This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Sgt Duane Kimbrow (Skip)
to remember
Clark, Gary Vaughn, Sgt.
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Casualty Info
Home Town Fort Wayne
Last Address Phan Rang AB, South Vietnam
Casualty Date Dec 17, 1969
Cause Non Hostile- Died Other Causes
Reason Air Loss, Crash - Land
Location Quang Duc (Vietnam)
Conflict Vietnam War
Location of Interment Town Heights Cemetery - West Frankfort, Illinois
Sgt. Clark served with the 14th Field Maintenance Squadron, 14th Special Operations Wing based then at Phan Rang AB, Ninh Thuan Province, RVN.
During a remote combat resupply mission on 17 December, he was the only person killed in the crash of a C-123 (#55-4562), an aircraft from the 310th Special Operations Squadron, based at Phan Rang as well.
The aircraft, carrying a fuel payload, undershot its landing, broke up and was destroyed by fire on approach to Gia Nghia Field, Quang Duc Province.
Note The Gia Nghia runway was formed by leveling the top of a small mountain with steep slopes at either end. It was known to have ashort runway, suitable for the C-123 and C-7 aircraft. It was the site of a 5th Special Forces Camp in the Central Highlands.
There were four survivors. He was non-crew.
Gary was interred in Tower Heights Cemetery, West Frankfort, Franklin County, Illinois. He left a wife, JoAnn, whom he had married in Ohio in August 1969. She passed away in 2009.