps from New York, served with Marine Observation Squadron 2, Marine Air Group 16, 1st Marine Air Wing, and was a crew member aboard this helicopter at the time of its loss. He died in the crash but his remains were unrecoverable due to the fire. He remains unaccounted for. Today, First Lieutenant Cestare 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 Active Pursuit.

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