THE WALL OF FACES

Tom & I were college mates in the AFROTC program at Oklahoma State University in 1959-63. He was a very sharp and dedicated cadet throughout the years. Following college he graduated from AF pilot training at Vance AFB and was awarded an F-105 slot. He was stationed in Germany and sent me a letter in the spring of 1966 when I was stationed at Danang Air Base. He told me that he had volunteered to for an F-4 assignment and hoped that the war wouldn't be over before he got there. I wrote back to him and told him that there wasn't any rush because it looked like the war was going to last for quite some time. Much later I found out that he had been lost in combat in Vietnam. Rest in Peace Tom!! Prayers for your family. Dean Irwin

On July 31, 1967, CAPT Thomas R. Allen was the pilot and 1LT Ronald L. Packard the weapons/systems operator in an USAF F-4C Phantom II (#64-0693) from the 559th Tactical Fighter Squadron which departed Cam Ranh Air Base in Khanh Hoa Province, RVN, on a route reconnaissance mission over North Vietnam. Allen's aircraft was the lead aircraft in a flight of two. As Allen rolled in to attack a target, the crew of the number two aircraft observed what appeared to be a secondary explosion on the ground. Radio contact with Allen was unsuccessful. No parachutes were seen and no emergency radio beepers were heard. The flight was near railroad tracks about 5 miles from the coast of Vietnam, 15 miles north of the city of Vinh Linh in Quang Binh Province. Allen and Packard were declared Missing in Action. Allen was promoted to Major and Packard to Captain while in MIA status. On November 3, 1997, it was announced that Major Allen’s and Captain Packard’s remains were identified and were accounted for based on mt-DNA testing. [Taken from pownetwork.org]

Thank you for putting yourself forth to serve our country. Veterans like you are the reason our country stands as a sense of freedom and power. The United States of America is great because of our veterans. This country's brave and selfless veterans will forever be in our hearts.

I never met him, but he died when my dad was 8 and he sure was one hell of a man as my dad say. Rip????. You will always be remembered. I am going in as a pilot after my 4 yrs to go to the academy

DEAR MAJOR ALLEN,
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AS A PILOT - TACTICAL FIGHTER (F-4 PHANTOM II, VARIOUS MODELS).
I AM GLAD YOU WERE LOCATED.
REST IN PEACE.