Casualties Archives - Tulane Naval ROTC Alumni Association

Lt John C. Crawford – Staff 1964-66

Lt John C. Crawford – Staff 1964-66

Tom Dolan2021-07-23T10:12:04-05:00

Lt Crawford was Sophomore Instructor for 2 years, during which he was Faculty Advisor to the Radio Club and The Barnacle. He came to Tulane NROTC in September 1964 from the USS Cone (DD-876) where he was the Weapons Officer. He departed in June 1966 to serve on the Staff of Admiral Ward, Commander US Naval Forces Vietnam. At the time of his death he was assigned to the Coastal Surveillance Force and served on Swift Boats. On March 10, 1967, a U.S. Navy VC-47J (#99844) from Tan Son Nhut Air Base Detachment, Naval Support Activity (NAVSUPACT) Saigon, [...]

Lt John C. Crawford – Staff 1964-66Tom Dolan2021-07-23T10:12:04-05:00

Lt. j.g. Frederick L. Bell – 1974

Lt. j.g. Frederick L. Bell – 1974

Tom Dolan2022-06-28T14:13:37-05:00

Lt j.g. Frederick L. Bell died when his aircraft crashed into the sea off USS Dwight D. Eisenhower on 1 March 1978, approximately 60 miles SE of Jacksonville, Florida. During the first dog watch the aircraft had mechanical problems while in plane guard position about 100 yards off the starboard quarter. The weather was calm with clear visibility, when it suddenly rolled rapidly to the right, crashed into the water tail first and sank, inverted, disappearing from view in barely 30 seconds. Two of the four crewmen survived. RELATED STATEMENT: LCDR Howard M. Tillison USNR (Ret.) : I [...]

Lt. j.g. Frederick L. Bell – 1974Tom Dolan2022-06-28T14:13:37-05:00

Lt. Louis Tulane Bass, Jr. – 1943

Lt. Louis Tulane Bass, Jr. – 1943

Tom Dolan2022-06-28T14:27:11-05:00

Louis Tulane Bass, Jr. was an Alumnus of the Tulane NROTC Unit. He was KIA [BNR] on 16 June 1945 over the Bay of Makassar, Sulawesi Province, Netherlands East Indies (now the country of Indonesia). He is also a descendent of the Paul Tulane family. This is his story. Tulane became a private university in 1884 when the public University of Louisiana was reorganized and named in honor of benefactor Paul Tulane, a wealthy merchant who bequeathed more than $1 million to endow a university "for the promotion and encouragement of intellectual, moral and industrial education." A native of Princeton, [...]

Lt. Louis Tulane Bass, Jr. – 1943Tom Dolan2022-06-28T14:27:11-05:00

Lt Patrick L Ruth – Class of 2008

Lt Patrick L Ruth – Class of 2008

Tom Dolan2020-05-24T21:25:56-05:00

The Navy identified pilot Lt. Patrick Lawrence Ruth and student aviator Lt. j.g. Wallace Eugene Burch as the two sailors who died in an Oct. 1 crash. Their T-45C Goshawk trainer jet crashed near Tellico Plains, Tenn., near the Cherokee National Forest in the eastern part of the state, and could not be reached until the next day due to the remote location. The two were on a training mission and were assigned to Training Squadron (VT) 7 at Naval Air Station Meridian, Miss. Ruth, 31, from Metairie, La., began his Navy career in the Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps at [...]

Lt Patrick L Ruth – Class of 2008Tom Dolan2020-05-24T21:25:56-05:00

CDR Matt Lacroix – Class of 1995

CDR Matt Lacroix – Class of 1995

Tom Dolan2020-05-24T21:32:16-05:00

Commander Matt Lacroix was one of three children in a Navy family. After attending high schools in California, Virginia and Connecticut, he decided to accept an NROTC scholarship and graduated with honors from Tulane University (1995) with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Later, he earned his Masters degree in Engineering Management from Old Dominion University. After commissioning as an ensign in 1995, he began his advanced studies and training in the Navy nuclear propulsion and submarine programs. Matt was first assigned to the USS Wyoming (SSBN 742). He held a variety of technical and tactical assignments at sea and ashore [...]

