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Service Details |
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Personal Details
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Home State
Texas | |
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Year of Birth
1935 |
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This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Nicole Summers, MMFN
to remember
Barnett, Charles Edward, CDR.
If you knew or served with this Sailor and have additional information or photos to support this Page, please leave a message for the Page Administrator(s) HERE.
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Casualty Info
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Home Town
Houston, TX |
Last Address
Not Specified |
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Casualty Date
May 23, 1972 |
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Cause
Hostile, Died while Missing |
Reason
Air Loss, Crash - Land |
Location
Vietnam, North |
Conflict
Vietnam War |
Location of Interment
Arlington National Cemetery - Arlington, Virginia |
Wall/Plot Coordinates
01W 029 / Section 28, Site 3278 |
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1961-1964, 131X, VA-95 Green Lizards
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1962-1962, 131X, USS Ranger (CVA-61)
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1963-1965, 131X, University of Illinois NROTC (Faculty Staff)
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1965-1969, 131X, VA-195 Dam Busters
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1967-1967, 131X, USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14)
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1971-1972, 131X, USS Midway (CVA-41)
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1972-1972, 131X, VA-93 Blue Blazers/Ravens
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Last Known Activity
Commander Charles E. Barnett was the Commanding Officer and a pilot assigned to Attack Squadron 93 onboard the aircraft carrier USS Midway (CVA-41). On May 23, 1972 at 12:00 p.m., Cdr. Barnett launched in his A7B "Corsair" aircraft (Bu Nu. 154405) as the flight leader of a strike mission into Nam Dinh, North Vietnam. Cdr. Barnett and his wingman preceeded the strike group to suppress the two known active surface-to-air missile (SAM) sites.
As the strike group withdrew from their attack, Cdr. Barnett and his wingman followed. At approximately 6-8 miles from the coast-out point, Cdr. Barnett directed his wingman over the radio to increase his speed and maneuver. Approximately twenty seconds later, he transmitted to his wingman that he had an electronic indication of a SAM radar. The wingman heard no further transmissions from him and lost sight of him. The wingman attempted to contact Cdr. Barnett by radio but with negative results. The wingman observed what appeared to be an aircraft crash site and a column of smoke about five miles inland. Search and rescue efforts produced negative results.
According to the U.S. Navy, that is the end of the story. Commander Barnett was maintained in a casualty status of Missing In Action, which was changed administratively to Presumed Killed In Action/Body Not Recovered on June 15, 1975.
A Vietnamese publication called Nhan Dan reported that Commander Barnett's body fell into a field from his crippled aircraft, but at the end of the war, after having signing an agreement to release all prisoners and account for as many missing as possible, the Vietnamese denied any knowledge of Commander Barnett.
On November 3, 1988, the Vietnamese "discovered" they had the remains of Commander Barnett and returned them to U.S. control. After going through the identification process in the U.S., it was announced in early February 1988 that Commander Barnett had come home.
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Comments/Citation
Not Specified
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