Jack Columbus Rittichier, Lieutenant, USCG (KIA)
August 17, 1933 – June 09, 1968

Lt. Rittichier volunteered to go to Vietnam not to kill but to save lives and that is what he was attempting to do on June 9, 1968. Lt. Rittichier and his crew members were killed that day when their HH-3E “Jolly Green Giant” helicopter was shot down in Lao, Vietnam during an attempt to rescue a downed Marine pilot. Jack had been the only Coast Guard casualty from the Vietnam War whose remains had not been recovered, but they were found in January 2003 and positively identified in August 2003.
Lt. Rittichier was buried at Arlington National Cemetery’s “Coast Guard Hill” with full military honors October 6, 2003 with family, friends, the recovery team, and Coast Guard personnel in attendance. Before transferring to the USCG, Jack served in the U.S. Air Force.