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.
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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
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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
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Montana Gold Star Veterans Gallery
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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:
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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.
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Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA)
Findagrave.com
Ancestry.com
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Together. Uniting us in meaningful common cause. When we work together to honor our
Gold Star veterans, we heal our nation together.
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