Robert Vincent Willett Jr ★ Vietnam War Gold Star Veteran from Montana
On April 17, 1969 Major Willett 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 Montana. ★ 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 Robert Vincent Willett Jr 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 2016-12-12 20:44:06.
Missing : Core Data
· Unit or regiment· Date of tour or service
Missing : Supplemental Data
· Birth + childhood location· Educational background
· Marriage history
· Parents, family history
· Expanded references and citations
Service Details
| This Profile ID | 305333 |
| Service ID | 517481051 |
| Name | Robert Vincent Willett Jr |
| From | Great Falls, Cascade County, Montana |
| Birth Date | August 5, 1944 |
| Casualty Date | April 17, 1969 |
| War | Vietnam War |
| Service Branch | Air Force |
| Rank | Major |
| Specialty | Pilot Tactical Fighter F 100 |
| Casualty Type | Died while missing in action .. air crash on land .. Body not recovered |
| Location | Laos, Long An province |
| Burial | Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial |
| Notable Awards |
★ Purple Heart |
| Remembered | 
Robert Vincent Willett Jr is buried or memorialized at Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial. This is an American Battle Monuments Commission location.  Robert is honored on the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in Washington DC. Name inscribed at VVM Wall, Panel 27w, Line 103. |
Additional Details
Captain Willett was a member of the 309th Tactical Fighter Squadron. On April 17, 1969, he was the pilot of a North American Super Sabre Fighter (F-100D) on a mission near Saravane Province, just inside Laos and south of Khe Sanh, South Vietnam, where his aircraft was shot down by hostile fire. His remains were not recovered.Auto-Generated Profile Synopsis: Robert Vincent Willett Jr was serving his country during the Vietnam War when he gave his all in the line of duty. He had enlisted in the United States Air Force. Entered the service via Reserve Military. Willett had the rank of Major. His military occupation or specialty was Pilot Tactical Fighter F 100. Service number assignment was 517481051. He was born on August 5, 1944. According to our records Montana was his home or enlistment state and Cascade county has been included within the archival record. We have Great Falls listed as his city. During his service in the Vietnam War, Air Force Major Willett was reported missing and ultimately declared dead on April 17, 1969. Recorded circumstances attributed to: Died while missing in action .. air crash on land .. Body not recovered. Incident location: Laos, Long An province. |
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.
★ Purple Heart
★ United States Aviator Badge Air Force
★ 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.Montana Gold Star Veterans Gallery
Honoring the men and women of Montana 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.
▶ Montana was home to over 3,118 American Gold Star veterans from 4 wars of the 20th Century. Some significant statistics:
• 896 World War I
• 1,804 World War II
• 151 Korean War
• 267 Vietnam War
• 158 Prisoners of war
• 564 Missing in action
• 16 Pearl Harbor casualties
• 14 D-Day Normandy casualties
• 3 Medal of Honor recipients
• 1,804 World War II
• 151 Korean War
• 267 Vietnam War
• 158 Prisoners of war
• 564 Missing in action
• 16 Pearl Harbor casualties
• 14 D-Day Normandy casualties
• 3 Medal of Honor recipients
Guardians of Honor Credits
▼ Organizational Supporters - HonorStates.org and the National Unified Archive of American Gold Star Veterans is stringently curated. This attention to quality extends to our supporters program. We carefully research and screen prospective organizations we perceive as being suitably aligned with our mission
▶ U-Haul Supported National Memorial Day Parade
▶ San Diego Coin & Bullion
▶ American Veterans Center 75th D-Day Congressional Reception
▶ Balboa Park Veterans Museum
▼ Research Contributors - Groups and individuals who have been directly responsible for curating content. Some are experienced historians and archivists, others are enthusiastic members of the public who have suggested content additions or corrections.
Honor States Admin
Roy "Joker"
Sarah Jo "Lady Chaos"
▼ 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
Here is Some Important Information!
USS Midway Museum 75th Pearl Harbor Wall of Honor
Located at the harbor in downtown San Diego, California at Navy Pier. The USS Midway is a living, floating museum, housing an extensive collection of aircraft, many of which were built in Southern California. USS Midway saw active duty from 1945 to 1992. Approximately 200,000 sailors proudly served onboard. In 2016 the USS Midway hosted one of the premier events honoring the 75th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor. Among the featured memorials was a Wall of Honor with over 1000 images of the fallen. Researched by the Honor States Group.
★ Featured National Supporter
Our Supporters are Essential Team Members! - learn more
Rick - Rest in Peace Soldier. Thank you for your loyalty and your sacrifice. You answered the call and laid down your life for others.
Laura - I'm proud of their military service and the ultimate contribution for my freedom. It does help me get through tough times.
Mary - Thank you for remembering these men. I am certainly proud to share this with my family. We have many ancestors who served.
Janine - I appreciate the opportunity to learn about the lives of American's who gave all for their country. We owe them everything!
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