In Memory of .. LCDR. Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II.
*** Lieutenant Commander Wiles was a member of Attack Squadron 22, Carrier Air Wing 15 aboard the Aircraft Carrier USS CORAL SEA (CVA-43). On May 6, 1972, he was the pilot of a Vought Attack Aircraft Attack Corsair II (A-7E) on an armed reconnaissance mission just south of Vinh, North Vietnam and bombed a surface to air missile (SAM) site before a SAM struck his aircraft. He parachuted safely into the middle of Quang Khe village. His remains were not recovered. 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 those who knew you. You will live on because we remember you!
MARVIN BENJAMIN CHRISTOPHER WILES, II - Navy - LCDR - O4
Age: 34
Race: Caucasian
Date of Birth Dec 10, 1943-Military-Born Denver,CO.
From: SAN DIEGO, CA
Religion: PROTESTANT
Marital Status: Married - Donna Jean Wiles, Born Sept. 30, 1947, a son, Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles III, Born Sept. 18, 1966. Parents: Father, Marvin B.C. Wiles, Sr. and Mother, Neva M. Thomason.
***** Marvin's wife Donna Wiles and her son Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles III have been located. THIS IS ONE OF THE HIGHEST HONORS that we in the DAGO Chapters of the VIET NAM VETS MC / LEGACY VETS have done. We will present the Commemorative POW/MIA Flag with his name, Branch of Service, date of missing, and location of missing to his wife and son.
Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles Jr. is the ONLY San Diego County POW still Missing.
Tanna Toney-Ferris
Chula Vista Ca
His tour began on May 6, 1972
Casualty was on Aug 2, 1978
In , NORTH VIETNAM
Hostile, died captured, FIXED WING - PILOT
AIR LOSS, CRASH ON LAND
Body was not recovered
Panel 01W - Line 14
Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing)
On May 6, 1972, LT Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II and his Air Wing Commander, CDR Roger "Binkie" Sheets, launched in their A7E aircraft on an armed reconnaissance mission.
LT Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II and Sheets crossed the coast of North Vietnam just south of Vinh, a common navigation point, and they saw a surface-to-air missile (SAM) lift-off about ten miles to the left. Sheets radioed, "Okay Marv, do you have the lift-off?" and LT Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II responded, "I got it." Sheets said, "Arm your bombs and let's go get ‘em" making the decision to bomb the SAM site rather than conduct reconnaissance as planned. LT Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II took up a standard formation of about 3,000 to 4,000 feet away from sheets.
The smoke had drifted away from the SAM site, so Sheets planned to go in as fast as possible, confirm the site, pop up and go bomb it. In the meantime, another aircraft - an "Iron Hand" SAM strike mission aircraft - in the area had picked up the SAM launch signal and was monitoring the site as well.
Sheets flew over the site, confirmed it, rolled in, and bombed. As he was pulling off, some three thousand feet off the ground, he rolled over to wait for the bombs to hit. Before they struck, he saw a complete peppering of the whole area, followed about two seconds later by his string of bombs that went right across the upper half of the circular site.
What had happened was that the Iron Hand had launched a SHRIKE missile that effectively covered the entire site. It had hit the radar van perfectly and spread over the area, followed by Sheets' bombs.
Sheets pulled off to the left and came back to the right and heard SAM signals again. He radioed LT Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II to see if he was in on the target. When Sheets looked back, he saw an airplane going into the ground.
LT Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II had been hit by a SAM from another site which Sheets had picked up on his scope but had not yet seen visually.
Shortly thereafter, Sheets saw LT. Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, IIs' parachute and he followed it down right into a village a few miles from the city of Quang Khe and about 14 miles northwest of Dong Hoi in Quang Binh Province, North Vietnam.
LT.Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II landed right in the middle of the village. Sheets began to receive ground fire and was forced to leave the area. The Air Wing Commander never saw LT.Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II again.
The Navy assumed LT. Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II had been captured, and in June 1972, notified his family that he had been captured. For the next months, they awaited his release.
Although he landed uninjured in the middle of a village, the Vietnamese deny any knowledge of him.
Subsequent information received by the U.S. revealed that Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II was killed in the village while resisting capture, almost immediately after he landed.
LT. Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander during the period he was classified prisoner of war.
An extremely gifted student, LT.Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II was an honor student and was offered six college scholarships, five in music and one by ROTC, which he refused in order to attend the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. Wiles is also a gifted musician.
*************************************
10/08/01
Subject: Marvin B.C. Wiles - Bio Info
Flight leader's name in the casualty report given to me, Donna J. Wiles, wife of Marvin Wiles, was CDR L.E.R. Giuliani. Please contact me if you need verification or a copy of this report. Thank you for the memorial and tribute to the Vietnam MIA/POWs.
Sincerely ~ Donna Wiles
*************************************
.
