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Contact Info
Home Town Denver
Last Address With VO-67 deployed in SE Asia.
Captain Milius' remains are actually Missing in Laos.
This Sailor has an (IMO) In Memory Of Headstone in Harlington Cemetery, Waverly, Iowa.
On February 27, 1968, an OP-2E Neptune (bureau number 131484) with a crew of nine took off from Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, on an armed reconnaissance mission against targets southwest of Ban Karai Pass, Khammouane Province, Laos. The aircraft was flying low over its assigned target area when it was struck by enemy anti-aircraft fire, causing an explosion and fire that filled the flight deck with smoke.
The pilot ordered the crew to abandon the aircraft before it crashed. Of the nine crew members, seven safely exited the aircraft by parachute and were subsequently rescued. One crew member was wounded when the plane was hit and was last seen, unmoving, still inside the aircraft as the other crew members bailed out.
The pilot was last seen at the aircraft's rear hatch and was not observed successfully bailing out. The survivors believed that neither the pilot nor the wounded crew member exited the aircraft, and both were lost in the crash. Search teams investigated the crash area but could not locate the two missing men.
Other Comments:
Commander Paul Lloyd Milius entered the U.S. Navy from Iowa and was a member of Observation Squadron 67. He was the pilot of this Neptune when it crashed on February 27, 1968, and attempts to recover his remains have been unsuccessful. While carried in the status of MIA, the Navy promoted CDR Milius to the rank of Captain (CAPT). Today, Captain Milius is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual's case to be in the analytical category of Active Pursuit.
NAVY CROSS
Awarded posthumously for actions during the Vietnam War
The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Captain [then Commander] Paul Lloyd Milius, United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism on 27 February 1968 as an Aircraft Commander in Observation Squadron SIXTY SEVEN (VO-67). During a combat mission in Southeast Asia, Captain Milius' aircraft received multiple hits from 37-mm. anti-aircraft-artillery fire during a run over the assigned target. Immediately, the aircraft burst into flames, several members of the crew received injuries, and dense smoke and fumes filled the fuselage. Remaining at the controls to insure stable flight, Captain Milius ordered his crew members to bail out. As a result of his action, seven of his nine crewmen were rescued within three hours of bail-out. Rescue flights, however, were unable to locate Captain Milius. His heroic efforts and inspiring devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. General Orders: Authority: Navy Department Board of Decorations and Medals, Action Date: February 27, 1968, Service: Navy, Rank: Captain, Company: Observation Squadron 67 (VO-67), Division: Khon Phnom Airport, Thailand
NAMESAKE: USS MILIUS (DDG-69)
DDG 69 is named in honor of the Navy pilot Captain Paul L. Milius. On 28 October 1995 the United States Navy granted Commander Paul L. Milius exceptional recognition by naming the first Navy ship for a POW/MIA from the Vietnam War in his honor.
Warship Milius's motto, "ALii Prae Me", or "Others Before Myself", was chosen to reflect the Personal ethic held throughout Captain Milius' military career and his selfless act under fire.
