USS Coral Sea CVA-43 Association

The following information resulted from inputs from a number of USS Coral Sea Association members. Two of the largest contributors are Jim Johnson and George Zadroga.

Blankets of Stone

Little flags all in a row
Standing in grass that death hath sown
White crosses, too many, in a line
Most have been here for a long, long time.
The fields are green, the clouds so white
Why they lie here, it just doesn't seem right
These precious few, too many it is sworn
Now the families come here to mourn.
Children, fathers, mothers and the like
They do not feel these deaths were right
They were taken away, so fresh, so green
Only to die in fields so mean.
Thoughts and dreams to die within
The hearts and minds of these young men.
They died away from home, dying for what ?
They died in jungle, rice paddy and hut
That was not a war, still they died over there
When the live ones came home people did not care.
They were cursed, degraded and called by a name
Killers they were called, trying to put us to shame.
They went because they had to, defending our land
They went because the government had a grand plan.
they all died...but we did not win,
And their families' cries are carried on the wind.
Know that they lie here 'neath these fields alone
...Covered with only their blankets of stone.

John M. Blondin
USS Coral Sea /CVA 43
Viet Nam 1971-1975

John gave us permission to to put his poem on the site. It is appropriate for the subject which follows the poem.

NAME	RANK	SQUADRON	DATE of LOSS	LOSS-COUNTRY HOW	COMMENT
C. B. Goodwin	LT JG	VFP-63 RF-8A	7 Sept. 1965	North Vietnam Unknown	Missing in Action
Donald B. Parsons, Jr.	LT JG U. S. Navy Reserve	VF 154 F-4B	19 Sept. 1966	North Vietnam AM	Status in 1973: Killed in Action
Thomas H. Pilkington	LT JG U. S. Navy Reserve	VF 154 F-4B	19 Sept. 1966	North Vietnam SAM	Status in 1973: Killed in Action
J. R. Bauder	LT CDR	VF-21 F-4B	20 Sept. 1966	North Vietnam Unknown	Missing in Action
J. B. Mills	LT JG	VF-21 F-4B	20 Sept. 1966	North Vietnam Unknown	Missing in Action
James R. Bauder	LT CDR U.S.Navy	VF 21 F-4B	21 Sept. 1966	North Vietnam Unknown	Status in 1973: Missing in Action
James B. Mills	LT JG U.S.Navy	VF 21 F-4B	21 Sept. 1966	North Vietnam Unknown	Status in 1973: Missing in Action
Dunn	LT JG	VA-25 A-1H	20 Sept. 19966	Off China MIG	Missing in Action
William T. Arnold	LT JG U. S. Navy	VA 22 A-4C	18 Nov. 1966	North Vietnam Over Water	Status in 1973: Missing in Action
Timothy B. Sullivan	LT JG U. S. Navy	VF 151 F-4B	14 Nov. 1967	North Vietnam SAM	Status in 1973: POW/ Released
O. R. Orell	CDR	VA-52 A-1H	13 Oct. 1968	North Vietnam Unknown	Missing in Action
L. J. Stevens	LT JG	VA-216 A-4C	14 Feb. 1969	Laos AAA	Missing in Action
Stanley M. Jerome	E-6 U. S. Navy	VAH 10 KA-3B	18 Feb. 1969	North Vietnam Over Water	Status in 1973: Killed/ Body not Recovered
Dustin C. Trowbridge	LT JG U. S. Navy	VA 35	26 Dec.1969	South Vietnam/ Over Water	Status in 1973: Killed/ Body not Recovered
M. G. Hoff	LT CDR	VA-86 A-7A	7 Jan. 1970	Laos AAA	Missing in Action
John J. Parker	LT U. S. Navy	VA 86	4 March 1970	South Vietnam/ Over Water	Status in 1973: Killed/ Body not Recovered
S. D. Ketchie	1 st LT Marines	VMA-224 A-6A	9 April 1972	Laos AAA	Missing in Action
J. W. McDonald	1 st LT Marines	VMA-224 A-6A	3 May 1972	North Vietnam Unknown	Missing in Action
Marvin B. Wiles	LT U. S. Navy	VA 94 A-7E	6 May 1972	North Vietnam SAM	Status in 1973: POW
R. E. Wilson	CAPT Marines	VMA-224 A-6A	11 June 1972	North Vietnam AAA	Missing in Action
G. R. Shumway	LT	VA-22 A-7E	25 June 1972	North Vietnam Unknown	Missing in Action
Edward A. Dickson	LT U. S. Navy Reserve	VA 155 A-4E	7 Feb. 1965	North Vietnam AAA	Status in 1973: Killed/ Body not Recovered
Larry J. Stevens	LT JG U. S. Navy	VA 216 A-4C	14 Feb. 1969	Laos, AAA and Small Arms Fire	Status in 1973: Missing in Action
Joseph P. Dunn	LT JG U. S. Navy	VA 25 A-1H	14 Feb. 1968	China MIG	Status in 1973: Missing in Action
Rodney Chapman	LT CDR U. S. Navy	VAH 10 KA-3B	18 Feb. 1969	North Vietnam Over Water	Status in 1973: Killed/ Body not Recovered
