, Wash. —
A New Orleans man killed during the Vietnam War has been accounted for.
The Defense POW/MIA announced Friday that U.S. Army Master Sgt. Donald P. Gervais was accounted for on May 16, 2025. Advertisement
Gervais' family received a full briefing on his identification.
Gervais was assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division in the spring of 1968.
He was the door gunner on a helicopter on a reconnaissance mission over the A Shau Valley, Republic of Vietnam.
According to the DPAA, a nearby aircraft reportedly witnessed the helicopter hit a dead tree and crash into a ravine.
Due to enemy ground fire, the aircraft was unable to conduct a visual reconnaissance of the crash site.
An investigation into the area was attempted by a nearby inf