Veteran of The Day

Senior Master Sergeant Ronnie Lee Hensley

Veteran of the Day: Senior Master Sergeant Ronnie Lee Hensley
U.S. Air Force • 16th Special Operations Squadron (“Spectre” AC-130) • Richwood, West Virginia • Incident: April 22, 1970 — Saravane Province, Laos. On the Wall: Panel 11W, Line 36.
ON THE WALL
Panel 11W • Line 36 (Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.).
PERSONAL DATA
Name
Ronnie Lee Hensley
Home of Record
Richwood, West Virginia
Date of Birth
June 8, 1948
MILITARY DATA
Service Branch
United States Air Force
Unit
16th Special Operations Squadron (AC-130 “Spectre”), 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, 7th Air Force
Rank at Loss
Senior Master Sergeant (E-8)
Later Status
Accounted for in 1995; DPAA lists him as Chief Master Sergeant
CASUALTY DATA
Incident / Casualty Date
April 22, 1970
Location
Saravane Province, Laos (Ho Chi Minh Trail area)
Synopsis
AC-130 (tail 54-1625) downed by anti-aircraft fire during armed reconnaissance; initial SAR unable to recover remains. Joint U.S.–Lao teams located and recovered remains in 1993; forensic identification in 1995.
VIETNAM SERVICE & MISSION HISTORY
SMSgt Hensley served with the 16th Special Operations Squadron, the Air Force’s AC-130 Spectre gunship unit operating from Ubon RTAFB, Thailand. On April 22, 1970, he flew as a crew member on AC-130A 54-1625 during an armed reconnaissance mission over enemy targets in Saravane Province, Laos, a critical corridor of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The aircraft was struck by anti-aircraft fire and crashed. Despite immediate search-and-rescue attempts, the crew could not be recovered at the time. In November 1993, a joint recovery team excavated a crash site associated with the loss; in 1995, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (then JTF-FA) identified remains as those of SMSgt Hensley and several crewmates. He is honored on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Panel 11W, Line 36.
Sources: Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (panel/line, biographic data); Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (mission details, aircraft info, recovery & identification); The Virtual Wall (unit and memorial listing).
LEGACY & REMEMBRANCE
From West Virginia to Southeast Asia, SMSgt Hensley embodied courage, professionalism, and quiet sacrifice. We honor his service with gratitude and remember his crew who stood watch together in the night skies over Laos.

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