Major Eugene Paul Beresik entered the U.S. Air Force from Massachusetts and was a member of the 44th Tactical Fighter Squadron. On May 31, 1968, he was the pilot of a single-seat F-105D Thunderchief (tail number 60-0409) that was the leader of a flight of two that took off on a ground attack mission against enemy targets on Tiger Island in the Gulf of Tonkin, North Vietnam. On approach to the island, the wingman heard Maj Beresik radio that he was hit and would bail out. The wingman also reported that Maj Beresik's voice sounded strange, as if he was wounded or under strain. Following this radio transmission, the wingman reported seeing a large puff of smoke before Maj Beresik's Thunderchief crashed into the water about five or six miles east of Tiger Island. After the incident, Maj Beresik could not be accounted for. Today, Major Beresik 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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