James Thomas Ruffin
Lieutenant Commander
VF-92, CVW-9, USS ENTERPRISE, TF 77, 7TH FLEET United States Navy Deatsville, Alabama January 16, 1941 to August 20, 1974 (Incident Date February 18, 1966) JAMES T RUFFIN is on the Wall at Panel 5E, Line 49 |
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REMEMBERED
by a friend, |
A Note from The Virtual WallOn 18 February 1966 LTJG James T. Ruffin, pilot, and LTJG Larry H. Spencer, Radar Intercept Officer, launched from the USS ENTERPRISE in F-4B 152297. While just off the coastline near Thanh Hoa their aircraft was hit by enemy fire and the two men ejected. Although two parachutes were sighted, only LTJG Spencer eventually was identified as a prisoner of war. He was returned to US custody on 12 Feb 1973 during Operation Homecoming. LT Ruffin was not released in 1973 and none of the returning POWs had any knowledge of him.On 20 August 1974 the Secretary of the Navy approved a Presumptive Finding of Death, and now-LCDR Ruffin's status was changed to Died while Missing, Body not Recovered. On 03 June 1983, the Vietnamese returned eight sets of human remains. On 27 June 1983, the US goverment announced that James T. Ruffin's remains had been identified. Burial was at Arlington National Cemetery on 09 July 1983.
Additional photographs of LCDR Ruffin's |
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