WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Air Force Col. Walter A. Renelt, 40, of Roberts County, South Dakota, who was killed during the Vietnam War, was accounted for June 23, 2025.
Renelt’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In 1969, Renelt served with the 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron. On Nov. 20, he was an instructor pilot aboard an O-2A Skymaster aircraft with another crew member on a visual reconnaissance mission over the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. During the mission, the plane was hit by enemy fire and crashed. Bad weather and enemy activity around the crash site prevented ground rescue attempts and subsequent searches for both crew members were unsuccessful. The Air Force made a presumptive finding of death on July 12, 1973.
Beginning in 1994, the Department of Defense initiated a comprehensive review of each case involving unaccounted-for American service members or civilians from the war in Southeast Asia. Between 1995 and 2022, the DoD and Laotian government conducted a number of Joint Field Activities in an attempt to find Renelt and his crew member. During JFA 22-2LA from Jan. 25 to March 3, 2022, the team found a rank insignia individualized to Renelt.
In May 2025, during JFA 25-4LA, the team discovered possible human remains, possible material evidence, and possible osseous material. All items recovered from the site were accessioned into the DPAA Laboratory for scientific analysis.
To identify Renelt’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental analysis, as well as material evidence.
Today, Renelt is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, and on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C., (Panel 16W, Line 103). A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Renelt will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, on Aug. 17, 2026.
For family and funeral information, contact the Air Force Casualty Office at (800) 531-5501.
DPAA is grateful to the ABMC, the United States Air Force, the Vietnamese and Laotian Governments, and the University of Illinois for their partnerships 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.
Renelt’s personnel profile can be viewed at https://dpaa-mil.sites.crmforce.mil/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000BTU8EAO.