Richard Girard Morin
Captain, U.S. Marine Corps

On 20 December 1968, First Lieutenant Richard Girard Morin was serving with Marine Attack Squadron 214 (VMFA-314 'The Black Knights'), Marine Aircraft Group 13, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, flying out of the air facility at Chu Lai.

In the early morning hours of 20 December 1968, 1stLt Richard G. Morin was serving as the RIO with pilot Captain Robert Duane Kent [Honoree Record ID 257815], when they launched as lead in a flight tasked with a bombing run over the Ho Chi Minh Trail network approximately 20 miles inside of Laos. 1stLt Manfred Rietsch launched as his wingman. The night was clear but hazy. There were numerous small campfires on the ground which, at altitude, looked much like the stars, so it was difficult to remain oriented and differentiate between the ground and the sky. The flight arrived on station at approximately 02:00.

An airborne FAC was controlling the strike in an area that had been targeted numerous times in the past. The airborne FAC marked the target with a burning flare and Capt Kent rolled in to drop his 12 MK-82 500-pound bombs. The FAC was excited when he observed what he thought was a huge secondary explosion and Capt Kent’s wingman was instructed to drop his load of 12 Mark 82 - 500-pound bombs on the site of what appeared to be the secondary explosion.

Only in retrospect has it been concluded that what was presumed to be a secondary explosion at the time must have been the crash of the lead aircraft of Morin and Kent. Although there had been some ground fire in the target area during the early morning strike, it was not concentrated and therefore it probably was not the cause of the crash. During daylight hours on 24 December, 1stLt Manfred Rietsch, Kent's wingman on the 20 December strike, and the squadron CO, made two flights to search the target area. As the area was well protected by anti-aircraft guns, the search was conducted at an altitude of 3000 feet, but there was no visual sighting of the wreckage of Bob’s aircraft or parachutes. There were further extensive search and rescue efforts, but they were inconclusive. Kent and Morin were originally listed as MIA. On 24 June 1974, their status was changed to Died While Missing, Body Not Recovered. There is no record of attempts by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) to undertaking efforts to recover the remains of Capt Kent or 1stLt Morin. The two men died in Savannakhet Province in Laos approximately 30 miles southwest of Khe Sanh. Neither of their bodies has ever been recovered.

1stLt Morin was promoted to the rank of Captain while in MIA status.

Medals, Awards and Badges

Air Medal
Combat Action Ribbon
National Defense Service Medal
Vietnam Service Medal
Vietnam Campaign Medal
Naval Aviator Badge

Honors

The name Richard G Morin is located on Panel 36W Line 53 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.

Memorialization

Captain Richard Girard Morin is memorialized on a cenotaph at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA, is Memorial Section H. The stone lists the date of death as 1 October 1973.

Questions

After the war ended, family members of the crew of the missing F4B fighter/bomber who questioned the Marine Corps about the fate of their missing loved ones were told that "the aircraft probably exploded in mid-air and there would be nothing to find."

There was no additional information about the fate of Bob Kent and Richard Morin until 24 July 1992 when Capt Kent's cousin reviewed his casualty file during an annual meeting of family members in Washington, DC. When she opened the cover of his records, she found Bob Kent's military ID card, his Geneva Convention card and his drivers license inside a 3"x4" manila photo envelope.

Each one of these pieces of personal identification, which were carried by Bob Kent in his flight suit during that last mission, was in perfect, undamaged condition. When asked, "When were these documents returned?" "By whom and under what circumstances?" "How, when and by whom were they placed in his records?" and "Why was the family not notified when they were returned?" The Marine Corps had no answers. To date they still have no answers.

[Thanks to Captain Dave Mellon, USMCR, a classmate of Capt Robert Duane Kent in the 38th Officer Candidate Course, for the valuable information he provided for this bio, which also applied to Captain Richard Girard Morin. Capt Mellon served as a platoon commander in Vietnam and was wounded.]