*** Lieutenant Commander Wiles was a member of Attack Squadron 22, Carrier Air Wing 15 aboard the Aircraft Carrier USS CORAL SEA (CVA-43). On May 6, 1972, he was the pilot of a Vought Attack Aircraft Attack Corsair II (A-7E) on an armed reconnaissance mission just south of Vinh, North Vietnam and bombed a surface to air missile (SAM) site before a SAM struck his aircraft. He parachuted safely into the middle of Quang Khe village. His remains were not recovered. 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 those who knew you. You will live on because we remember you!
MARVIN BENJAMIN CHRISTOPHER WILES, II - Navy - LCDR - O4
Age: 34
Race: Caucasian
Date of Birth Dec 10, 1943-Military-Born Denver,CO.
From: SAN DIEGO, CA
Religion: PROTESTANT
Marital Status: Married - Donna Jean Wiles, Born Sept. 30, 1947, a son, Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles III, Born Sept. 18, 1966. Parents: Father, Marvin B.C. Wiles, Sr. and Mother, Neva M. Thomason.
***** Marvin's wife Donna Wiles and her son Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles III have been located. THIS IS ONE OF THE HIGHEST HONORS that we in the DAGO Chapters of the VIET NAM VETS MC / LEGACY VETS have done. We will present the Commemorative POW/MIA Flag with his name, Branch of Service, date of missing, and location of missing to his wife and son.
Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles Jr. is the ONLY San Diego County POW still Missing.
Tanna Toney-Ferris
Chula Vista Ca
His tour began on May 6, 1972
Casualty was on Aug 2, 1978
In , NORTH VIETNAM
Hostile, died captured, FIXED WING - PILOT
AIR LOSS, CRASH ON LAND
Body was not recovered
Panel 01W - Line 14
Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing)
On May 6, 1972, LT Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II and his Air Wing Commander, CDR Roger "Binkie" Sheets, launched in their A7E aircraft on an armed reconnaissance mission.
LT Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II and Sheets crossed the coast of North Vietnam just south of Vinh, a common navigation point, and they saw a surface-to-air missile (SAM) lift-off about ten miles to the left. Sheets radioed, "Okay Marv, do you have the lift-off?" and LT Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II responded, "I got it." Sheets said, "Arm your bombs and let's go get ‘em" making the decision to bomb the SAM site rather than conduct reconnaissance as planned. LT Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II took up a standard formation of about 3,000 to 4,000 feet away from sheets.
The smoke had drifted away from the SAM site, so Sheets planned to go in as fast as possible, confirm the site, pop up and go bomb it. In the meantime, another aircraft - an "Iron Hand" SAM strike mission aircraft - in the area had picked up the SAM launch signal and was monitoring the site as well.
Sheets flew over the site, confirmed it, rolled in, and bombed. As he was pulling off, some three thousand feet off the ground, he rolled over to wait for the bombs to hit. Before they struck, he saw a complete peppering of the whole area, followed about two seconds later by his string of bombs that went right across the upper half of the circular site.
What had happened was that the Iron Hand had launched a SHRIKE missile that effectively covered the entire site. It had hit the radar van perfectly and spread over the area, followed by Sheets' bombs.
Sheets pulled off to the left and came back to the right and heard SAM signals again. He radioed LT Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II to see if he was in on the target. When Sheets looked back, he saw an airplane going into the ground.
LT Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II had been hit by a SAM from another site which Sheets had picked up on his scope but had not yet seen visually.
Shortly thereafter, Sheets saw LT. Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, IIs' parachute and he followed it down right into a village a few miles from the city of Quang Khe and about 14 miles northwest of Dong Hoi in Quang Binh Province, North Vietnam.
LT.Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II landed right in the middle of the village. Sheets began to receive ground fire and was forced to leave the area. The Air Wing Commander never saw LT.Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II again.
The Navy assumed LT. Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II had been captured, and in June 1972, notified his family that he had been captured. For the next months, they awaited his release.
Although he landed uninjured in the middle of a village, the Vietnamese deny any knowledge of him.
Subsequent information received by the U.S. revealed that Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II was killed in the village while resisting capture, almost immediately after he landed.
LT. Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander during the period he was classified prisoner of war.
An extremely gifted student, LT.Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II was an honor student and was offered six college scholarships, five in music and one by ROTC, which he refused in order to attend the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. Wiles is also a gifted musician.
*************************************
10/08/01
Subject: Marvin B.C. Wiles - Bio Info
Flight leader's name in the casualty report given to me, Donna J. Wiles, wife of Marvin Wiles, was CDR L.E.R. Giuliani. Please contact me if you need verification or a copy of this report. Thank you for the memorial and tribute to the Vietnam MIA/POWs.
Sincerely ~ Donna Wiles
*************************************
.
In Memory of .. LCDR. Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II.
