RIVERS, WENDELL BURKE

Name: Wendell Burke Rivers
Rank/Branch: United States Navy/O5
Unit: VA 155 15 AIR WING/USS Coral Sea
Date of Birth: 06 July 1928
Home City of Record: Seward NE
Date of Loss: 10 September 1965
Country of Loss: North Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 183500 North 1054600 East (at Vinh)
Status (in 1973): Returnee
Category:
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: A4E
Missions: 96
Korea - Destroyer
Other Personnel in Incident: none
Refno: 0141

Source: Compiled by P.O.W. NETWORK from one or more of the following: raw
data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA
families, published sources, interviews.

REMARKS: 730212 RELEASED BY DRV

SOURCE: WE CAME HOME copyright 1977
Captain and Mrs. Frederic A Wyatt (USNR Ret), Barbara Powers Wyatt, Editor
P.O.W. Publications, 10250 Moorpark St., Toluca Lake, CA 91602
Text is reproduced as found in the original publication (including date and
spelling errors).

WENDELL B. RIVERS
Captain - United States Navy
Shot Down: September 10, 1965
Released: February 12, 1973

Born in Seward, Nebraska on 6 July 1928. Reared in this community and
following graduation from high school in 1946, I enlisted in the US Navy. I
received my appointment to the US Naval Academy from the fleet in 1948 and
graduated from Annapolis in 1952, receiving my commission as an Ensign in
the United States Navy. Following a brief tour on a destroyer off Korea, I
entered flight training in 1953 and received my wings in March 1954.
Subsequent assignments have been in Naval aviation on the West Coast at San
Diego, Moffett Field, Monterey, Point Mugu, and Lemoore.

I was married on 14 March 1953 and have three children, Stephen C. Rivers
19, Charlotte Gex Rivers 18, and Stewart Blake Rivers 14.

I deployed on my last cruise from Alameda, California to Vietnam on 7
December 1964 aboard USS Coral Sea as a member of Air Wing 15, Attack
Squadron 155. I commenced flying combat missions over North Vietnam on 11
February 1965. On my 96th mission, 10 September 1965, I was shot down and
captured at Vinh, Democratic Republic of North Vietnam.

It is great to be home and my future plans are to enjoy life to the utmost
with my family. I am proud of my service to my country and my only regret is
that I was unable to better serve my country, my Commander-in-Chief and the
American people.

December 1996
Wendell Rivers retired from the United States Navy as a Captain. He and his
wife Betty reside in Texas.

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