CDR Matt Lacroix – Class of 1995Tom Dolan2020-05-24T21:32:16-05:00

Lt Gregory Scott Fulco – Class of 1992

Tom Dolan2020-05-24T21:43:30-05:00

Friends, family, fellow pilots and students on Monday will honor a career Navy pilot known as a great teacher and motivator, who died in a plane crash on Wednesday. The Navy confirmed Friday that a body found Thursday near the site where a T-45 Goshawk crashed in the Atlantic Ocean about 93 miles off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, was that of Navy Lieutenant Gregory Fulco, the training jet's pilot. "(He was) very energetic, very upbeat, always had a smile on his face," said Commander Jay Chesnut, commanding officer of VT-22, the training squadron at Naval Air Station Kingsville to [...]

Lt Gregory Scott Fulco – Class of 1992Tom Dolan2020-05-24T21:43:30-05:00

Lieutenant Commander Michael Dallas Chalfant, Jr – Class of 1988

Tom Dolan2020-05-24T21:41:35-05:00

Lieutenant Commander Michael Dallas Chalfant, Jr., 36, died Tuesday night, September 10th, 2002 in a military plane accident while serving his country. Totally devoted, loving husband, father, and son, he served honorably in the United States Navy for 14 ¸ years. Lieutenant Commander Chalfant was born in Sumter, SC and graduated from The Landon School in Washington, DC. He is a 1988 graduate of Tulane University where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in business. While attending Tulane, he was a member of the Navy ROTC and precision parade drill team. Michael received his wings as a Naval Flight [...]

Lieutenant Commander Michael Dallas Chalfant, Jr – Class of 1988Tom Dolan2020-05-24T21:41:35-05:00

Lt Bruce E. Pommer – Class of 1983

Tom Dolan2020-05-24T21:18:47-05:00

Date: 20-MAY-1987 Time: night Type: Grumman A-6E Intruder Owner/operator: VA-85, US Navy Registration: 161685 C/n / msn: I-662 Fatalities: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Stumpy Point, North Carolina - United States of America Phase: Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) Nature: Military Departure airport: NAS Oceana, Virginia Beach, VA (NTU/KNTU) Destination airport: NAS Oceana, Virginia Beach, VA (NTU/KNTU) Narrative: A-6E Intruder BuNo. 161685/AA-501 of VA-85, US Navy, based at Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach. Crashed May 20, 1987 into a heavily wooded area at a Navy bombing range at Stumpy [...]

Lt Bruce E. Pommer – Class of 1983Tom Dolan2020-05-24T21:18:47-05:00

Lt Jg Kenneth Bates – Class of 1976

Lt Jg Kenneth Bates – Class of 1976

Tom Dolan2021-03-31T12:04:20-05:00

On December 12, 1979 at about 4:00A.M., Navy Lieutenant J.G. Ken Bates was killed when the Grumman A-6 aircraft he piloted, NG523, Bureau Number 151566, pitched violently and suddenly into the ocean about 100 miles off San Diego immediately after having been catapult-launched from the aircraft carrier Constellation. The crash occurred within two to three seconds after launch and within several hundred feet forward of the bow of the Constellation. Neither the bodies of Lieutenant Shaw and bombardier-navigator Lieutenant Bates nor the wreckage of NG523 were ever recovered.

Lt Jg Kenneth Bates – Class of 1976Tom Dolan2021-03-31T12:04:20-05:00

2nd LT Joe E Allen – Class of 1967

2nd LT Joe E Allen – Class of 1967

Tom Dolan2020-05-24T21:44:27-05:00

1945 - 1968 The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Second Lieutenant Joe E. Allen (MCSN: 0-103089), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving as a Platoon Commander with Company D, First Battalion, Fifth Marines, FIRST Marine Division (Rein.), FMF, in connection with combat operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam. On the evening of 24 May 1968, Second Lieutenant Allen's platoon established an ambush on a suspected enemy infiltration route in Thua Thien Province. Alertly observing a numerically superior [...]

