Joel Clinton Hatley

Vietnam War
Unit158th Battalion, 101 Airborne Division
RankSpecialist 4 U.S. Army
Entered Service FromAlbemarle North Carolina
Date of DeathMarch 5 1971
StatusRecovered
Memorialized
Courts of the Missing
Court
B
Notes
Specialist, Fourth Class Hatley was a member of Company C, 158th Aviation Battalion, 101st Airborne Brigade. On March 5, 1971, he was the crew chief of a Bell Iroquois Utility Helicopter (UH-1H) on a combat assault mission in Savannakhet Province, Laos. While on final approach to landing zone "Sophia", the aircraft receive anti-aircraft fire, burst into flames and crashed. His remains were recovered on January 10, 1990 and identified on August 15, 1990. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
rosetta medal
When an individual’s remains have been accounted for by the U.S. Department of Defense, a rosette is placed next to the name on the Wall/Tablet/Court of the Missing to mark that the person now rests in a known gravesite.