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Roy Fowler, HM3, USS Constellation, was killed in an airplane crash on October 2, 1969 112 km (70 mls) NE off Dong Hoi, Vietnam [Gulf of Tonkin]. The airplane came down about 16 km from the ship. It was suspected that the airplane struck the sea following an engine failure.
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Bill Paule
I knew Roy casually in high school and hadn't kept up and didn't see him after graduation, but did have a chance encounter with him several years thereafter, which affects me a little bit once in a while to this day. I ran into Roy, who was in the U.S. Navy, at the Military Terminal at Dover Air Force Base where I was stationed in 1969. Roy had been injured on duty and was sent back to the US to complete his long term recovery.
Roy told me he was stationed on an aircraft carrier in the South China Sea, with aircraft that were performing bomb runs during the Vietnam War. At some point a bomb disengaged from an aircraft on the flight deck and struck him causing his injuries. When I ran into him he was returning to duty and catching a military flight overseas to rejoin his ship. We had only a short time to chat but shared a few laughs and caught up a bit before I bid him farewell and he took off on his journey.
Not long afterwards I had been reassigned myself and shortly thereafter came across a bulletin mentioning a Navy aircraft had crashed into the sea while returning to it's home Carrier, with all on board lost. Of course I saw the name Roy Fowler, it was startling having seen him some months prior. But I was tickled to have seen and spoken with him. Perhaps I was the last person from T.J.H.S. or from home in N. Va. to speak with him. But I'm glad I had the opportunity............it was only for a brief period but in hindsight was touching none the less.........