Faces From the Wall - 1960 - 1964 - Montana & the Vietnam Wall, KIA

FACES FROM THE WALL

MONTANA and VIETNAM WAR

JANUARY - DECEMBER 1978

Birth	1937-10-29	Rank	Major	Date of Loss	16 October 1967
P. of birth		Service	US Air Force	Place	Laos
Town of Record	Dodson, Montana	Unit	12TH TRS, 460TH TRW, 7TH AF	Death Code	Hostile, Died Missing-Air Loss, Crash - Land-Fixed Wing - Pilot
Hometown	Dodson, Montana	service #	517402429	Panel	28E - Row 015
Married	Single	MIA -	BNR	Medals	Purple Heart
Tour Date	1967-10-16	Comment	DD 1978-04-28	Cemetery

MONTANA MIAS
One Family's Story.
by Ken Pekoc, Staff writer
Richard Appelhans grew up on a farm near Dodson in the 1940s and 50s dreaming that he'd someday learn to fly.
Dick, as his friends and neighbors called him joined the Reserve Officer's Training Corps in high school and enlisted in the Air Force shortly after graduation in 1955.
He planned to turn his military service into a career and gained the reputation as a skilled pilot and a patient, thorough teacher.
"They had bigger and better plans for him," his sister, Storme Christopherson of Columbia Falls, said during a recent interview.
Fighting back tears throughout, she recalled vividly that, as a child, Dick once "became absolutely enthralled" when he watched a jet nosedive over the family farm along the Hi-Line.
Ed Haubrich of Helena recalls riding horses on the Appelhans' farm and listening to his cousin dream about flying
"That's all he wanted to do," Haubrich, 40, said recently.
Christopherson also remember with irony that when her brother, older by four years, finally learned to fly, he usually became queasy.
Now its her emotions and adrenaline that stir when she discusses his flying days.
APPELHANS IS ONE of 20 Montanans listed as missing in action from the Vietnam War. The Air Force major disappeared without a trace more than 25 years ago, on 16, Oct 1967.
He was 29, had never married, and in fact requested a second tour of duty -- a six-month stint -- to provide time for the Air Force to locate a bachelor to replace him. The man scheduled to replace Appelhans was a father of two children and Appelhans didn't want him put in danger, Christopherson recalled.
"He loved kids," his sister said. "He was such a typical big brother. He was very, very well liked."
It was only abaout one montha after that second tour of duty began that Appelhans was told to fly a mission over Laos to bomb five targets, Christoperson has learned through research.
It was on"The only thing that I have been able to find out is that he went on a night missionk" she said. "He lost radio contact . . . whether he was in trouble at that time, I don't know. "They have never been able to determine a crash site for him." ( rest of article, a large portion, discusses POW issues)
(Independent Record, Helena MT, 29 Nov 1992)

Alan Fredrick ASHALL

Birth	1943-06-06	Rank	LCDR	Date of Loss	29 August 1968
P. of birth		Service	US Navy	Place	North Vietnam
Town of Record	Billings, Montana	Unit	7TH FLEET, CVW-6, VA-85, TF 77, USS AMERICA	Death Code	Hostile, Died Missing-Air Loss, Crash - Land-Fixed Wing - Crew
Hometown	Billings, Montana	service #	517482507	Panel	46W - Row 056
Married	Single	MIA -	BNR	Medals	Purple Heart
Tour Date	1968-08-29	Comment	DD 1978-08-02	Cemetery

Randolph Allen PERRY Jr

Birth	1937-06-17	Rank	LTC	Date of Loss	20 December 1972
P. of birth		Service	US Air Force	Place	North Vietnam
Town of Record	Troy, Montana	Unit	348TH BOMB SQD	Death Code	Hostile, Died Missing-Air Loss, Crash - Land-Fixed Wing - Crew
Hometown	Troy, Montana	service #	517382426	Panel	01W - Row 097
Married	Married	MIA -	Remains Returned, ID 01/14/2004	Medals	Purple Heart
Tour Date	1972-12-20	Comment	DD 1978-08-08	Cemetery

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