2nd LT Joe E Allen – Class of 1967Tom Dolan2020-05-24T21:44:27-05:00

Homer Gray Hutchinson III – Class of 1966

Homer Gray Hutchinson III – Class of 1966

Tom Dolan2020-05-24T21:39:41-05:00

May 8,2002 Gray Hutchinson entered the Marine Corps through NROTC after graduation from Tulane University in 1966. He earned his "Wings of Gold" in early 1968. After transition training for the F-4 Phantom, he flew combat missions with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron-542 in the Republic of South Vietnam. He also served as a Forward Air Controller with 2nd Battalion 5th Marines in the Republic of South Vietnam. Gray had additional tours with Marine Fighter Attack Squadrons 201, 312, 323, and 333. He was a graduate of the Navy's elite "Top Gun" school and served as a T-2 Buckeye [...]

Homer Gray Hutchinson III – Class of 1966Tom Dolan2020-05-24T21:39:41-05:00

Lt. Robert John Kuhlman, Jr. – MIA – Class of 1966

Michael Hallal, Jr.2020-05-24T22:13:16-05:00

1944 - 1969 Upon his arrival in Vietnam, First Lieutenant Robert John Kuhlman, Jr. was assigned to Marine All Weather Attack Squadron 242 (VMA(AW)-242), Marine Air Group 11, 1st Marine Air Wing at Da Nang Air Base. On 17 January 1969, the Squadron’s Mission 6363, a direct air support mission, was originally assigned to the Squadron Executive Officer, Major Luther A. Lono. Something precluded Maj Lono from flying the mission and it was reassigned to Captain Edwin James Fickler and his bombardier/navigator, 1stLt Robert J. Kuhlman. Their A6A Intruder aircraft launched out of Da Nang Air Base on [...]

Lt. Robert John Kuhlman, Jr. – MIA – Class of 1966Michael Hallal, Jr.2020-05-24T22:13:16-05:00

Ens Peter W Saravo – Class of 1965

Tom Dolan2020-05-24T21:45:45-05:00

Ensign Saravo was killed in a plane crash while training on Feb 14, 1967. While flying a solo night flight Saravo reported problems with the aircraft. He was ordered to drop fuel and return to base. His plan crashed on landing. Saravo did not survive the crash.

Ens Peter W Saravo – Class of 1965Tom Dolan2020-05-24T21:45:45-05:00

Captain Thomas A Carter – Class of 1965

Tom Dolan2020-07-14T14:56:06-05:00

Died in Helicopter crash 11/14/1967. A U.S. Marine Corps helicopter UH-1E (tail number 153737) from VMO-3 was a single ship VIP flight for the commanding general of the 3rd Marine Division. The official USMC history states that the aircraft crashed inverted in a flooded rice paddy and that there was still a fuel fire burning when the CO of the 4th Marines arrived in another helicopter. This party landed on a dike and walked to the crashed UH-1E. They put the fire out and had to dive under water to get the bodies out. There were six KIAs in the [...]

Captain Thomas A Carter – Class of 1965Tom Dolan2020-07-14T14:56:06-05:00

Captain Rodney R Chastant – Class of 1965

Tom Dolan2020-05-24T22:02:46-05:00

On October 22, 1968, a U.S. Marine Corps OV-10A Bronco (#155422) light attack and observation aircraft, call sign Hostage X-Ray, from Marine Observation Squadron 2 (VMO-2), Marine Aircraft Group 16 (MAG 16), was conducting marking runs near the village of Giang Hoa (12 miles SW of Danang) in Quang Nam Province, RVN. While flying below low cloud cover it was hit by ground fire, causing the aircraft to crash. Its two-man crew were killed in the incident. The lost crewmen were pilot CPT Eugene W. Kimmel and aerial observer CPT Rodney R. Chastant( Tulane NROTC 1965). A UH-1E helicopter gunship [...]

Captain Rodney R Chastant – Class of 1965Tom Dolan2020-05-24T22:02:46-05:00

Lt CDR Thelmon S Stallings – Class of 1965

Tom Dolan2020-05-24T21:45:19-05:00

June 15, 1978 In 1978 LCDR Stallings was an instructor with VT-124. While riding backseat in an F-14 on a familiarization hop crashed while in the landing pattern.