*** Lieutenant Commander Wiles was a member of Attack Squadron 22, Carrier Air Wing 15 aboard the Aircraft Carrier USS CORAL SEA (CVA-43). On May 6, 1972, he was the pilot of a Vought Attack Aircraft Attack Corsair II (A-7E) on an armed reconnaissance mission just south of Vinh, North Vietnam and bombed a surface to air missile (SAM) site before a SAM struck his aircraft. He parachuted safely into the middle of Quang Khe village. His remains were not recovered. 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 those who knew you. You will live on because we remember you!
MARVIN BENJAMIN CHRISTOPHER WILES, II - Navy - LCDR - O4
Age: 34
Race: Caucasian
Date of Birth Dec 10, 1943-Military-Born Denver,CO.
From: SAN DIEGO, CA
Religion: PROTESTANT
Marital Status: Married - Donna Jean Wiles, Born Sept. 30, 1947, a son, Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles III, Born Sept. 18, 1966. Parents: Father, Marvin B.C. Wiles, Sr. and Mother, Neva M. Thomason.
***** Marvin's wife Donna Wiles and her son Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles III have been located. THIS IS ONE OF THE HIGHEST HONORS that we in the DAGO Chapters of the VIET NAM VETS MC / LEGACY VETS have done. We will present the Commemorative POW/MIA Flag with his name, Branch of Service, date of missing, and location of missing to his wife and son.
Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles Jr. is the ONLY San Diego County POW still Missing.
Tanna Toney-Ferris
Chula Vista Ca
His tour began on May 6, 1972
Casualty was on Aug 2, 1978
In , NORTH VIETNAM
Hostile, died captured, FIXED WING - PILOT
AIR LOSS, CRASH ON LAND
Body was not recovered
Panel 01W - Line 14
Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing)
On May 6, 1972, LT Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II and his Air Wing Commander, CDR Roger "Binkie" Sheets, launched in their A7E aircraft on an armed reconnaissance mission.
LT Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II and Sheets crossed the coast of North Vietnam just south of Vinh, a common navigation point, and they saw a surface-to-air missile (SAM) lift-off about ten miles to the left. Sheets radioed, "Okay Marv, do you have the lift-off?" and LT Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II responded, "I got it." Sheets said, "Arm your bombs and let's go get ‘em" making the decision to bomb the SAM site rather than conduct reconnaissance as planned. LT Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II took up a standard formation of about 3,000 to 4,000 feet away from sheets.
The smoke had drifted away from the SAM site, so Sheets planned to go in as fast as possible, confirm the site, pop up and go bomb it. In the meantime, another aircraft - an "Iron Hand" SAM strike mission aircraft - in the area had picked up the SAM launch signal and was monitoring the site as well.
Sheets flew over the site, confirmed it, rolled in, and bombed. As he was pulling off, some three thousand feet off the ground, he rolled over to wait for the bombs to hit. Before they struck, he saw a complete peppering of the whole area, followed about two seconds later by his string of bombs that went right across the upper half of the circular site.
What had happened was that the Iron Hand had launched a SHRIKE missile that effectively covered the entire site. It had hit the radar van perfectly and spread over the area, followed by Sheets' bombs.
Sheets pulled off to the left and came back to the right and heard SAM signals again. He radioed LT Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II to see if he was in on the target. When Sheets looked back, he saw an airplane going into the ground.
LT Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II had been hit by a SAM from another site which Sheets had picked up on his scope but had not yet seen visually.
Shortly thereafter, Sheets saw LT. Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, IIs' parachute and he followed it down right into a village a few miles from the city of Quang Khe and about 14 miles northwest of Dong Hoi in Quang Binh Province, North Vietnam.
LT.Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II landed right in the middle of the village. Sheets began to receive ground fire and was forced to leave the area. The Air Wing Commander never saw LT.Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II again.
The Navy assumed LT. Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II had been captured, and in June 1972, notified his family that he had been captured. For the next months, they awaited his release.
Although he landed uninjured in the middle of a village, the Vietnamese deny any knowledge of him.
Subsequent information received by the U.S. revealed that Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II was killed in the village while resisting capture, almost immediately after he landed.
LT. Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander during the period he was classified prisoner of war.
An extremely gifted student, LT.Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II was an honor student and was offered six college scholarships, five in music and one by ROTC, which he refused in order to attend the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. Wiles is also a gifted musician.
*************************************
10/08/01
Subject: Marvin B.C. Wiles - Bio Info
Flight leader's name in the casualty report given to me, Donna J. Wiles, wife of Marvin Wiles, was CDR L.E.R. Giuliani. Please contact me if you need verification or a copy of this report. Thank you for the memorial and tribute to the Vietnam MIA/POWs.
Sincerely ~ Donna Wiles
*************************************
.
