1LT Richard Howard Royer, Wyomissing, PA on www.VirtualWall.org The Virtual Wall® Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall

From the Berks County Vietnam Memorial dedication booklet: Richard was born in Reading and graduated from Wilson High School in 1958. He played football at Wilson and enjoyed bowling. He worked summers at the Wyomissing playgrounds. He had been a member of the choir at St. James United Church of Christ, West Reading, from the age of four.

After high school, Richard attended Albright College for one year, then went to Florida where he attended Embrey Riddle Aeronautical School for a year. He enlisted in the Marine Corps and was trained as a carrier-rated pilot of Phantom II jets.

In Vietnam, he was serving a tour of duty as a member of VMFA 115 (Silver Eagles), Marine Air Group 11, 1st Marine Air Wing. He was returning from a mission and was a member of a flight of four aircraft that was conducting a "Hawk run," a low altitude simulated attack upon Da Nang Air Base, to facilitate training for the Da Nang, Hawk Missile Battery. Weather at the time was reduced visibility, with hazy conditions over the water. His aircraft went down in the water off Da Nang, near a carrier. Divers were in the water within two minutes, but were unable to rescue him.

Surviving at the time were his mother Maude M. (Freeman) (1917-2005), father Richard E. Royer (1915-1994) of Reading,PA and his grandmother, Eva Nora (Matz) (1892-1966) Freeman of Sinking Springs, PA. He was preceded in death by his maternal grandfather, John Howard Freeman (1888-1958),

He is buried with 2nd Lt. John David Kramer, Beltsville, MD in Arlington National Cemetery.

- - The Virtual Wall, December 24, 2018