THE WALL OF FACES

Rest in peace brother. You were a man's man and the greatest friend I ever had.

Marvin and I were classmates in the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets from '64 to '68. He was an outstanding cadet and a great friend. He was well respected by everyone and was always exhibited leadership qualities. We both became Air Force pilots and lived our dream. I will always remember him and can only wish that we could have grown old together. See you later Marv.
Jim Thompson '68

Marve and I were in training together from pilot training in Laredo through Saigon. He and Suzanne were great friends when we were in stationed in Ohio for C-123 training. He was a great husband and father and friend.

He is one of the few I keep alive in my memory by talking about him. I plan on visiting Arlington National Cemetery and the Viet Nam Wall on 11/27/2021 for a final remembrance. He's been with me for 51 years.

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. The remembrances from family and friends attest to their love and respect for you. As long as you are remembered you will always be with us.

On November 27, 1970, a U.S. Air Force Fairchild C-123K Provider (#55-4574) from the 19th Tactical Airlift Squadron was enroute to Nha Trang from Tan Son Nhat when it went missing in central South Vietnam with 79 personnel on board (six U.S. and 73 Vietnamese). It was last heard from shortly after takeoff when there appeared to be no problems aboard. Search and rescue for the missing aircraft was hampered by bad weather. On December 7, 1970, the Provider was found in mountainous terrain approximately 17 miles southwest of Nha Trang in Khanh Hoa Province, RVN, where it had struck some trees on a ridge at an elevation of 4600 feet, some 500 feet below the top. A para-rescue team was inserted into the area but found no survivors. The lost Americans included aircraft commander 1LT Marvin S. Arthington, co-pilot 1LT Frederick M. Rader III, navigator MAJ Robert L. Baker, flight engineer TSGT William B. O’Kief, loadmaster A1C Allen J. Bodin, and combat photographer A1C Frederick R. Neef. Bodin was posthumously promoted to Sergeant. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and aviation-safety.net]