TUNNELL, JOHN WALLACE

Name: John Wallace Tunnell
Branch/Rank: United States Navy/O4
Unit:
Date of Birth: 25 June 1933
Home City of Record: VISTA CA
Date of Loss: 20 June 1966
Country of Loss: North Vietnam/Over Water
Loss Coordinates: 0 0
Status (in 1973): Killed In Action/Body Not Recovered
Category: 5
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: A1H
Missions:
Other Personnel in Incident:
Refno:

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. 2020

REMARKS:

CACCF/CRASH SOUTH VIETNAM Over Water/PILOT

No further information available at this time.

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Library of Congress files:

Letter to Parents
Name: John Wallace Tunnell

Subjects: Aircraft downed; South China Sea; Killed

Comments: Document includes letter to parents dated June 27, 1966.

Reel: 132

Page: 13-14

Type of Document: Letter

Date of Report: 66 06 24

Date of Information: 66 06 20

Originator: USN

Category: Casualty files

Change of Category from "Dead (BNR)" to "Remains Nonrecoverable"
Name: John Wallace Tunnell

Subjects: Aircraft downed; Gulf of Tonkin; Killed

Reel: 132

Page: 15

Type of Document: Memorandum

Date of Report: 74 09 06

Date of Information: 66 06 20

Originator: JCRC-CDD-CR

Category: Casualty files

 

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02/2020

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000Ka5CEAS

LCDR JOHN WALLACE TUNNELL

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Lieutenant Commander John Wallace Tunnell entered the U.S. Navy from California and was a member of Attack Squadron 145, embarked aboard the USS Ranger (CVA 61). On June 20, 1966, he was the pilot of a single-seat A-1H Skyraider (bureau number 139806, call sign "Electron") that launched from the Ranger for a night mission over the South China Sea. After its launch, the aircraft rolled for unknown reasons, but appeared to stabilize and started to correct itself; however, it soon rolled again and eventually crashed into the water in the vicinity of (GC) 48Q YE 703 863. Search efforts failed to recover the LCDR Tunnell, and he remains unaccounted for. Today, Lieutenant Commander Tunnell 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 Non-recoverable.

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