In Loving Memory ... Capt. Wesley Dallas Ratzel.
*** Seventeen years later I had the honor to accompany his remains to Arlington National Cemetery for interment.By Perry Davis-----Per FAG Volunteer Paul Hays - Cemetery office has no record of this person.
*** A small marker is located in a park in Scranton, Pennsylvania for Cpt Ratzel. This was his home of record.
*** Captain Ratzel was a member of the 421st Tactical Fighter Squadron, Da Nang, South Vietnam. On May 18, 1972, he was the pilot of a McDonnell Douglas Phantom II Fighter (F-4D) on a mission near Kep, Ha Bac Province, North Vietnam, when his plane was shot down. His remains were recovered on December 15, 1988 and identified on June 1, 1989. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
You may be gone, no longer living on this earth; but you will live on - in the memories of your family and friends. There will always be a part of you living in me, your brother, sisters and those who knew you and loved you. You will live on because we remember you!
WESLEY DALLAS RATZEL - Air Force - CAPT - O3
Age: 32
Race: Caucasian
Date of Birth Mar 28, 1947
From: SCRANTON, PA
RATZEL, WESLEY D was born 28 March 1947; received Social Security number 192-36-2410, which corresponds to Pennsylvania; and died 17 April 1979.
Religion: BAPTIST - SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION
Marital Status: Single - Parents: Father, Wesley F. Ratzel (1913 - 1995) and Mother, Elizabeth D. Ratzel (1912 - 2000). Sister, Maebelle Ratzel of Scranton, PA.
***** Today I came across a photo Wes had sent us when he was in training and decided to run a search. I worked with Wes in the Admissions Office at Embry-Riddle, where I was one of the admissions secretaries. He was one of the students who helped us and I will never forget his good humor, positive attitude and everything else good a human could be. I have never forgotten him and am so happy to learn that his remains were found and properly laid to rest among the heroes. He loved to fly and I am sure he was a superb pilot and beloved by all who knew him. He certainly was loved by me. I will never, ever forget his smile.
jacqueline hare fitch
Jun. 30, 2015
***** Wes finished first in our pilot training class and was a friend. He is missed.
Rich Clingman, Lt Col, USAF (Ret)
Added: Mar. 1, 2013
***** He died while protecting his wingman in an aerial engagement over NVN. Seventeen years later I had the honor to accompany his remains to Arlington National Cemetery for interment.
We still love you Wes.
Perry Davis
CAPT - O3 - Air Force - Reserve
His tour began on Oct 20, 1971
Casualty was on Apr 17, 1979
In , NORTH VIETNAM
Hostile, died while missing, FIXED WING - PILOT
AIR LOSS, CRASH ON LAND
Body was recovered
Panel 01W - Line 28
Other Personnel in Incident: Johnathan B. Bednarek (missing)
Wesley Ratzel was the pilot and Johnathan Bednarek the back-seater aboard an F4D Phantom fighter/bomber jet. The team was given a mission over North Vietnam on May 18, 1972 from which they would not return.
They were lost near the city of Kep in Ha Bac Province, North Vietnam, an area which had been the target of American offensive in recent weeks together with
targets in and around Hanoi and Haiphong. A railroad leading to China by which arms and materiel could be brought into Vietnam went right through the city of Kep. This railroad may have been Bednarek and Ratzel's target that day.
An article in Nhan Dan, a Vietnamese publication, referred to a dead American pilot. This article was correlated to Johnathan Bednarek.
Defense Department notations for Ratzel state that he was a "no show" in the Hanoi POW camp system, indicating that the article did not state he died in the crash, and that the possibility existed that he was a prisoner.
Both men were placed in a Missing In Action status.
When American POWs were released in 1973, Bednarek and Ratzel were not among them.
In December 1988, the Vietnamese "discovered" the remains of Wesley Ratzel and Johnathan Bednarek and returned them to U.S. control.
