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Captain Dean Amick Wadsworth
On June 3rd, 1999, Dean Amick Wadsworth was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, nearly 36 years after his death in Vietnam. For most of the time in-between, the Air Force Captain was considered Missing in Action (MIA), his remains, along with those who died with him on December 18, 1963 lay undiscovered until 1995. The war would continue for another 10 years after his death. Officially ending in January of 1973, the fighting continued until 1975. By the end of the war, 1,350 were listed as Prisoners of War or MIA with another 1,200 reportedly killed in action but their bodies yet to be recovered. Among those missing in action was Dean Amick Wadsworth, not just another statistic, but one of our own, a Wadsworth. Dean Amick Wadsworth was born on November 30, 1930 and joined the Armed Forces while in Clarendon, Texas. He served in the Air force. In 12 years of service, he attained the rank of Captain. He began a tour of duty in Vietnam on October 8, 1963. On December 18, 1963, Wadsworth and his South Vietnamese crewman were flying their T-28B Trojan on a combat support mission approximately 50 miles southwest of Da Nang, South Vietnam. As he completed his bombing run over the target, his aircraft broke apart in mid air, crashed and exploded, as reported by another pilot on the mission. A massive search and rescue operation was initiated that day by two Marine helicopters but they disappeared during the mission. At dawn on the following day, Marine helicopters airlifted two companies of South Vietnamese infantrymen to the area of the downed aircraft. As the helicopters landed, enemy troops fired on them, wounding three Marine crewmen and killing a Vietnamese soldier. Two T-28s, B-26s and a South Vietnamese A-1 aircraft responded by strafing enemy positions. An American L-19 light observation aircraft directing the strike was hit, the Vietnamese observer was wounded, and the aircraft made a forced landing. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese ground troops found both Marine helicopters that had disappeared on the first day. Ten bodies were recovered, but two remain missing in action to this day. In the days during the search and rescue operations, 207 missions were flown, three aircraft were lost and four others damaged. Fifteen South Vietnamese soldiers were killed and seven were wounded. In late 1993, a Vietnamese local turned over remains he said were recovered near the crash site. In May of the following year, a joint U.S./Vietnamese team, led by the Joint Task Force-Full Accounting, visited the area of the crash, interviewed villagers and obtained some aircraft debris and pilot-related equipment. In September, another joint team examined the crash site and found more debris, but no remains. Then in May 1995, another team excavated the site where they found remains, as well as two identification tags of Wadsworth. The remains of six American servicemen previously unaccounted-for from the war in Southeast Asia were identified and returned to their families for burial in the United States. They were identified as Air Force Capt. Dean A. Wadsworth, Clarendon, Texas; Marine SSgt. Harold E. Reid, Salt Lake City, Utah; Navy Lt. David L. Hodges, Chevy Chase, Md.; Air Force Lt. Col. Lewis M. Robinson, Saginaw, Mich.; Air Force Capt. Douglas K. Martin, Tyler, Texas; and Air Force Capt. Samuel L. James, Chattanooga, Tenn. Captain DEAN AMICK WADSWORTH was one of the first Americans to give the ultimate sacrifice in defense of the freedom of South Vietnam. By the end of 1963, less than 200 American soldiers had lost their lives, Dean was among the first. Captain Wadsworth left behind a wife and three children. Wadsworth, Dean Amick Born 30 November 1930, Died 18 December 1963 US Air Force, Captain Res: Devine, Texas Section 34, Grave 1153, buried 3 June 1999 http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/dawadsworth.htm The Relationship Between William and Christopher WadsworthIt's long been speculated that one of the unnamed passengers on the ship Lyon arriving in Boston, 1632, was Christopher Wadsworth, the younger brother of William, who is listed prominently on the ship's register. Upon their arrival, both Wadsworth men took active roles in their new English settlements in this country. Were the two Wadsworth men related? Recently, DNA evidence has revealed that there is more to this story than previously believed. Read more about this family mystery here.Where is Xtopher Waddesworth's Bible?The book "Genealogical and Family History of the State of Maine", published by Lewis Historical Publishing Company, New York, in 1909 tells of an inscription in a long lost Bible once owned by Christopher Wadsworth. Last known to be in the posession of Mr. Samuel W. Cowles, of Hartford, Connecticut in the late 1800's, the inscription may hold the answer to an old family mystery. Where is this book now, and what secrets does it hold? Find out more here.The Wadsworth Family Arrives in America"The ship Lion cast anchor in Boston harbor Sunday evening, Sept. 16, 1632. She brought", says Winthrop, "one hundred and twenty-three passengers, whereof fifty were children, all in good health." "Of the.passengers on this trip, only the names of about thirty are preserved, and of these the name of William Wadsworth heads the list, stating his family to consist of four persons." "The exact date of Christopher Wadsworth's arrival, or how he came, is not known." Over the years, there has been much speculation concerning the relationship between Christopher and William and the exact date of Christopher's arrival. While these questions may never be answered fully, it is clear that there are two distinct genealogical Wadsworth lines in America starting in 1632. Wadsworth GenealogyThis website is first a family site, then a site to document genealogical research. Please feel free to look around, sign our guest book or send an e-mail. Enjoy your stay! If you are a member of the Wadsworth family, whether directly descended from William and Christopher or not, we encourage you to consider joining our Family Reunion in 2032. Wadsworth Family MembersAre you a member of the Wadsworth Family? Are you interested in Wadsworth family genealogy or the history of America's early families? If so, this site is for you. We are interested in your ideas on how to make this website more useful and user friendly. A place for making connections and sharing research. Please feel free to contact me.
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