Lt CDR Thelmon S Stallings – Class of 1965Tom Dolan2020-05-24T21:45:19-05:00

Lt Jg Robert Fobes – Class of 1963

Tom Dolan2019-08-29T15:12:46-05:00

April 26,1967 After service in Vietnam, Lt JG Fobes died in a helicopter crash while participating in a classified training operation. A/C crashed and burned in the Santa Rita mountains about 5 miles from Sonoita while taking part in operation Cloud Gap (classified research project). A/C was attempting a mountain peak landing and at approximately 150' above landing site, rotor RPM dropped to 6400. Pilot applied power for go-around but A/C continued to descend and lose RPM. At 20' AGL, A/C suddenly turned right and settled down to ground, M/R blades hit rock outcropping next to landing area, [...]

Lt Jg Robert Fobes – Class of 1963Tom Dolan2019-08-29T15:12:46-05:00

Lt Jg Rosolino J Territo – Class of 1963

Tom Dolan2020-05-24T21:46:50-05:00

March 9 1965 March 09,1965: Lt. (jg). Rosolino J. Territo, 23, of NAS Lemoore was killed when his A4C Skyhawk BuNo 147817 crashed and exploded in swampland east of St. Vincent's Hill as it was about to make a radar landing at Hamilton AFB at 7:20 p.m. yesterday. Territo’s plane was one of two making a practice radar approach to the base, to gain experience in landing at unfamiliar fields. He was followed by instructor Lt. Harold D. Barnhart of Lemoore, who said he lost visual and radio contact with Territo minutes before they were supposed to land. San [...]

Lt Jg Rosolino J Territo – Class of 1963Tom Dolan2020-05-24T21:46:50-05:00

Captain James McCarter – Class of 1962

Captain James McCarter – Class of 1962

Tom Dolan2020-05-24T22:08:55-05:00

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Captain James William McCarter, Jr. (MCSN: 0-85448), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving as Assistant Battalion Operations Officer with the Second Battalion, Fourth Marines, THIRD Marine Division (Rein.), FMF, in connection with combat operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam on 14 October 1967. During Operation KINGFISHER, the Battalion's night defensive position was subjected to heavy volumes of rocket and mortar barrages which inflicted numerous casualties. The devastating bombardments were immediately followed by a [...]

Captain James McCarter – Class of 1962Tom Dolan2020-05-24T22:08:55-05:00

1st Lt Claiborne H. Brown Class of 1961

1st Lt Claiborne H. Brown Class of 1961

Tom Dolan2020-10-01T16:41:55-05:00

Ist Lt Claiborne H Brown USMC, age 23, Tulane NROTC Class of 1961 died in an aircraft crash during the evening of 10/25/1963. Brown had just departed Brunswick Naval Air Station, Brunswick ME, in an A-4, en route to Bunker Hill Air force Base IN. The aircraft crashed into nearby Casco Bay, slid up onto the shore and hit a vacant cottage. Brown had apparently attempted to eject from the aircraft; he was found nearby in a partially deployed parachute. He is buried in New Orleans.

1st Lt Claiborne H. Brown Class of 1961Tom Dolan2020-10-01T16:41:55-05:00

Lt JG David P Grow Class of 1961

Tom Dolan2020-09-30T11:30:42-05:00

Lt Jg David P Grow USN, NROTC class of 1961 died 6/24/1963, age 24, in a helicopter crash off the coast of San Diego, CA. His body was found near the crash site by Navy divers. He is buried at Barrancas National Cemetery, Pensacola FL.

Lt JG David P Grow Class of 1961Tom Dolan2020-09-30T11:30:42-05:00

2nd LT James A Ducote Class of 1959

Tom Dolan2020-09-30T11:34:06-05:00

2nd Lt James A. Ducote USMC, age 23, Tulane NROTC Class of 1959, died in an aircraft crash during the afternoon of 5/22/1961. Ducote was a student pilot flying from US Naval Air Station Chase Field, Beeville Tx. During this time period Chase Field was used to relieve flying congestion from NAS Pensacola. Ducote's aircraft crashed. He was found in his aircraft dead of multiple extreme injuries. He is buried in New Orleans.