This fine flying team has come home at last.
***************************
.
*** Seventeen years later I had the honor to accompany his remains to Arlington National Cemetery for interment.By Perry Davis-----Per FAG Volunteer Paul Hays - Cemetery office has no record of this person.
*** A small marker is located in a park in Scranton, Pennsylvania for Cpt Ratzel. This was his home of record.
*** Captain Ratzel was a member of the 421st Tactical Fighter Squadron, Da Nang, South Vietnam. On May 18, 1972, he was the pilot of a McDonnell Douglas Phantom II Fighter (F-4D) on a mission near Kep, Ha Bac Province, North Vietnam, when his plane was shot down. His remains were recovered on December 15, 1988 and identified on June 1, 1989. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
You may be gone, no longer living on this earth; but you will live on - in the memories of your family and friends. There will always be a part of you living in me, your brother, sisters and those who knew you and loved you. You will live on because we remember you!
WESLEY DALLAS RATZEL - Air Force - CAPT - O3
Age: 32
Race: Caucasian
Date of Birth Mar 28, 1947
From: SCRANTON, PA
RATZEL, WESLEY D was born 28 March 1947; received Social Security number 192-36-2410, which corresponds to Pennsylvania; and died 17 April 1979.
Religion: BAPTIST - SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION
Marital Status: Single - Parents: Father, Wesley F. Ratzel (1913 - 1995) and Mother, Elizabeth D. Ratzel (1912 - 2000). Sister, Maebelle Ratzel of Scranton, PA.
***** Today I came across a photo Wes had sent us when he was in training and decided to run a search. I worked with Wes in the Admissions Office at Embry-Riddle, where I was one of the admissions secretaries. He was one of the students who helped us and I will never forget his good humor, positive attitude and everything else good a human could be. I have never forgotten him and am so happy to learn that his remains were found and properly laid to rest among the heroes. He loved to fly and I am sure he was a superb pilot and beloved by all who knew him. He certainly was loved by me. I will never, ever forget his smile.
jacqueline hare fitch
Jun. 30, 2015
***** Wes finished first in our pilot training class and was a friend. He is missed.
Rich Clingman, Lt Col, USAF (Ret)
Added: Mar. 1, 2013
***** He died while protecting his wingman in an aerial engagement over NVN. Seventeen years later I had the honor to accompany his remains to Arlington National Cemetery for interment.
We still love you Wes.
Perry Davis
CAPT - O3 - Air Force - Reserve
His tour began on Oct 20, 1971
Casualty was on Apr 17, 1979
In , NORTH VIETNAM
Hostile, died while missing, FIXED WING - PILOT
AIR LOSS, CRASH ON LAND
Body was recovered
Panel 01W - Line 28
Other Personnel in Incident: Johnathan B. Bednarek (missing)
Wesley Ratzel was the pilot and Johnathan Bednarek the back-seater aboard an F4D Phantom fighter/bomber jet. The team was given a mission over North Vietnam on May 18, 1972 from which they would not return.
They were lost near the city of Kep in Ha Bac Province, North Vietnam, an area which had been the target of American offensive in recent weeks together with
targets in and around Hanoi and Haiphong. A railroad leading to China by which arms and materiel could be brought into Vietnam went right through the city of Kep. This railroad may have been Bednarek and Ratzel's target that day.
An article in Nhan Dan, a Vietnamese publication, referred to a dead American pilot. This article was correlated to Johnathan Bednarek.
Defense Department notations for Ratzel state that he was a "no show" in the Hanoi POW camp system, indicating that the article did not state he died in the crash, and that the possibility existed that he was a prisoner.
Both men were placed in a Missing In Action status.
When American POWs were released in 1973, Bednarek and Ratzel were not among them.
In December 1988, the Vietnamese "discovered" the remains of Wesley Ratzel and Johnathan Bednarek and returned them to U.S. control.
This fine flying team has come home at last.
***************************
.
