Neil was born Sept. 8, 1934 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He was a 1952 graduate of Mentone High School and a 1960 graduate of Ball State Teacher College, Muncie Indiana. While at Ball State, he entered the R.O.T.C. program. In June 1960 he received his commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force.
Upon completion of his college B.S. degree, he was untied in marriage to Barbara Waechter on June 26, 1960, in Akron, Indiana. He returned to Ball State to work one year on his master’s degree of guidance and counseling prior to fulfilling his R.O.T.C. requirements. During this year, he served in the capacity of an Air Force reserve officer.
In June 1961, Neil entered the active Air Force to complete his three year commitment. While stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Goldsboro, N.C., a daughter Christa Charis was born to the couple September 19, 1962.
In December 1962 he learned of his one year assignment, as an intelligence officer, to South Vietnam. He left Akron, friends, and family on March 3, 1963 for his point of destination –the city of Da Nang.
On Sept. 2, 1963 Neil volunteered to participate on an air cover mission in order to gain mission orientation and to serve mission procedures and results. He boarded a B-26 Invader along with Capt. Howard P. Purcell, USAF, of Lansdowne, Pa., Staff Sgt. Raphael Cruz, USAF, of Stockton, Calif, and an unknown friendly Vietnamese; they departed from Da Nang Air Base. The mission was routine. The B-26 was relieved by another aircraft, radio contact was made at 1610 hours, and the B-26 was observed as it turned North, enroute back to Da Nang. It failed to arrive. Following the termination of concentrated search efforts, the search was discontinued.
Neil remained on the Air Force list of missing personnel until September 3, 1964, at which time he was declared dead.
On March 17, 1992, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV) repatriated to the United States human remains and identification media for all three crew members. The Joint U.S./S.R.V. team reached Kontum by helicopter and took custody of the remains. The patrol located the crash site next to a stream bed on the lower slope of a hill in an area called Dak Dru Dok. They observed that only part of the nose section of the aircraft remained. The patrol recovered personal effects (portions of boots, socks, map, blood chit, pistol .45 caliber, rifle .22/410 M 6 Caliber, rusted metal spring, Neil’s dog tags and Neil’s Geneva Conventions ID card) and remains and placed them in the custody of the Province Military Headquarters. The remains were examined by a Joint U.S./S.R.V. Forensic team in Hanoi on March 21, 1992. On March 27, 1992 the remains were flown to the U.S, Army’s Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii. . Mitochondrial DNA testing was
used to confirm the three identifications. The remains of these three servicemen were identified individually, and are also part of group remains identification.
The remains were identified as Capt. Howard P. Purcell, USAF, of
Lansdowne, Pa.; 1 st Lt. Neil B. McKinney, USAF, of Muncie, Ind.; Staff
Sgt. Raphael Cruz, USAF, of Stockton, Calif.
On September 22, 1996 the Mortuary Affairs division of the Air Force met with Neil’s wife Barbara Waechter Rager, daughter Christa McKinney Smith and half -brother Don Funk to present the identification documents for their approval.
Once the remains were identified and the family approved the results they were flown from Hawaii to Travis AFB in California.
On November 3, 1996 Neil's remains were buried in the Akron IOOF Cemetery, Akron, Indiana with full military honors which included an 18 gun salute.
Those remains not identified were buried as a group in Arlington Cemetery, Section 34 Grave 667-A.
Neil’s name appears on the Vietnam Wall memorial in Washington D.C. He was the 54th person listed on the wall on Panel 01E – Line 28
Neil’s name appears on the Honolulu Memorial also known as the “courts of the missing” in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Honolulu memorial is located within the National Cemetery of the Pacific in an extinct volcano (the punchbowl) near the center of Honolulu.
Neil is honored by a memorial in the Mentone Cemetery, Mentone, Indiana.
Neil's name appears on the Vietnam War Memorial in Heekin Park Muncie, Indiana.
Upon completion of his college B.S. degree, he was untied in marriage to Barbara Waechter on June 26, 1960, in Akron, Indiana. He returned to Ball State to work one year on his master’s degree of guidance and counseling prior to fulfilling his R.O.T.C. requirements. During this year, he served in the capacity of an Air Force reserve officer.
In June 1961, Neil entered the active Air Force to complete his three year commitment. While stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Goldsboro, N.C., a daughter Christa Charis was born to the couple September 19, 1962.
In December 1962 he learned of his one year assignment, as an intelligence officer, to South Vietnam. He left Akron, friends, and family on March 3, 1963 for his point of destination –the city of Da Nang.
On Sept. 2, 1963 Neil volunteered to participate on an air cover mission in order to gain mission orientation and to serve mission procedures and results. He boarded a B-26 Invader along with Capt. Howard P. Purcell, USAF, of Lansdowne, Pa., Staff Sgt. Raphael Cruz, USAF, of Stockton, Calif, and an unknown friendly Vietnamese; they departed from Da Nang Air Base. The mission was routine. The B-26 was relieved by another aircraft, radio contact was made at 1610 hours, and the B-26 was observed as it turned North, enroute back to Da Nang. It failed to arrive. Following the termination of concentrated search efforts, the search was discontinued.