*** Lieutenant Commander Wiles was a member of Attack Squadron 22, Carrier Air Wing 15 aboard the Aircraft Carrier USS CORAL SEA (CVA-43). On May 6, 1972, he was the pilot of a Vought Attack Aircraft Attack Corsair II (A-7E) on an armed reconnaissance mission just south of Vinh, North Vietnam and bombed a surface to air missile (SAM) site before a SAM struck his aircraft. He parachuted safely into the middle of Quang Khe village. His remains were not recovered. 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 those who knew you. You will live on because we remember you!
MARVIN BENJAMIN CHRISTOPHER WILES, II - Navy - LCDR - O4
Age: 34
Race: Caucasian
Date of Birth Dec 10, 1943-Military-Born Denver,CO.
From: SAN DIEGO, CA
Religion: PROTESTANT
Marital Status: Married - Donna Jean Wiles, Born Sept. 30, 1947, a son, Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles III, Born Sept. 18, 1966. Parents: Father, Marvin B.C. Wiles, Sr. and Mother, Neva M. Thomason.
***** Marvin's wife Donna Wiles and her son Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles III have been located. THIS IS ONE OF THE HIGHEST HONORS that we in the DAGO Chapters of the VIET NAM VETS MC / LEGACY VETS have done. We will present the Commemorative POW/MIA Flag with his name, Branch of Service, date of missing, and location of missing to his wife and son.
Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles Jr. is the ONLY San Diego County POW still Missing.
Tanna Toney-Ferris
Chula Vista Ca
His tour began on May 6, 1972
Casualty was on Aug 2, 1978
In , NORTH VIETNAM
Hostile, died captured, FIXED WING - PILOT
AIR LOSS, CRASH ON LAND
Body was not recovered
Panel 01W - Line 14
Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing)
On May 6, 1972, LT Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II and his Air Wing Commander, CDR Roger "Binkie" Sheets, launched in their A7E aircraft on an armed reconnaissance mission.
LT Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II and Sheets crossed the coast of North Vietnam just south of Vinh, a common navigation point, and they saw a surface-to-air missile (SAM) lift-off about ten miles to the left. Sheets radioed, "Okay Marv, do you have the lift-off?" and LT Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II responded, "I got it." Sheets said, "Arm your bombs and let's go get ‘em" making the decision to bomb the SAM site rather than conduct reconnaissance as planned. LT Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II took up a standard formation of about 3,000 to 4,000 feet away from sheets.
The smoke had drifted away from the SAM site, so Sheets planned to go in as fast as possible, confirm the site, pop up and go bomb it. In the meantime, another aircraft - an "Iron Hand" SAM strike mission aircraft - in the area had picked up the SAM launch signal and was monitoring the site as well.
Sheets flew over the site, confirmed it, rolled in, and bombed. As he was pulling off, some three thousand feet off the ground, he rolled over to wait for the bombs to hit. Before they struck, he saw a complete peppering of the whole area, followed about two seconds later by his string of bombs that went right across the upper half of the circular site.
What had happened was that the Iron Hand had launched a SHRIKE missile that effectively covered the entire site. It had hit the radar van perfectly and spread over the area, followed by Sheets' bombs.
Sheets pulled off to the left and came back to the right and heard SAM signals again. He radioed LT Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II to see if he was in on the target. When Sheets looked back, he saw an airplane going into the ground.
LT Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II had been hit by a SAM from another site which Sheets had picked up on his scope but had not yet seen visually.
Shortly thereafter, Sheets saw LT. Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, IIs' parachute and he followed it down right into a village a few miles from the city of Quang Khe and about 14 miles northwest of Dong Hoi in Quang Binh Province, North Vietnam.
LT.Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II landed right in the middle of the village. Sheets began to receive ground fire and was forced to leave the area. The Air Wing Commander never saw LT.Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II again.
The Navy assumed LT. Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II had been captured, and in June 1972, notified his family that he had been captured. For the next months, they awaited his release.
Although he landed uninjured in the middle of a village, the Vietnamese deny any knowledge of him.
Subsequent information received by the U.S. revealed that Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II was killed in the village while resisting capture, almost immediately after he landed.
LT. Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander during the period he was classified prisoner of war.
An extremely gifted student, LT.Marvin Benjamin Christopher Wiles, II was an honor student and was offered six college scholarships, five in music and one by ROTC, which he refused in order to attend the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. Wiles is also a gifted musician.
*************************************
10/08/01
Subject: Marvin B.C. Wiles - Bio Info
Flight leader's name in the casualty report given to me, Donna J. Wiles, wife of Marvin Wiles, was CDR L.E.R. Giuliani. Please contact me if you need verification or a copy of this report. Thank you for the memorial and tribute to the Vietnam MIA/POWs.
Sincerely ~ Donna Wiles
*************************************
.
Gravesite Details
Looking for location of his Memorial Headstone.
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