Merrill Raymond Lewis Jr.

Vietnam War
Unit34th Tactical Fighter Squadron
RankLieutenant Colonel U.S. Air Force
Entered Service FromIndianola Iowa
Date of DeathJuly 20 1966
StatusRecovered
Memorialized
Courts of the Missing
Court
A
Notes
Lieutenant Colonel Lewis was a member of the 34th Tactical Fighter Squadron. On July 20, 1966, he was the pilot of a Thunderchief Fighter (F-105D) on a bombing mission about 10 miles south of Loc Binh, Lang Son Province, North Vietnam. He was ready to drop his bombs when his cockpit became full of smoke. His aircraft dove into the ground. His remains were recovered on June 21, 1989 and identified on August 25, 1989. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
rosetta medal
When an individual’s remains have been accounted for by the U.S. Department of Defense, a rosette is placed next to the name on the Wall/Tablet/Court of the Missing to mark that the person now rests in a known gravesite.