Neil remained on the Air Force list of missing personnel until September 3, 1964, at which time he was declared dead.
On March 17, 1992, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV) repatriated to the United States human remains and identification media for all three crew members. The Joint U.S./S.R.V. team reached Kontum by helicopter and took custody of the remains. The patrol located the crash site next to a stream bed on the lower slope of a hill in an area called Dak Dru Dok. They observed that only part of the nose section of the aircraft remained. The patrol recovered personal effects (portions of boots, socks, map, blood chit, pistol .45 caliber, rifle .22/410 M 6 Caliber, rusted metal spring, Neil’s dog tags and Neil’s Geneva Conventions ID card) and remains and placed them in the custody of the Province Military Headquarters. The remains were examined by a Joint U.S./S.R.V. Forensic team in Hanoi on March 21, 1992. On March 27, 1992 the remains were flown to the U.S, Army’s Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii. . Mitochondrial DNA testing was
used to confirm the three identifications. The remains of these three servicemen were identified individually, and are also part of group remains identification.
The remains were identified as Capt. Howard P. Purcell, USAF, of
Lansdowne, Pa.; 1 st Lt. Neil B. McKinney, USAF, of Muncie, Ind.; Staff
Sgt. Raphael Cruz, USAF, of Stockton, Calif.
On September 22, 1996 the Mortuary Affairs division of the Air Force met with Neil’s wife Barbara Waechter Rager, daughter Christa McKinney Smith and half -brother Don Funk to present the identification documents for their approval.
Once the remains were identified and the family approved the results they were flown from Hawaii to Travis AFB in California.
On November 3, 1996 Neil's remains were buried in the Akron IOOF Cemetery, Akron, Indiana with full military honors which included an 18 gun salute.
Those remains not identified were buried as a group in Arlington Cemetery, Section 34 Grave 667-A.
Neil’s name appears on the Vietnam Wall memorial in Washington D.C. He was the 54th person listed on the wall on Panel 01E – Line 28
Neil’s name appears on the Honolulu Memorial also known as the “courts of the missing” in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Honolulu memorial is located within the National Cemetery of the Pacific in an extinct volcano (the punchbowl) near the center of Honolulu.
Neil is honored by a memorial in the Mentone Cemetery, Mentone, Indiana.
Neil's name appears on the Vietnam War Memorial in Heekin Park Muncie, Indiana.
Neil was born Sept. 8, 1934 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He was a 1952 graduate of Mentone High School and a 1960 graduate of Ball State Teacher College, Muncie Indiana. While at Ball State, he entered the R.O.T.C. program. In June 1960 he received his commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force.
Upon completion of his college B.S. degree, he was untied in marriage to Barbara Waechter on June 26, 1960, in Akron, Indiana. He returned to Ball State to work one year on his master’s degree of guidance and counseling prior to fulfilling his R.O.T.C. requirements. During this year, he served in the capacity of an Air Force reserve officer.
In June 1961, Neil entered the active Air Force to complete his three year commitment. While stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Goldsboro, N.C., a daughter Christa Charis was born to the couple September 19, 1962.
In December 1962 he learned of his one year assignment, as an intelligence officer, to South Vietnam. He left Akron, friends, and family on March 3, 1963 for his point of destination –the city of Da Nang.
On Sept. 2, 1963 Neil volunteered to participate on an air cover mission in order to gain mission orientation and to serve mission procedures and results. He boarded a B-26 Invader along with Capt. Howard P. Purcell, USAF, of Lansdowne, Pa., Staff Sgt. Raphael Cruz, USAF, of Stockton, Calif, and an unknown friendly Vietnamese; they departed from Da Nang Air Base. The mission was routine. The B-26 was relieved by another aircraft, radio contact was made at 1610 hours, and the B-26 was observed as it turned North, enroute back to Da Nang. It failed to arrive. Following the termination of concentrated search efforts, the search was discontinued.
Neil remained on the Air Force list of missing personnel until September 3, 1964, at which time he was declared dead.
On March 17, 1992, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV) repatriated to the United States human remains and identification media for all three crew members. The Joint U.S./S.R.V. team reached Kontum by helicopter and took custody of the remains. The patrol located the crash site next to a stream bed on the lower slope of a hill in an area called Dak Dru Dok. They observed that only part of the nose section of the aircraft remained. The patrol recovered personal effects (portions of boots, socks, map, blood chit, pistol .45 caliber, rifle .22/410 M 6 Caliber, rusted metal spring, Neil’s dog tags and Neil’s Geneva Conventions ID card) and remains and placed them in the custody of the Province Military Headquarters. The remains were examined by a Joint U.S./S.R.V. Forensic team in Hanoi on March 21, 1992. On March 27, 1992 the remains were flown to the U.S, Army’s Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii. . Mitochondrial DNA testing was
used to confirm the three identifications. The remains of these three servicemen were identified individually, and are also part of group remains identification.
