Honored at the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Lt. Junior Grade Norman L. Roggow grew up in Aurelia, Iowa on a farm eight miles north of town. The lanky lad was one of eight members of the Class of 1959, the last class to graduate from the rural Brooke Consolidated School where he played basketball. He went on to graduate from Wayne State College with a BA in Business Management. In 1963 he enlisted in the Navy and three years later, deployed to Vietnam. On October 8, 1967 Roggow was killed in a plane crash while flying from a military base to an aircraft carrier off the coast of Vietnam. Roggow was one of the pilots of an E-1B Tracer en route from Chu Lai Air Base, Vietnam, back to the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany. Radar contact with the aircraft was lost approximately 10 miles northwest of Da Nang, Vietnam. Adverse weather hampered immediate search efforts, but three days later, a search helicopter spotted the wreckage of the aircraft on the face of a steep mountain in Da Nang Province. The location, terrain and hostile forces in the area precluded a ground recovery. His family was informed by two Military personel that his plane was overdue. Four days later they learned there were no survivors. A memorial service was held a few days later at Grace Lutheran Church in Le Mars, where the family had recently moved. The family grieved, joined by members of the community and Norman's fiancee from California. Then, life returned to as normal as normal could be. Norman's fiancee headed back to California, exchanged a few letters with the family and later married. His mother built a shadow box for her son's flag, decorated it with his medals and wings. They kept a small scrapbook, preserved his letters home, including one written to Mom and Dad on Oct. 4, 1967, four days before his death. His brother named a son Andrew Lee, taking Norman's middle name. In 1993 and 1994, human remains were repatriated to the United States by the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) with information that linked the remains to unassociated losses in the same geographical area as this incident. Between 1993 and 2004, U.S/S.R.V. teams, all led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), investigated the incident more than 15 times in Da Nang city and Thua Thien-Hue Province. Between 2004 and 2005, the joint teams surveyed and excavated the crash site where they recovered human remains and crew-related items. During the excavation in 2005, the on-site team learned that human remains may have been removed previously from the site. S.R.V. officials concluded that two Vietnamese citizens found and collected remains at the crash site, and possibly buried them near their residence in Hoi Mit village in Thua Thein-Hue Province. In 2006, another joint U.S./S.R.V. team excavated the suspected burial site in Hoi Mit village, but found no additional remains. In 2007, more remains associated with this incident were repatriated to the United States by S.R.V. officials. He is honored on Panel 27E, Row 75 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. His remains were cremated, and then buried with full military honors near his parents' grave site in Le Mars.
Lt. Junior Grade Norman L. Roggow grew up in Aurelia, Iowa on a farm eight miles north of town. The lanky lad was one of eight members of the Class of 1959, the last class to graduate from the rural Brooke Consolidated School where he played basketball. He went on to graduate from Wayne State College with a BA in Business Management. In 1963 he enlisted in the Navy and three years later, deployed to Vietnam. On October 8, 1967 Roggow was killed in a plane crash while flying from a military base to an aircraft carrier off the coast of Vietnam. Roggow was one of the pilots of an E-1B Tracer en route from Chu Lai Air Base, Vietnam, back to the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany. Radar contact with the aircraft was lost approximately 10 miles northwest of Da Nang, Vietnam. Adverse weather hampered immediate search efforts, but three days later, a search helicopter spotted the wreckage of the aircraft on the face of a steep mountain in Da Nang Province. The location, terrain and hostile forces in the area precluded a ground recovery. His family was informed by two Military personel that his plane was overdue. Four days later they learned there were no survivors. A memorial service was held a few days later at Grace Lutheran Church in Le Mars, where the family had recently moved. The family grieved, joined by members of the community and Norman's fiancee from California. Then, life returned to as normal as normal could be. Norman's fiancee headed back to California, exchanged a few letters with the family and later married. His mother built a shadow box for her son's flag, decorated it with his medals and wings. They kept a small scrapbook, preserved his letters home, including one written to Mom and Dad on Oct. 4, 1967, four days before his death. His brother named a son Andrew Lee, taking Norman's middle name. In 1993 and 1994, human remains were repatriated to the United States by the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) with information that linked the remains to unassociated losses in the same geographical area as this incident. Between 1993 and 2004, U.S/S.R.V. teams, all led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), investigated the incident more than 15 times in Da Nang city and Thua Thien-Hue Province. Between 2004 and 2005, the joint teams surveyed and excavated the crash site where they recovered human remains and crew-related items. During the excavation in 2005, the on-site team learned that human remains may have been removed previously from the site. S.R.V. officials concluded that two Vietnamese citizens found and collected remains at the crash site, and possibly buried them near their residence in Hoi Mit village in Thua Thein-Hue Province. In 2006, another joint U.S./S.R.V. team excavated the suspected burial site in Hoi Mit village, but found no additional remains. In 2007, more remains associated with this incident were repatriated to the United States by S.R.V. officials. He is honored on Panel 27E, Row 75 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. His remains were cremated, and then buried with full military honors near his parents' grave site in Le Mars.
