1Lt Peter Joel Yeingst was born on March 1, 1941, and lived in Elverson, PA. He graduated in 1959 from Twin Valley High School, where he had been active in the band, chorus, soccer, yearbook staff, and many other activities. He also served as Vice President, and later, as President of his class.
Peter graduated in 1963 from Penn State with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He was also a member of the Air Force ROTC. At the time of his graduation, he was awarded his wings as a pilot and commissioned as a Second Lieutenant into the Airforce Reserves.
Peter received additional training and was assigned to an air defense command unit at Perrin AFB in Texas. Later, his unit was sent to Vietnam where he served as a fighter pilot with the 510th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 3rd Fighter Wing, 7th Air Force, stationed at Bien Hoa South Vietnam.
On Feb 12, 1967, 1st Lieutenant Peter Joel Yeingst was lost while flying an F-100F #563925 on a napalm run during an attack on an enemy base camp in Bien Hoa, South Vietnam.
Peter Joel Yeingst is buried or memorialized at Mt Zion Cemetery, Monroe, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. He is honored on the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial in Washington DC. Name inscribed at VVM Wall, Panel 15e, Line 23
On that same day, Capt Courtney Edward Weissmueller who had joined the U.S. Air Force from Florida was serving with the 306th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 31st Tactical Fighter Wing. On February 12, 1967, he was the pilot of an F-100D Super Sabre (tail number 563451, call sign “Limit 83”) that departed Tuy Hoa Air Base, Vietnam, as the third in a flight of three aircraft on a combat mission over Laos. As Capt Weissmueller’s F-100 pulled out of its first attack run, the left wing separated from the aircraft and burst into flames. Observers saw the aircraft disintegrate with numerous fragments flying off from it before the fuselage crashed into a river bank and burned out, in the vicinity of grid coordinates YB 387 206. The other aircraft conducted a low altitude search, and two Army UH-1s also searched the area; however, because no ejection was seen and no emergency beeper signals heard, no ground search and rescue attempt was initiated. While in Missing-in-Action status, Capt Weissmueller was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col).
LTC Courtney Edward Weissmueller is still MIA. He is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: Peter Yiengst: Dewey’s list, HonorStates.org, ChesterCountyHeroes
Source: Courtney Edward Weissmueller: Dewey’s list, https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000BTgiEAG