Billy S. Armstrong (GMG2), Frank Bowman (QM2), Anthony G. Chandler (BM2) and Edward C. Cruz (EN2) Collage

Billy S. Armstrong (GMG2), Frank Bowman (QM2), Anthony G. Chandler (BM2) and Edward C. Cruz (EN2) Collage

LC: Vietnam War, 1961-1975

On June 16, 1968, Billy S. Armstrong (GMG2), Frank Bowman (QM2), Anthony G. Chandler (BM2) and Edward C. Cruz (EN2) were killed in action when PCF 19 sank due to gunfire by an aircraft. The remains of Billy S. Armstrong and Edward C. Cruz were recovered. The remains of Frank Bowman were never recovered. The remains of Anthony G. Chandler were finally recovered when in 1993 a joint U.S./Vietnamese recovery team interviewed a Vietnamese fisherman in the Quang Tri Province, Vietnam. The fisherman produced an 8.5 cm bone fragment that he had found & buried in 2001. The fragment was identified through DNA as belonging to Antony G. Chandler. He was buried with full military honors on June 16, 2001 almost 33 years after the sinking of PCF 19.

Suzanne Edwards

Swift Boat Sailors Memorial

June 16, 1968

Suzanne Edwards

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