Gary Lee Howell (1933 - 1967)

Born 30 Oct 1933 in Yuma, Yuma, Colorado, United States

Died 6 Jan 1967 at age 33 in South China Sea

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Biography

Lieutenant-JG Gary Howell was Killed in Action in SG-13 during The Vietnam War.

LTJG Gary Howell served in the United States Navy in the Vietnam War
Service started: Nov 1961
Unit(s): US Navy Patrol Squadron 19; (VP-50); (SG-13)
Service ended: 6 Jan 1967

Lieutenant-JG Gary Howell, U.S. Navy- KIA (Service Number: 665862). 'VP-50' in the Yuma County Gold Star Family site is described in the Wikipedia link below as follows: "VP-50 was a long-lived Patrol Squadron of the U.S. Navy, having held that designation for 39 years from 1953 to 1992. Its nickname was the Blue Dragons." The article goes on to describe the exact occurrence that took the lives of Lt. Howell and 9 fellow Navy men aboard the SG-13 aircraft during a training flight. It adds that the cause of the accident was not discovered. Howell's body was not recovered. Therefore, a memorial service was held in San Diego, and a Memorial Marker was placed in Lot 174 in the New Addition of the Yuma Cemetery.

A later report found in the Yuma County site added that the plane was to fire eight rockets at Scarborough Shoals west of NS Sangley Point in the Philippines. However, on one of the firing runs a rocket ignited on the SP-5B's wing and exploded blowing the wing from the Marlin, and the broken plane fell, killing all aboard.

This was Lieutenant Howell's second tour of duty in the Vietnam War. He graduated from Yuma County High School in 1951. Then, after a four-years of service in the Navy, he attended Colorado University. After graduating in 1961, he attended Officer's Training School and re-enlisted in the Navy.

Gary and Patricia Smith Howell had five children aged 5-12 at the time of his death. His mother, Evelyn, lived in Commerce City, Colorado. His father, Pat, was killed in an auto accident several years earlier.

Sources

• https://www.cogenweb.com/yuma/vets/goldstar/HowellGL.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VP-50