Donald Louis Rissi

Lieutenant Colonel
340TH BOMB SQD, 72ND STRAT WING, SAC
United States Air Force
20 March 1931 - 18 December 1972
Collinsville, Illinois
Panel 01W Line 095

SAC

72ND STRAT WING
B-52

USAF Pilot

Purple Heart, Air Medal, National Defense, Vietnam Service, Vietnam Campaign

The database page for Donald Louis Rissi

10 Jun 2004

To whom it may concern,

I am a friend of the son of LtCol Donald L. Rissi and I would like it very much if you added him to your page.

Mr. Rissi is supposed to be on Panel 01W-Row 095.

Thank you very much for helping me to get LtCol Donald Louis Rissi added to your site.

Randy Heubner
Charlie Company 2nd/327th Infantry
101st Airborne Division
Vietnam Veteran 70-71
rdheubner@aol.com

21 Feb 2005

Donald Rissi was an incredible man,
He was a loving father,
A devoted husband,
He loved to fish and enjoy the outdoors.
I wish I could remember more....
But I was only 10.
I am his son and still miss him.

Stephen J. Rissi
steve.rissi@scofield.com

A Note from The Virtual Wall

The "Christmas bombing" of North Vietnam began on the night of 18/19 Dec 1972 with a total of 129 B-52 bombers directed against a number of high-value targets in and around Hanoi. The operation consisted of three waves of heavy bombers spaced several hours apart. B-52G tail number 58-0201 (340th Bomb Sqd, 72nd Strat Wing) was in the first wave and was targeted against the Yen Vien railway yard 2 miles north of Hanoi but was struck by two SA-2 surface-to-air missiles before bomb release. Three of the crewmen were able to escape the burning aircraft, but three were not:
  • LtCol Donald L. Rissi, Collinsville, IL
  • Capt Robert J. Thomas, Miami, FL
  • SMSgt Walter L. Ferguson, Detroit, MI
Their remains were repatriated on 23 August 1978.

The other three crewman were captured and released with the other American POWs in early 1973. They were Major Richard E. Johnson, Captain Robert G. Certain, and Captain Richard T. Simpson.



The point-of-contact for this memorial is
his son,
Stephen J. Rissi
steve.rissi@scofield.com 
10 Jun 2004



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With all respect
Jim Schueckler, former CW2, US Army
Ken Davis, Commander, United States Navy (Ret)
Last updated 02/23/2005