In Loving Memory ... Capt. Wesley Dallas Ratzel.
*** Seventeen years later I had the honor to accompany his remains to Arlington National Cemetery for interment.By Perry Davis-----Per FAG Volunteer Paul Hays - Cemetery office has no record of this person.
*** A small marker is located in a park in Scranton, Pennsylvania for Cpt Ratzel. This was his home of record.
*** Captain Ratzel was a member of the 421st Tactical Fighter Squadron, Da Nang, South Vietnam. On May 18, 1972, he was the pilot of a McDonnell Douglas Phantom II Fighter (F-4D) on a mission near Kep, Ha Bac Province, North Vietnam, when his plane was shot down. His remains were recovered on December 15, 1988 and identified on June 1, 1989. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
You may be gone, no longer living on this earth; but you will live on - in the memories of your family and friends. There will always be a part of you living in me, your brother, sisters and those who knew you and loved you. You will live on because we remember you!
WESLEY DALLAS RATZEL - Air Force - CAPT - O3
Age: 32
Race: Caucasian
Date of Birth Mar 28, 1947
From: SCRANTON, PA
RATZEL, WESLEY D was born 28 March 1947; received Social Security number 192-36-2410, which corresponds to Pennsylvania; and died 17 April 1979.
Religion: BAPTIST - SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION
Marital Status: Single - Parents: Father, Wesley F. Ratzel (1913 - 1995) and Mother, Elizabeth D. Ratzel (1912 - 2000). Sister, Maebelle Ratzel of Scranton, PA.
***** Today I came across a photo Wes had sent us when he was in training and decided to run a search. I worked with Wes in the Admissions Office at Embry-Riddle, where I was one of the admissions secretaries. He was one of the students who helped us and I will never forget his good humor, positive attitude and everything else good a human could be. I have never forgotten him and am so happy to learn that his remains were found and properly laid to rest among the heroes. He loved to fly and I am sure he was a superb pilot and beloved by all who knew him. He certainly was loved by me. I will never, ever forget his smile.
jacqueline hare fitch
Jun. 30, 2015
***** Wes finished first in our pilot training class and was a friend. He is missed.
Rich Clingman, Lt Col, USAF (Ret)
Added: Mar. 1, 2013
***** He died while protecting his wingman in an aerial engagement over NVN. Seventeen years later I had the honor to accompany his remains to Arlington National Cemetery for interment.
We still love you Wes.
Perry Davis
CAPT - O3 - Air Force - Reserve
His tour began on Oct 20, 1971
Casualty was on Apr 17, 1979
In , NORTH VIETNAM
Hostile, died while missing, FIXED WING - PILOT
AIR LOSS, CRASH ON LAND
Body was recovered
Panel 01W - Line 28
Other Personnel in Incident: Johnathan B. Bednarek (missing)
Wesley Ratzel was the pilot and Johnathan Bednarek the back-seater aboard an F4D Phantom fighter/bomber jet. The team was given a mission over North Vietnam on May 18, 1972 from which they would not return.
They were lost near the city of Kep in Ha Bac Province, North Vietnam, an area which had been the target of American offensive in recent weeks together with
targets in and around Hanoi and Haiphong. A railroad leading to China by which arms and materiel could be brought into Vietnam went right through the city of Kep. This railroad may have been Bednarek and Ratzel's target that day.
An article in Nhan Dan, a Vietnamese publication, referred to a dead American pilot. This article was correlated to Johnathan Bednarek.
Defense Department notations for Ratzel state that he was a "no show" in the Hanoi POW camp system, indicating that the article did not state he died in the crash, and that the possibility existed that he was a prisoner.
Both men were placed in a Missing In Action status.
When American POWs were released in 1973, Bednarek and Ratzel were not among them.
In December 1988, the Vietnamese "discovered" the remains of Wesley Ratzel and Johnathan Bednarek and returned them to U.S. control.