The remains were identified as Capt. Howard P. Purcell, USAF, of
Lansdowne, Pa.; 1 st Lt. Neil B. McKinney, USAF, of Muncie, Ind.; Staff
Sgt. Raphael Cruz, USAF, of Stockton, Calif.
On September 22, 1996 the Mortuary Affairs division of the Air Force met with Neil’s wife Barbara Waechter Rager, daughter Christa McKinney Smith and half -brother Don Funk to present the identification documents for their approval.
Once the remains were identified and the family approved the results they were flown from Hawaii to Travis AFB in California.
On November 3, 1996 Neil's remains were buried in the Akron IOOF Cemetery, Akron, Indiana with full military honors which included an 18 gun salute.
Those remains not identified were buried as a group in Arlington Cemetery, Section 34 Grave 667-A.
Neil’s name appears on the Vietnam Wall memorial in Washington D.C. He was the 54th person listed on the wall on Panel 01E – Line 28
Neil’s name appears on the Honolulu Memorial also known as the “courts of the missing” in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Honolulu memorial is located within the National Cemetery of the Pacific in an extinct volcano (the punchbowl) near the center of Honolulu.
Neil is honored by a memorial in the Mentone Cemetery, Mentone, Indiana.
Neil's name appears on the Vietnam War Memorial in Heekin Park Muncie, Indiana.
Upon completion of his college B.S. degree, he was untied in marriage to Barbara Waechter on June 26, 1960, in Akron, Indiana. He returned to Ball State to work one year on his master’s degree of guidance and counseling prior to fulfilling his R.O.T.C. requirements. During this year, he served in the capacity of an Air Force reserve officer.
In June 1961, Neil entered the active Air Force to complete his three year commitment. While stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Goldsboro, N.C., a daughter Christa Charis was born to the couple September 19, 1962.
In December 1962 he learned of his one year assignment, as an intelligence officer, to South Vietnam. He left Akron, friends, and family on March 3, 1963 for his point of destination –the city of Da Nang.
On Sept. 2, 1963 Neil volunteered to participate on an air cover mission in order to gain mission orientation and to serve mission procedures and results. He boarded a B-26 Invader along with Capt. Howard P. Purcell, USAF, of Lansdowne, Pa., Staff Sgt. Raphael Cruz, USAF, of Stockton, Calif, and an unknown friendly Vietnamese; they departed from Da Nang Air Base. The mission was routine. The B-26 was relieved by another aircraft, radio contact was made at 1610 hours, and the B-26 was observed as it turned North, enroute back to Da Nang. It failed to arrive. Following the termination of concentrated search efforts, the search was discontinued.
Neil remained on the Air Force list of missing personnel until September 3, 1964, at which time he was declared dead.
On March 17, 1992, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV) repatriated to the United States human remains and identification media for all three crew members. The Joint U.S./S.R.V. team reached Kontum by helicopter and took custody of the remains. The patrol located the crash site next to a stream bed on the lower slope of a hill in an area called Dak Dru Dok. They observed that only part of the nose section of the aircraft remained. The patrol recovered personal effects (portions of boots, socks, map, blood chit, pistol .45 caliber, rifle .22/410 M 6 Caliber, rusted metal spring, Neil’s dog tags and Neil’s Geneva Conventions ID card) and remains and placed them in the custody of the Province Military Headquarters. The remains were examined by a Joint U.S./S.R.V. Forensic team in Hanoi on March 21, 1992. On March 27, 1992 the remains were flown to the U.S, Army’s Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii. . Mitochondrial DNA testing was
used to confirm the three identifications. The remains of these three servicemen were identified individually, and are also part of group remains identification.
The remains were identified as Capt. Howard P. Purcell, USAF, of
Lansdowne, Pa.; 1 st Lt. Neil B. McKinney, USAF, of Muncie, Ind.; Staff
Sgt. Raphael Cruz, USAF, of Stockton, Calif.
On September 22, 1996 the Mortuary Affairs division of the Air Force met with Neil’s wife Barbara Waechter Rager, daughter Christa McKinney Smith and half -brother Don Funk to present the identification documents for their approval.
Once the remains were identified and the family approved the results they were flown from Hawaii to Travis AFB in California.
On November 3, 1996 Neil's remains were buried in the Akron IOOF Cemetery, Akron, Indiana with full military honors which included an 18 gun salute.
Those remains not identified were buried as a group in Arlington Cemetery, Section 34 Grave 667-A.
Neil’s name appears on the Vietnam Wall memorial in Washington D.C. He was the 54th person listed on the wall on Panel 01E – Line 28
Neil’s name appears on the Honolulu Memorial also known as the “courts of the missing” in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Honolulu memorial is located within the National Cemetery of the Pacific in an extinct volcano (the punchbowl) near the center of Honolulu.
Neil is honored by a memorial in the Mentone Cemetery, Mentone, Indiana.
Neil's name appears on the Vietnam War Memorial in Heekin Park Muncie, Indiana.
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