| Date: 15 April 1972 |
| Aircraft type: F-4E Phantom |
| Serial Number: 66-0324 |
| Military Unit: 421 TFS, 366 TFW |
| Service: USAF |
| Home Base: Da Nang |
| Name(s): |
| 1Lt Larry Allen Trimble (KIA) |
| Maj Gale A Despiegler (POW) |
| A convoy of about 40 trucks was seen near Dong Hoi in North Vietnam on the 15th during an armed reconnaissance mission by a flight of Phantoms. One of the aircraft (call sign Media) was hit by a SAM at 8,000 feet and crashed about four miles west of Dong Hoi. Maj Despiegler ejected and was soon captured. It was not known if 1Lt Trimble had ejected but he apparently did not survive the incident. Gale Despiegler, who had already flown 100 missions over Southeast Asia as a B-52 navigator before converting to the F-4, was released from captivity on 28 March 1973. The remains of Larry Trimble were handed over on 21 July 1989 and positively identified in the following October. |
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