Charles Wayne Stratton ★ Vietnam War Gold Star Veteran from Texas
On January 3, 1971 Major Stratton was declared a casualty of the Vietnam War. ★ He served with honor in the United States Air Force. ★ He is remembered by the people of Texas. ★ May his positive example inspire us. Working together towards peace, mutual respect, and equality for all.
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Our displayed data concerning the life and military history of Charles Wayne Stratton is a work in progress. We've assembled a list of elements we are in the process of researching and reviewing. This profile was last edited on 2016-01-12 15:54:55.
Missing : Core Data
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Missing : Supplemental Data
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Service Details
| This Profile ID | 300477 |
| Service ID | 456646698 |
| Name | Charles Wayne Stratton |
| From | Dallas, Dallas County, Texas |
| Birth Date | October 9, 1940 |
| Casualty Date | January 3, 1971 |
| War | Vietnam War |
| Service Branch | Air Force |
| Rank | Major |
| Specialty | Weapon Systems Officer |
| Unit/Group | 34th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Korat Airbase, Thailand |
| Casualty Type | Died while missing in action .. air crash on land .. Body not recovered until 2001 |
| Location | Laos |
| Burial | Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial and Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery |
| Notable Awards |
★ Air Medal
★ Purple Heart |
| Remembered | 
Charles Wayne Stratton is buried or memorialized at Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial and Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery. This is a National American Cemetery administered through the Department of Veteran's Affairs.  Charles is honored on the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in Washington DC. Name inscribed at VVM Wall, Panel 05w, Line 24. |
Additional Details
Lieutenant Colonel Stratton was a member of 34th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Korat Airbase, Thailand. On January 3, 1971, he was the weapons systems officer of a McDonnell Douglas Phantom II Fighter (F-4E) on a mission about 8 miles southeast of Ban Muong Sen, Savannakhet Province, Laos. His aircraft crashed and exploded. His remains were recovered on December 11, 2001 and identified on June 11, 2007. |
Commendations + Awards
Please note this might not be a complete or completely accurate accounting. For some awards we use probability factors based on known service details. Thanks for your understanding.
★ Air Medal
★ Purple Heart
★ National Defense Service Medal
★ Vietnam Campaign Medal
★ Vietnam Service Medal
★ Air Force Presidential Unit Citation
★ Vietnam Gallantry Cross
Notable Reference Sources
These are typically links to pages on external sites that have provided specific nodes of information. In most cases the information has some assurance of being crowd-sourced and vetted by a community of users.Texas Gold Star Veterans Gallery
Honoring the men and women of Texas who gave their all for their country. May their example of courage and sacrifice be our guide. To be strong and responsible in our lives as citizens of the world. 
Through honest daily actions, we honor them.
Through honest daily actions, we honor them.
▶ Texas was home to over 26,499 American Gold Star veterans from 4 wars of the 20th Century. Some significant statistics:
• 2,778 World War I
• 18,512 World War II
• 1,790 Korean War
• 3,419 Vietnam War
• 474 Prisoners of war
• 4,848 Missing in action
• 161 Pearl Harbor casualties
• 176 D-Day Normandy casualties
• 29 Medal of Honor recipients
• 18,512 World War II
• 1,790 Korean War
• 3,419 Vietnam War
• 474 Prisoners of war
• 4,848 Missing in action
• 161 Pearl Harbor casualties
• 176 D-Day Normandy casualties
• 29 Medal of Honor recipients
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▼ Primary Sources - These are repositories for artifacts, documents, diaries, manuscripts, and other information that serve as original and authoritative sources of information.
National Archives (NARA)
Library of Congress (LOC)
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA)
Findagrave.com
Ancestry.com
Honoring our fallen. Together. Uniting us in meaningful common cause. When we work together to honor our Gold Star veterans, we heal our nation together. It's a team effort. Everyone's invited to join as a Citizen Historian and Guardian of Honor. - learn more
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Walgreens Supported National Memorial Day Parade
Thanks to Walgreens for contributing over 300 posters honoring the fallen at Normandy. These were carried by kids in the 2019 Spirit of 45 Memorial Day March of Heroes that paid tribute to the thousands who gave their lives to the cause of freedom during the liberation of Europe.
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Rick - Rest in Peace Soldier. Thank you for your loyalty and your sacrifice. You answered the call and laid down your life for others.
Edward - As an amateur historian I'm amazed at the depth of research you've accomplished. Visiting your site is a pure pleasure.
Irvin - Your website is outstanding and a great tribute to the Patriots who gave all. As a Vietnam veteran, I thank you very much.
Derek - We must never forget what these men gave for us. This site is a great way to show tribute to our Heroes. Stay the course!
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