Inzar William Rackley, Jr
Lieutenant Colonel
37TH ARRS, 3RD AIR RESCUE GROUP, 7TH AF United States Air Force Big Spring, Texas January 02, 1933 to July 18, 1973 (Incident Date October 18, 1966) INZAR W RACKLEY Jr is on the Wall at Panel 11E, Line 88 |
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LTC Inzar W. Rackley was a life time resident of Big Spring, Texas. He graduated from Big Spring High School in 1951. He was a career Air Force Officer. He began his tour in Vietnam 18 Oct 1966 as a Captain and was assigned as a navigator to the 37th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron. On October 18, 1966, Captain Rackley was lost at sea in an HU-16 amphibian aircraft. Captain Rackley was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel while carried as "Missing in Action". LTC Rackley is remembered by his community, the Big Spring Vietnam Memorial and by the Permian Basin Vietnam Veterans' Memorial located in Midland, Texas. May his sacrifice never be forgotten. |
Notes from The Virtual WallWhile it is clear that a USAF HU-16 Albatross (serial 51-7145) went down offshore North Vietnam on 18 Oct 1966, there is conflicting information with respect to exactly what happened. The twin-engined, fixed-wing Albatross, an amphibious aircraft capable of landing on water or runway, was crewed by
Chris Hobson's authoritative work "Vietnam Air Losses" gives the following account of the loss: "An Albatross amphibian took off from Da Nang in poor weather for a patrol over the Gulf of Tonkin. Using the call sign CROWN BRAVO, a name that was assigned to the afternoon patrol of each day, the aircraft encountered worsening weather and failed to make a routine radio report. As soon as the weather cleared enough a second Albatross left Da Nang to search for Maj Angstadt's aircraft. The Albatross was joined by Navy ships and aircraft but no trace of the aircraft or of its crew was ever found. The aircraft's last known position was about 40 miles off Dong Hoi [a North Vietnam coastal town a bit north of the DMZ] and it was suspected that the aircraft was lost due to extreme weather rather than enemy action." (Hobson, p.78)The Jolly Green Organization ("JOLLY GREEN" was the Vietnam nickname for the USAF SAR helicopters) carries the following note on 51-7145: "The aircraft was on a SAR orbit north of the DMZ and reported to a Navy ship he was returning to his home station, Danang. This was the last contact with the aircraft and no trace of the aircraft or crew was ever found." (http://www.jollygreen.org/jltnc.htm)The POW Network and Task Force Omega sites carry a more complex story. In summary, the two sites report that the HU-16
The UH-16 crew received promotions during the period they were maintained Missing in Action: Angstadt and Rackley were promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel; Long to the rank of Captain; Clark and Hill to the rank of Chief Master Sergeant; Shoneck to the rank of Senior Master Sergeant; and Adams to the rank of Master Sergeant. On 18 July 1973, the Secretary of the Air Force approved Presumptive Findings of Death for all seven men. Their remains have not been repatriated. |
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