2nd LT James A Ducote Class of 1959Tom Dolan2020-09-30T11:34:06-05:00

Lt Jg Joseph J Parpal – Class of 1944

Lt Jg Joseph J Parpal – Class of 1944

Tom Dolan2020-05-24T22:11:35-05:00

August 6, 1945 Lt Jg Joseph John Parpal was lost with the crew of the USS Bullhead, a submarine which was sunk by Japanese forces in August 1945, the last US Navy ship lost in WWII. Departing Fremantle for her third war patrol, BULLHEAD (LCDR E. R. Holt, Jr.) on 31 July 1945, started for her area (from 110° 00'E to 115° 30'E, in the Java Sea). She was to leave her patrol area at dark on 5 September and head for Subic Bay, P.I. CAPITAINE and PUFFER were also to patrol in the Java Sea area, as [...]

Lt Jg Joseph J Parpal – Class of 1944Tom Dolan2020-05-24T22:11:35-05:00

Lt CMDR Jack Wintle – Staff 1940

Lt CMDR Jack Wintle – Staff 1940

Tom Dolan2022-08-31T07:23:41-05:00

November 14, 1942 Lieutenant Commander Jack W. Wintle was killed in action near the Solomon Islands November 14, 1942. Commander Wintle came to Tulane University in the summer of 1940 as one of the first officers at Tulane's Naval ROTC unit. During his two years at Tulane he gained the respect and admiration of the staff and Midshipmen as well as the faculty and student body of the University. A 1932 graduate of the US Naval Academy, Wintle served on the USS California, the USS Bushnell and the USS Perkins before returning to the Academy for post graduate [...]

Lt CMDR Jack Wintle – Staff 1940Tom Dolan2022-08-31T07:23:41-05:00

Lt JG David E Crais – Class of 1942

Tom Dolan2020-05-24T21:48:57-05:00

Lt Crais was killed when the USS BUCK sank off the coast of Salerno Italy. While on patrol off Salerno, Italy, on 9 October, USS Buck was ambushed just after midnight by German submarine U-616 and hit forward starboard by at least one and possibly two torpedoes. The warship flooded quickly, settling down forward and sinking within four minutes. Although most of the depth charges were set to safe before the destroyer was abandoned, a severe underwater explosion killed andwounded sailors in the water. Spotted by friendly aircraft the next morning, 97 survivors were rescued by Gleaves (DD-423) and the [...]

Lt JG David E Crais – Class of 1942Tom Dolan2020-05-24T21:48:57-05:00

Ensign Albert Babcock McCoard Jr. – Class of 1942

Tom Dolan2019-04-08T11:17:01-05:00

July 10, 1943 Ensign Albert B McCoard, Jr. was commissioned with his Tulane Naval ROTC class in May of 1942. Ensign McCoard proceeded to assignment on the USS Maddox (DD-622). Maddox was commissioned in October, 1942 and proceeded to convoy escort duty in the Atlantic. July 10, 1943 Maddox was on submarine patrol off Sicily during the initial Allied amphibious invasion. A single German bomber scored a hit on Maddox's ammunition magazine. The catastrophic damage caused Maddox to roll and sink within two minutes. Less than one half of the crew survived. Ensign McCoard was among those who [...]

Ensign Albert Babcock McCoard Jr. – Class of 1942Tom Dolan2019-04-08T11:17:01-05:00

Ensign Herbert J McCampbell Jr. – Class of 1942

Tom Dolan2019-04-08T10:52:37-05:00

August 9, 1942 Ensign Herbert J Campbell Jr. was commissioned with his Tulane Naval ROTC class in May of 1942. Ensign McCampbell became the our first alumni casualty. The USS Vincennes provide pre-landing bombardment while US Marines landed on Guadalcanal of August 7, 1942. Very early in the morning of August 9, Vincennes came under fire from a larger group of Japanese vessels in a naval engagement known as the Battle of Savo Island. Vincennes was hit by multiple torpedos and 5 inch shells. At 02:30 the order was given to abandon ship. At 02:50 the Vincennes rolled [...]

Ensign Herbert J McCampbell Jr. – Class of 1942Tom Dolan2019-04-08T10:52:37-05:00