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Tommy Burgdorf (Birddog), FC2
to remember
Farrier, Gerald Wyatte, CPO.
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Casualty Info
Home Town Batesville, AR
Last Address Batesville, AR
Casualty Date Jul 29, 1967
Cause Non Hostile- Died while Missing
Reason Other Cause
Location Vietnam, North (Vietnam)
Conflict Vietnam War
Location of Interment Kyler Cemetery - Batesville, Arkansas
Vietnam War/Counteroffensive Phase III Campaign (67-68)/USS Forrestal (CVA-59) Fire
From Month/Year
July / 1967
To Month/Year
July / 1967
Description In July 1967, a fire broke out on board the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal. An electrical anomaly had caused the discharge of a Zuni rocket on the flight deck, triggering a chain-reaction of explosions that killed 134 sailors and injured 161. At the time, Forrestal was engaged in combat operations in the Gulf of Tonkin, during the Vietnam War. The ship survived, but with damage exceeding US$72 million (equivalent to $517 million today), not including the damage to aircraft.[2][3] Future United States Senator John McCain and future four-star admiral and US Pacific Fleet Commander Ronald J. Zlatoper were among the survivors.
