Roosevelt L. Hestle Jr.

Vietnam War
Unit388th Tactical Fighter Wing
RankColonel U.S. Air Force
Entered Service FromOrlando Florida
Date of DeathJuly 6 1966
StatusRecovered
Memorialized
Courts of the Missing
Court
A
Notes

Colonel Hestle was a member of the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing. On July 6, 1966, he was the pilot of a Thunderchief Fighter (F-105F) on a mission about 35 miles north-northwest of Hanoi, North Vietnam. His aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire and struck the side of a mountain. His remains were not recovered at the time. In 2017 his remains were identified, but his name is permanently 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.