CasperMemorial

Casper Aviation Platoon Organization: Memorial Bronze Plaque

To Our Fallen Heroes

This Memorial Web Page is dedicated to those Casper Aviation Platoon Crew Members who were Killed in Action (KIA) while proudly serving our country.

Listed below are the Casper Pilots, Crew Chiefs, Door Gunners and Mechanics who paid the ultimate price for defending the freedom that we and our families enjoy today.

The photos and video clips below were taken at the Casper Aviation Platoon Remembrance Ceremony held at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall during our 2005 reunion.

Killed in Action	Name	Position	Memorial Wall
10/12/66	Douglas Lee Jones	Pilot	Panel 11E, Row 68
01/26/68	Terry Dean Finch	Crew Chief	Panel 35E, Row 39
03/04/68	Donny Ramon Kidd	Pilot	Panel 42E, Row 67
04/12/68	Richard Wade Joles	Crew Chief	Panel 49E, Row 33
09/12/68	Richard Driggs Le May	Pilot	Panel 44W, Row 38
03/20/69	Larry Dean Smith	Door Gunner	Panel 29W, Row 93
08/18/69	William John Bassignani	Pilot	Panel 19W, Row 58
08/18/69	Rigoberto Gomez-Diaz	Crew Chief	Panel 19W, Row 60
10/04/69	Richard Bruce Canning	Crew Chief	Panel 17W, Row 35
08/07/70	Eric Peter Busch	Mechanic	Panel 8W, Row 90
08/07/70	John Nelson Crawford	Mechanic	Panel 8W, Row 90

Once they were Sons, Brothers, Boyfriends, Husbands and Fathers.

Once in a time past and a place far from here we knew them as Soldiers, Friends, Comrades in arms.

Now we honor and remember them as our Brothers.

To Our Fallen Caspers.

This toast was given by Walt Henderson at the Casper Reunion 2005

Photos taken at the Casper Aviation Platoon Organization Remembrance Ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC on Saturday, June 25, 2005.

A photo montage of our 11 Casper KIA & wreath were placed at the Wall by former Casper Commanding Officers Don Bliss and Thomas Terry. 2005 CAPO President Walt Henderson spoke at the ceremony, while Casper Guest Chaplain, Rev. John Steen delivered the Invocation. Afterwards our group was led by our Commanders to the Vietnam Memorial Wall while the sounds of bagpipes played Taps in the distance.