Ailstock Vernon Lynnwood, Jr.

Monuments

Name:

Vernon Lynnwood, Jr. Ailstock

Rank:

Private First Class

Serial Number:

Unit:

2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment

Date of Death:

1971-08-18

State:

District of Columbia

Cemetery:

Columbia Gardens Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA

Plot:

Section E

Row:

Grave:

Decoration:

Comments:

Vernon Lynnwood Ailstock Jr. was born on January 2, 1949, in Washington, District of Columbia. He was the son of Vernon Lynnwood Ailstock Sr. and Catherine Watkins Ailstock. He served in the Heavy Mortar Platoon, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, as a Private First Class and Mortarman during Vietnam War era.

On August 18, 1971, a U.S. Army CH-47A Chinook (tail number 66-19023) transporting troops from Ludwigsburg to the Grafenw�hr training area crashed near Pegnitz, Germany, when a decommissioned rotor blade was mistakenly reinstalled and failed mid-flight. The aircraft broke apart in the air, killing all 37 aboard, including 33 soldiers and 4 crew members, marking the deadliest peacetime U.S. military accident in
West Germany since World War II.

PFC Ailstock was among the passengers on board and now rests at Greenwood Memorial Park, San Diego, San Diego County, California, USA.

Source of information: www.chinook-helicopter.com, www.findagrave.com