This fine flying team has come home at last.
***************************
.
*** Seventeen years later I had the honor to accompany his remains to Arlington National Cemetery for interment.By Perry Davis-----Per FAG Volunteer Paul Hays - Cemetery office has no record of this person.
*** A small marker is located in a park in Scranton, Pennsylvania for Cpt Ratzel. This was his home of record.
*** Captain Ratzel was a member of the 421st Tactical Fighter Squadron, Da Nang, South Vietnam. On May 18, 1972, he was the pilot of a McDonnell Douglas Phantom II Fighter (F-4D) on a mission near Kep, Ha Bac Province, North Vietnam, when his plane was shot down. His remains were recovered on December 15, 1988 and identified on June 1, 1989. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
You may be gone, no longer living on this earth; but you will live on - in the memories of your family and friends. There will always be a part of you living in me, your brother, sisters and those who knew you and loved you. You will live on because we remember you!
WESLEY DALLAS RATZEL - Air Force - CAPT - O3
Age: 32
Race: Caucasian
Date of Birth Mar 28, 1947
From: SCRANTON, PA
RATZEL, WESLEY D was born 28 March 1947; received Social Security number 192-36-2410, which corresponds to Pennsylvania; and died 17 April 1979.
Religion: BAPTIST - SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION
Marital Status: Single - Parents: Father, Wesley F. Ratzel (1913 - 1995) and Mother, Elizabeth D. Ratzel (1912 - 2000). Sister, Maebelle Ratzel of Scranton, PA.
***** Today I came across a photo Wes had sent us when he was in training and decided to run a search. I worked with Wes in the Admissions Office at Embry-Riddle, where I was one of the admissions secretaries. He was one of the students who helped us and I will never forget his good humor, positive attitude and everything else good a human could be. I have never forgotten him and am so happy to learn that his remains were found and properly laid to rest among the heroes. He loved to fly and I am sure he was a superb pilot and beloved by all who knew him. He certainly was loved by me. I will never, ever forget his smile.
jacqueline hare fitch
Jun. 30, 2015
***** Wes finished first in our pilot training class and was a friend. He is missed.
Rich Clingman, Lt Col, USAF (Ret)
Added: Mar. 1, 2013
***** He died while protecting his wingman in an aerial engagement over NVN. Seventeen years later I had the honor to accompany his remains to Arlington National Cemetery for interment.
We still love you Wes.
Perry Davis
CAPT - O3 - Air Force - Reserve
His tour began on Oct 20, 1971
Casualty was on Apr 17, 1979
In , NORTH VIETNAM
Hostile, died while missing, FIXED WING - PILOT
AIR LOSS, CRASH ON LAND
Body was recovered
Panel 01W - Line 28
Other Personnel in Incident: Johnathan B. Bednarek (missing)
Wesley Ratzel was the pilot and Johnathan Bednarek the back-seater aboard an F4D Phantom fighter/bomber jet. The team was given a mission over North Vietnam on May 18, 1972 from which they would not return.
They were lost near the city of Kep in Ha Bac Province, North Vietnam, an area which had been the target of American offensive in recent weeks together with
targets in and around Hanoi and Haiphong. A railroad leading to China by which arms and materiel could be brought into Vietnam went right through the city of Kep. This railroad may have been Bednarek and Ratzel's target that day.
An article in Nhan Dan, a Vietnamese publication, referred to a dead American pilot. This article was correlated to Johnathan Bednarek.
Defense Department notations for Ratzel state that he was a "no show" in the Hanoi POW camp system, indicating that the article did not state he died in the crash, and that the possibility existed that he was a prisoner.
Both men were placed in a Missing In Action status.
When American POWs were released in 1973, Bednarek and Ratzel were not among them.
In December 1988, the Vietnamese "discovered" the remains of Wesley Ratzel and Johnathan Bednarek and returned them to U.S. control.
This fine flying team has come home at last.
***************************
.
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