Philip C. Craig

Lieutenant Philip Charles Craig was a pilot assigned to Attack Squadron 15 (VA-15), on board the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid (CVA-11). On July 4, 1967 he launched in his A-4C Skyhawk attack aircraft with others from his squadron on a combat mission over North Vietnam. "P.C." was on his second tour of duty and had flown over 100 missions on his first tour. The target was the railroad yard at Hai Duong. The squadron encountered light to medium antiaircraft fire. Craig's aircraft was last seen in a dive-bombing attack on the target.

When Craig failed to return to Intrepid, search and rescue forces began looking for him. Two radio transmissions indicated the aircraft was crossing the coastline and was over water. However, later attempts to contact the aircraft were unsuccessful, and Craig was not found. North Vietnam later announced that two U.S. planes had been shot down later that day, but no information directly linked these incidents to Craig. He was placed in a casualty status of Missing in Action.

During the time he was maintained in this status, Craig was promoted to the rank of commander. In 1978, based on no evidence to prove that he was alive, Craig was presumptively declared Killed in Action. On November 26, 1985, Vietnam returned remains to the U.S. On February 19, 1987, these were positively identified as those of Philip C. Craig. His name is listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC.