Lewis Merritt Robinson, Colonel, United States Air Force

Lewis Merritt Robinson
Colonel, United States Air Force

LEWIS MERRITT ROBINSON was born on February 1, 1921 and joined the Armed Forces while in SAGINAW, MICHIGAN.

He served in the Air force. In 22 years of service, he attained the rank of LTC. He
began a tour of duty on June 4, 1967.

LEWIS MERRITT ROBINSON is listed as Missing in Action.

April 16, 1999

The remains of six American servicemen previously unaccounted-for from the war in Southeast Asia have been identified and are being returned to their families for burial in the United States.

hey are identified as Air Force Capt. Dean A. Wadsworth, Clarendon, Texas; Marine SSgt. Harold E. Reid, Salt Lake City, Utah; Navy Lt. David L. Hodges, Chevy Chase, Md.; Air Force Lt. Col. Lewis M. Robinson, Saginaw, Mich.; Air Force Capt. Douglas K. Martin, Tyler, Texas; and Air Force Capt. Samuel L. James, Chattanooga, Tenn.

Robinson was flying his A-1E Skyraider on a close air support mission over Saravane Province, Laos, on June 4, 1967, when he was struck by enemy ground fire. His aircraft pitched up abruptly, struck the wing of another aircraft, went into an inverted spin and crashed amid an explosion. None of the other pilots in the flight reported seeing a parachute nor hearing emergency beeper signals. Hostile threats in the area prevented air or ground searches of the crash site.

In early 1988, representatives of the Laotian government turned over remains to the U. S. Joint Casualty Resolution Center, the unit leading joint recovery operations in Southeast Asia at the time. A joint U.S./Lao team traveled to the area of the crash site in November 1993, interviewed villagers, surveyed the area and recovered skeletal fragments, aircraft wreckage and pilot-related equipment. Then in January 1998, a second joint team excavated the site and recovered more remains and personal equipment.

Robinson, Lewis M
Born 2 February 1921, Died 4 June 1967
US Air Force, LTCOL
Section 66, Grave 5359, buried 2 August 1999
Posted: 26 August 2001 Updated: 27 November 2005