Lieutenant Commander Larry James Stevens
A-4C Skyhawk (BuNo. 149529) VA-216
Date of Loss: 14 February 1969
Location: Near Tchepone, Laos
Lieutenant Junior Grade Larry James Stevens entered the U.S. Navy from California and was a member of Attack Squadron 216, Carrier Air Wing 15. On February 14, 1969, he piloted an A-4C Skyhawk (bureau number 149529, call sign “Diamondback 607”) that took off from the USS Coral Sea (CVA 43) on a two-plane night strike mission against targets near Tchepone, Laos. While attempting a bomb run against a group of trucks, both aircraft came under enemy anti-aircraft fire. The pilot of the other aircraft saw this Skyhawk explode and crash into a hillside near XD 398 402. No ejection or parachute was observed. Search and rescue efforts were inhibited by the enemy presence in the loss area, and LTJG Stevens was not recovered. He remains unaccounted-for. While carried in the status of missing in action, the U.S. Navy promoted LTJG Stevens to the rank of Lieutenant Commander (LCDR). Today, Lieutenant Commander Stevens is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed along with all his fallen comrades on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.
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