Howard Philip Purcell

Vietnam War
Unit602nd Fighter Squadron
RankCaptain U.S. Air Force
Entered Service FromLansdowne Pennsylvania
Date of DeathSeptember 2 1963
StatusRecovered
Memorialized
Courts of the Missing
Court
A
Notes
Captain Purcell was a member of the 602nd Special Operations Squadron, Nakhom Phenom, Royal Thai Air Force Base. On September 2, 1963, he was the pilot of a Douglas Invader Bomber (B-26B) on a mission over South Vietnam when radio contact was lost. His remains were recovered on March 27, 1992 and identified on October 10, 1996. 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.