WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Warrant Officer Albert R. Trudeau, 22, of Teaneck, New Jersey, killed during the Vietnam War, was accounted for September 11, 2024.
Trudeau’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In October 1971, Trudeau was assigned to the 68th Aviation Company, 52nd Aviation Battalion, 17th Aviation Group. On Oct. 26, Trudeau was serving as the pilot of a CH-47B “Chinook” helicopter when it went down over water in bad weather while flying from Tuy Hoa to Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam. Remains of four of the 10 Soldiers on board were recovered during search and rescue operations following the crash, but Trudeau was not accounted for.
An unsuccessful recovery attempt was made in 1974 when divers from the Joint Casualty Resolution Center dove on what was believed to be the crash site. A number of investigation and recovery efforts took place between 1994 and 2021, with a June 2021 recovery mission finding possible osseous remains and material evidence, not linked to Trudeau.
From May 7 to July 9, 2024, a DPAA Underwater Recovery Team excavated an aircraft wreck site which correlated to Trudeau’s crash site. The team excavated roughly 336 square meters of underwater surface area, which resulted in the recovery of possible osseous remains, possible life support equipment, and various other identification media. All evidence was collected and turned over to the DPAA laboratory for analysis and identification.
To identify Trudeau’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological and dental analysis, as well as material and circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Trudeau’s name is recorded on the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., and the American Battle Monuments Commission’s Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with others who are unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Trudeau will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, on a date to be determined.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
DPAA is grateful to the government of Vietnam for their partnership in this mission.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving their country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil or on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa, https://www.linkedin.com/company/dodpaa,
https://www.instagram.com/dodpaa/, or https://x.com/dodpaa.
Trudeau’s personnel profile can be viewed at https://dpaa-mil.sites.crmforce.mil/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000BThqEAG.
You can read Trudeau's initial ID announcement by clicking here: Trudeau.