Petty Officer Vedros was part of a detachment of VP-1 that was assigned to Tan Son Nhut Air Base near Saigon in the spring of 1966. The squadron was participating in Operation Market Time, an around- the-clock air/sea coastal surveillance and interdiction operation, conducted by the U.S. Navy, that covered the entire coast of Viet Nam as well as the offshore islands.

During the Tet holiday period on the night of 13 April 1966, Petty Officer Vedros was performing maintenance on a squadron aircraft (an SP2H "Neptune" long range patrol aircraft) when Viet Cong units launched a surprise attack on the base in the middle of the night, mortar and artillery shells rained down on the parked aircraft, and enemy troops overran parts of the base. (This earlier Tet attack was a precursor to a later Tet offensive that was more broadly based, but this one was just as violent and deadly.)

Petty Officer Vedros took cover in a ditch near the aircraft on which he was working, behind a sandbagged revetment. He was killed instantly when a mortar shell landed directly on top of him.

Below is cited at www.virtualwall.org. Used with permission.

PERSONAL DATA
Home of Record: Mountain View, California
Date of birth: Tuesday, 02/23/1937

MILITARY DATA
Service: Navy (Regular)
Grade at loss: E5
Rank: Aviation Machinist 2nd Class
ID No: 4787151
MOS: ADR Aviation Machinist (Reciprocating Engines)
LenSvc: Between 10 and 11 years
Unit: PATROL SQUADRON ONE (VP-1), TF 72, 7TH FLEET

CASUALTY DATA
Start Tour: Not recorded
Cas Date: Wednesday, 04/13/1966
Age at Loss: 29
Remains: Body recovered
Location: Gia Dinh, South Vietnam
Type: Hostile, died outright
Reason: Artillery, rocket, or mortar - Ground casualty

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