Almost 50 years ago, Richard Lee "Red" Whitteker disappeared into the jungles of Vietnam.

His plane crashed March 27, 1968, and he was never heard from again.

Local veterans took steps Wednesday to make sure the Wilson Borough native's legacy isn't lost.

In the 2300 block of Forest Street, where he lived, they posted a street sign with his name and the date he went missing.

It was a small but emotional and meaningful gesture for Wilson Borough resident Barry Willever, the vice president of the Pennsylvania Council of the Vietnam Veterans of America.

"It's long overdue," he said.

Willever knew Whitteker's mother from the neighborhood and church. She and her husband are deceased. Whitteker, who was 29 when he went missing, has adult children but they couldn't be reached to attend the ceremony, Willever said.

He persuaded the Wilson Area School Board to fly a POW/MIA flag in Whitteker's honor a couple of years ago. He got the idea for the street sign when Phillipsburg erected signs in honor of two missing veterans in December. Willever said he grew up in Phillipsburg but moved to Wilson Borough in 1976.

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It's important to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice, said Willever, who spent a year in Vietnam himself.

"These people got to be recognized. All servicepeople have to be recognized. This is what we do," he said.

The sign was donated by Rick Simmers of Reliable Sign & Striping, of Bushkill Township. The borough public works department brought the ladder and tools Willever needed to put the sign in place. A duplicate one went up at the other end of the block.

WHO WAS RICHARD WHITTEKER?

The captain in the U.S. Air Force reserves flew with the 480th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 366th Fighter Wing, 7th Air Force.

He flew 105 combat missions, including one on Nov. 26, 1967, where he bombed a "strongly fortified hostile position" amid heavy anti-aircraft fire to rescue friendly troops in danger of being overrun.

On March 27, 1968, he engaged an enemy convoy in North Vietnam when his aircraft crashed for an unknown reason. He was in the plane with James L. Badley. Their bodies were never recovered.

He received a host of honors, including a posthumous Distinguished Flying Cross and the Purple Heart for wounds received in action.

He graduated from Wilson Area High School in 1957 and from Penn State University in 1961. He completed pilot training in 1966 and was deployed in the fall of 1967.

Source: Easton Vietnam Memorial website

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.

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