James Wayne Gates

Vietnam War
Unit20th Aviation Detachment
RankLieutenant Colonel U.S. Army
Entered Service FromMer Rouge Louisiana
Date of DeathApril 6 1966
StatusMissing In Action
Memorialized
Courts of the Missing
Court
B
Notes
Lieutenant Colonel Gates was a member of 20th Aviation Detachment (later known as the 131st Aviation Company). On April 6, 1966, he was the pilot of a Grumman Mohawk Aircraft (OV-1A) departed Hue, South Vietnam to make a visual reconnaissance over Laos. His aircraft was hit by ground fire and he and his observer parachuted safely to the ground. He was listed as Missing in Action. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.