Robert William Doss

Airman First Class
DET 4 (BIEN HOA AB), PARC, PACAF
United States Air Force
29 June 1937 - 27 April 1965
Richmond, Virginia
Panel 01E Line 109

PACAF USAF Aircrew

National Defense, Vietnam Service, Vietnam Campaign

The database page for Robert William Doss

12 Jan 2003

Hi, Dad ..

Just wanted to say "Hi" and I am sure you helped Mom find her way just fine ... Now no talking about me .. Just send me a smile once in a while to show me that you are both still there for me .. I miss you and love you so much and I will see you again .. xoxoxoxox

From his daughter,
Evelyn Doss
E-Mail address not available

30 Oct 2006

The Michigan family who fostered Evelyn Doss after her father's death - and her sister, Laura Koontz of Richmond, Virginia - are looking for Evelyn and her brothers, Owen and John. Please help us reunite these four siblings. If you have any information on the whereabouts of Owen Doss, Evelyn Doss, and/or John Doss, please contact me.

From his daughter's foster sister,
Denise M. LaFave Smith
(daughter of Leon and Dolores LaFave)
1507 S. Genesee Drive, Lansing, Michigan, 48915
dmlafave@aol.com

18 Mar 2007

Robert Doss and I were fellow firefighters from 1961 to 1964 and he was my crewmate on the HH-43B Husky Helicopter at Kincheloe Air Force Base, Michigan. He was a good friend and I often think of him when I remember those days in Michigan and when he had to leave to go to Viet Nam several months before I went over there. To his family members - know that he was a good man and I miss him also.

Raymond L. Reynolds
MSgt (Retired),
Euless, Texas
rreynolds5303@sbcglobal.net

19 Mar 2007

Robert W. Doss was a good friend and fellow Firefighter. We were stationed together at Kincheloe AFB, MI when he was deployed to SEA. His passing was a great personal loss. I finally got to say goodbye when the "traveling wall" came to Grand Forks, ND in 2005. It was a very emotional time for me, but it did give me closure ... it had been a long time. When we lived in Sault Ste Marie, I would leave early for work and stop by one of my favorite fishing spots on the Saint Mary's River and try to catch a few fish on the way. If I was lucky and managed to catch something, I would take them to work and Doss (we always called each other by our last names at work) would take the fish home. He loved Northern Pike! To this day, I can't go fishing in Pike waters without thinking of him. Your friend and brother Firefighter.

Timothly L. Griffis
111 North 17th Street, Grand Forks, N D 58203
tgriffis62@yahoo.com

A note from the Virtual Wall

The U.S. force build-up that began after the Gulf of Tonkin incident placed demands on the USAF Air Rescue Service. The Pacific Air Rescue Center (PARC) did not have the resources to meet these demands, making it necessary to order stateside units to Southeast Asia on a temporary duty basis. On 20 October 1964, PARC Det 4 was activated at Bien Hoa with the first three HH-43F's in Southeast Asia (tail numbers 63-9711, 63-9712, and 63-9716). Airman First Class Robert Doss was a firefighter and rescueman with PARC Det 4.

On 27 April 1965, at 1605 hours, an A-1 Skyraider of the RVNAF 23rd Tactical Wing, fully fueled and laden with Mk82 500-pound bombs, crashed during take-off. A1C Doss and his crew responded immediately. As the rescue crew approached the burning aircraft to rescue the pilot, the ordinance on the aircraft exploded. A1C Doss was struck in the chest by a fragment from the exploding aircraft and was killed.



The point-of-contact for this memorial is
his daughter,
Evelyn Doss
E-Mail address not available



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With all respect
Jim Schueckler, former CW2, US Army
Ken Davis, Commander, United States Navy (Ret)
Memorial first published on 12 Jan 2003
Last updated 08/16/2007