Raul Antonio Guerra
December 18, 1942 — April 23, 2019
Petty Officer Raul Antonio Guerra's official notification from the United States Navy was Wednesday, March 20, 2019.
Raul Antonio Guerra was born on December 18, 1942 in Mexico and was taken tragically too soon at the young age of 24 on October 8, 1967 in the Vietnam War.
Navy Journalist 3rd Class Raul A. Guerra, 24, of Montebello, California, who was tragically taken during the Vietnam War, was accounted for on Feb. 21, 2019. On Oct. 8, 1967, Guerra was a passenger on board an E-1B Tracer, en route from Chu Lai Air Base to the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany, on which he was stationed. Approximately ten miles northwest of Da Nang, South Vietnam, radar contact with the aircraft was lost, and adverse weather hampered subsequent search efforts. Several days later, aircraft wreckage was spotted along a mountainside, approximately 11 miles northwest of Da Nang. Because of the location and very steep terrain, a ground recovery could not be conducted. Guerra, as well as the four other servicemen on board, were declared killed in action. DPAA’s predecessor commands, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC,) the Joint Task Force- Full Accounting (JTF-FA,) and the Joint Casualty Resolution Center (JCRC,) interviewed numerous Vietnamese individuals over the years regarding the crash. Between 1993 and 2003, JTF-FA and JPAC teams investigated the incident on 13 Joint Field Activities. On July 9, 2004, during the 79th JFA, a joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam team located the crash site, recovering aircraft wreckage and material evidence. On Aug. 15, 2005, the JPAC Central Identification Laboratory received possible human remains from the crash site. On June 12, 2007, four service members were identified. They were: Navy Aviation Electronics Technician Roald R. Pineau, Navy Lt. j.g. Norman L. Roggow, Lt. j.g. Donald F. Wolfe, and Lt. j.g. Andrew G. Zissu. However, relevant family reference samples for Guerra could not be obtained so a DNA match could be made. To identify Guerra’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and isotopic analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Ruben Valencia, now a resident of Pico Rivera, met Guerra in 1956 when both were in the fifth grade attending Eastmont Elementary School in Montebello. “We just formed a bond, being that both of us were raised by single moms,” Valencia said. “Both of us went on and graduated from Montebello High School.” That’s when their paths split. Guerra went on to East Angeles College, where he was co-editor of the college newspaper and later went to work for the Montebello News. He enlisted in the Navy in 1966. Valencia got married in 1965, was drafted into the Marines in December 1965. He served for 11 months in Vietnam. Valencia was home on leave in Southern California when he learned that the plane carrying Guerra crashed into a mountain. “He had volunteered to go on this reconnaissance flight over Da Nang,” Valencia said, referring to a letter he had received from Guerra. “He thought he could get a bird’s eye view,” he said. Ruben described the day that he found out about Raul’s tragedy. He got a call from Raul’s mother to come to her house as she was notified by the United States Military that she should expect servicemen to come to her house regarding news of her son. As Raul arrived, he learned of the news that his best friend had been in a crash and would not be returning home. This began the fuel In Ruben’s life to bring his best friend home.
Raul Antonio Guerra was born on December 18, 1942 in Mexico and was taken tragically too soon at the young age of 24 on October 8, 1967 in the Vietnam War.
Navy Journalist 3rd Class Raul A. Guerra, 24, of Montebello, California, who was tragically taken during the Vietnam War, was accounted for on Feb. 21, 2019. On Oct. 8, 1967, Guerra was a passenger on board an E-1B Tracer, en route from Chu Lai Air Base to the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany, on which he was stationed. Approximately ten miles northwest of Da Nang, South Vietnam, radar contact with the aircraft was lost, and adverse weather hampered subsequent search efforts. Several days later, aircraft wreckage was spotted along a mountainside, approximately 11 miles northwest of Da Nang. Because of the location and very steep terrain, a ground recovery could not be conducted. Guerra, as well as the four other servicemen on board, were declared killed in action. DPAA’s predecessor commands, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC,) the Joint Task Force- Full Accounting (JTF-FA,) and the Joint Casualty Resolution Center (JCRC,) interviewed numerous Vietnamese individuals over the years regarding the crash. Between 1993 and 2003, JTF-FA and JPAC teams investigated the incident on 13 Joint Field Activities. On July 9, 2004, during the 79th JFA, a joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam team located the crash site, recovering aircraft wreckage and material evidence. On Aug. 15, 2005, the JPAC Central Identification Laboratory received possible human remains from the crash site. On June 12, 2007, four service members were identified. They were: Navy Aviation Electronics Technician Roald R. Pineau, Navy Lt. j.g. Norman L. Roggow, Lt. j.g. Donald F. Wolfe, and Lt. j.g. Andrew G. Zissu. However, relevant family reference samples for Guerra could not be obtained so a DNA match could be made. To identify Guerra’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and isotopic analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Ruben Valencia, now a resident of Pico Rivera, met Guerra in 1956 when both were in the fifth grade attending Eastmont Elementary School in Montebello. “We just formed a bond, being that both of us were raised by single moms,” Valencia said. “Both of us went on and graduated from Montebello High School.” That’s when their paths split. Guerra went on to East Angeles College, where he was co-editor of the college newspaper and later went to work for the Montebello News. He enlisted in the Navy in 1966. Valencia got married in 1965, was drafted into the Marines in December 1965. He served for 11 months in Vietnam. Valencia was home on leave in Southern California when he learned that the plane carrying Guerra crashed into a mountain. “He had volunteered to go on this reconnaissance flight over Da Nang,” Valencia said, referring to a letter he had received from Guerra. “He thought he could get a bird’s eye view,” he said. Ruben described the day that he found out about Raul’s tragedy. He got a call from Raul’s mother to come to her house as she was notified by the United States Military that she should expect servicemen to come to her house regarding news of her son. As Raul arrived, he learned of the news that his best friend had been in a crash and would not be returning home. This began the fuel In Ruben’s life to bring his best friend home.
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