Eddie Schimmels	E- U. S. Navy	VAH 10 KA-3B	18 Feb. 1969	North Vietnam Over Water	Status in 1973: Killed/ Body not Recovered
Curtis H. Cropper	LT U. S. Navy Reserve	VF 151	5 April 1970	North Vietnam Over Water
Thomas E. Dunlop	Comdr. U. S. Navy	VA 22 A-7E	6 April 1972	North Vietnam SAM	Status in 1973: Killed in Action
Brian Bushnell	E-3 U.S. Navy	VAW 116 E-2A	9 April 1970	North Vietnam Over Water	Status in 1973: Killed Body not Recovered
Larry C. Knight	U. S. Navy	VAW 116 E-2A	9 April 1970	North Vietnam Over Water	Status in 1973:
Charles B. Pfaffmann	U. S. Navy	VAW 116 E-2A	9 April 1970	North Vietnam Over Water	Status in 1973:
Andrew A. Horchar Jr.	U. S. Navy	VAW 116 E-2A	9 April 1970	North Vietnam Over Water	Status in 1973:
David A. Kardell	LT U. S. Navy	VF 154 F-8D	9 May 1965	North Vietnam Unknown	Status in 1973: Killed/ Body not Recovered
Norman P. Westwood, Jr.	LT U. S. Navy Reserve	VF 161	17 May 1970	North Vietnam	Status in 1973: Killed/ Body not Recovered
Peter Mongilardi, Jr	Comdr. U. S. Navy	VA 153 A-4C	25 June 1965	North Vietnam AAA	Status in 1973: Killed/ Body not Recovered
Harry E. Thomas	Comdr. U. S. Navy	Commanding Officer-VA 153 A-4C	13 Aug. 1965	North Vietnam AAA	Status in 1973: Killed/ Body not Recovered/ Remains returned and Identified: 30 October 1996
Wendell B. Rivers	Comdr. U. S. Navy	VA 155 A-4E	10 Sept. 1965	North Vietnam	Status in 1973: POW/ Released
Charles N. Tanner	LT Comdr. U. S. Navy	VF 154 F-4B	9 Oct. 1966	North Vietnam AAA	Status in 1973: POW/ Released
Ross R. Terry	LT U. S. Navy	VF 154 F-4B	9 Oct. 1966	North Vietnam AAA	Status in 1973: POW/ Released
James D. Hunt	LT U. S. Navy	VA 52 A-6A	13 Oct. 1968	North Vietnam Over Water Unknown	Status in 1973: Missing in Action Status in 1978 changed to: Presumed Killed in Action
Quinlen Orel	CDR U. S. Navy	VA 52 A-6A	13 Oct. 1968	North Vietnam Over Water Unknown	Status in 1973: Missing in Action Status in 1978 changed to: Presumed Killed in Action
Frederick J. Fortner	LT JG U. S. Navy Reserves	VA 155 A-4E	17 Oct. 1967	North Vietnam Own Rockets	Status in 1973: Missing in Action
Richard C. Clark	LT JG U. S. Navy	VF 151 F-4B	24 Oct. 1967	North Vietnam SAM	Status in 1973: POW Died in Captivity
Robert F. Frishmann	LT JG U. S. Navy	VF 151 F-4B	24 Oct. 1967	North Vietnam SAM	Status in 1973: POW/ Released
Charles R. Gillespie, Jr.	Comdr. U. S. Navy	VF 151 F-4B	24 Oct. 1967	North Vietnam SAM	Status in 1973: POW/ Released
Earl G. Lewis	LT JG U. S. Navy	VF 151 F-4B	24 Oct. 1967	North Vietnam SAM	Status in 1973: POW/ Released
Verlyne W. Daniels	Comdr. U. S. Navy	VA 155 A-4E	26 Oct. 1967	North Vietnam SAM	Status in 1973: POW/ Released
Paul H. Schultz	LT Comdr. U. S. Navy	VF 151 F-4B	16 Nov. 1967	North Vietnam SAM	Status in 1973: POW/ Released
Theodore G. Stier	LT JG U. S. Navy Reserve	VF 151 F-4B	19 Nov. 1967	North Vietnam MIG	Status in 1973: Released POW
James E. Teague	LT JG U. S. Navy	VF 151 F-4B	19 Nov. 1967	North Vietnam MIG	Status in 1973: Killed in Captivity
Walter O. Estes	LT JG U. S. Navy	VF 151 F-4B	19 Nov. 1967	North Vietnam MIG	Status in 1973: Killed in Captivity
Claude D. Clower	LT CDR U. S. Navy	VF 151 F-4B	19 Nov. 1967	North Vietnam MIG	Status in 1973: Released POW
David E. Mc Rae	LT JG U. S. Navy	VF 154 F-4B	2 Dec. 1966	North Vietnam AAA	Status in 1973: Missing in Action
David G. Rehmann	LT JG U. S. Navy	VF 154 F-4B	2 Dec. 1966	North Vietnam AAA	Status in 1973: POW/ Released
Wimer P. Cook	LT Comdr. U. S. Navy	VA 155 A-4E	22 Dec. 1967	North Vietnam Own Bomb MK-82	Status in 1973: Killed/ Body not Recovered
Norris A. Charles	LT JG U. S. Navy	VF-111 F-4B	30 Dec. 1971	North Vietnam SAM	Status in 1973: POW/ Released
David B. Williams	Capt. USMC	VMA(AW)-224 A-6A	3 May 1972	North Vietnam	Status: KIA - Remains returned in 1989

SUMMARY
69 Combat losses: One off China, Four over Laos, remaining over North Vietnam
Aircraft losses: Twenty six A-4s, Fifteen F-4s, Ten F-8s, Seven A-7s, Six A-1s, and Five A-6
Causes: Thirty eight by AAA, Thirteen by SAMs, Ten unknown, Four by MIGs, Two by small arms fire, and two by own ordnance
Pilots: Thirty recovered, twenty five POWs. twelve MIAs, one died in captivity, and twenty one Killed in Action.