Honored at the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Lt. Junior Grade Norman L. Roggow grew up in Aurelia, Iowa on a farm eight miles north of town. The lanky lad was one of eight members of the Class of 1959, the last class to graduate from the rural Brooke Consolidated School where he played basketball. He went on to graduate from Wayne State College with a BA in Business Management. In 1963 he enlisted in the Navy and three years later, deployed to Vietnam. On October 8, 1967 Roggow was killed in a plane crash while flying from a military base to an aircraft carrier off the coast of Vietnam. Roggow was one of the pilots of an E-1B Tracer en route from Chu Lai Air Base, Vietnam, back to the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany. Radar contact with the aircraft was lost approximately 10 miles northwest of Da Nang, Vietnam. Adverse weather hampered immediate search efforts, but three days later, a search helicopter spotted the wreckage of the aircraft on the face of a steep mountain in Da Nang Province. The location, terrain and hostile forces in the area precluded a ground recovery. His family was informed by two Military personel that his plane was overdue. Four days later they learned there were no survivors. A memorial service was held a few days later at Grace Lutheran Church in Le Mars, where the family had recently moved. The family grieved, joined by members of the community and Norman's fiancee from California. Then, life returned to as normal as normal could be. Norman's fiancee headed back to California, exchanged a few letters with the family and later married. His mother built a shadow box for her son's flag, decorated it with his medals and wings. They kept a small scrapbook, preserved his letters home, including one written to Mom and Dad on Oct. 4, 1967, four days before his death. His brother named a son Andrew Lee, taking Norman's middle name. In 1993 and 1994, human remains were repatriated to the United States by the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) with information that linked the remains to unassociated losses in the same geographical area as this incident. Between 1993 and 2004, U.S/S.R.V. teams, all led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), investigated the incident more than 15 times in Da Nang city and Thua Thien-Hue Province. Between 2004 and 2005, the joint teams surveyed and excavated the crash site where they recovered human remains and crew-related items. During the excavation in 2005, the on-site team learned that human remains may have been removed previously from the site. S.R.V. officials concluded that two Vietnamese citizens found and collected remains at the crash site, and possibly buried them near their residence in Hoi Mit village in Thua Thein-Hue Province. In 2006, another joint U.S./S.R.V. team excavated the suspected burial site in Hoi Mit village, but found no additional remains. In 2007, more remains associated with this incident were repatriated to the United States by S.R.V. officials. He is honored on Panel 27E, Row 75 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. His remains were cremated, and then buried with full military honors near his parents' grave site in Le Mars.
Lt. Junior Grade Norman L. Roggow grew up in Aurelia, Iowa on a farm eight miles north of town. The lanky lad was one of eight members of the Class of 1959, the last class to graduate from the rural Brooke Consolidated School where he played basketball. He went on to graduate from Wayne State College with a BA in Business Management. In 1963 he enlisted in the Navy and three years later, deployed to Vietnam. On October 8, 1967 Roggow was killed in a plane crash while flying from a military base to an aircraft carrier off the coast of Vietnam. Roggow was one of the pilots of an E-1B Tracer en route from Chu Lai Air Base, Vietnam, back to the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany. Radar contact with the aircraft was lost approximately 10 miles northwest of Da Nang, Vietnam. Adverse weather hampered immediate search efforts, but three days later, a search helicopter spotted the wreckage of the aircraft on the face of a steep mountain in Da Nang Province. The location, terrain and hostile forces in the area precluded a ground recovery. His family was informed by two Military personel that his plane was overdue. Four days later they learned there were no survivors. A memorial service was held a few days later at Grace Lutheran Church in Le Mars, where the family had recently moved. The family grieved, joined by members of the community and Norman's fiancee from California. Then, life returned to as normal as normal could be. Norman's fiancee headed back to California, exchanged a few letters with the family and later married. His mother built a shadow box for her son's flag, decorated it with his medals and wings. They kept a small scrapbook, preserved his letters home, including one written to Mom and Dad on Oct. 4, 1967, four days before his death. His brother named a son Andrew Lee, taking Norman's middle name. In 1993 and 1994, human remains were repatriated to the United States by the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) with information that linked the remains to unassociated losses in the same geographical area as this incident. Between 1993 and 2004, U.S/S.R.V. teams, all led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), investigated the incident more than 15 times in Da Nang city and Thua Thien-Hue Province. Between 2004 and 2005, the joint teams surveyed and excavated the crash site where they recovered human remains and crew-related items. During the excavation in 2005, the on-site team learned that human remains may have been removed previously from the site. S.R.V. officials concluded that two Vietnamese citizens found and collected remains at the crash site, and possibly buried them near their residence in Hoi Mit village in Thua Thein-Hue Province. In 2006, another joint U.S./S.R.V. team excavated the suspected burial site in Hoi Mit village, but found no additional remains. In 2007, more remains associated with this incident were repatriated to the United States by S.R.V. officials. He is honored on Panel 27E, Row 75 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. His remains were cremated, and then buried with full military honors near his parents' grave site in Le Mars.
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
