Hometown: Greentown, IN
Branch: U.S. Air Force
Unit: 606th Air Commando Squadron
Military Honors: Silver Star, Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart
Date of Sacrifice: January 17, 1967 - KIA in Laos
Age: 28
Conflict: Vietnam War, 1959-1975

“Bill” Cogdell was raised in Greentown, Indiana—a small village along Wildcat Creek, 50 miles north of Indianapolis. There he graduated from Eastern High School in 1956, where he starred in cross country and track.

His athletic abilities were strong enough to participate at the college level, which he did at Indiana University. Majoring in psychology, Cogdell graduated in 1960. During his college years, he married hometown girl Carolyn Middlesworth. The couple would later welcome four children.

Cogdell got his first taste of flying through Indiana University’s Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program. He joined the United States Air Force immediately after college graduation and earned his wings as a regular commissioned officer in 1961.

Planning on being a career Air Force officer, Cogdell’s assignments included Cannon Air Force Base in eastern New Mexico, Elgin Air Force Base in the Florida panhandle, and a three-year tour as a fighter pilot in England.

Attaining the rank of captain, Cogdell served two tours of duty in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War (1959-1975). On his second tour, Cogdell was assigned to the 606th Air Commando Squadron stationed at Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Airfield in Thailand, just across the Mekong River on the Thailand/Laos border.

Capt. Cogdell was on an escort mission in his T-28 Trojan fighter bomber on January 17, 1967, when he was diverted to participate in a search and rescue mission for a downed fellow pilot. Over the jungles of Laos, Cogdell braved intense ground fire to locate the downed aircraft.

As he risked his own life to rescue the other pilot, Captain Cogdell’s T-28 was hit by ground fire, crashed, and burned. Cogdell was at first listed as missing in action, but authorities later determined that he could not have survived the crash.

For his courage and sacrifice, Capt. William Keith Cogdell was posthumously awarded the Silver Star medal, an Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, and a Purple Heart. Lost at age 28, he and his wife, Carolyn had four young children: Kirk (7), Doug (5), Brad (2), and Teri—just over a month old.

His Silver Star citation reads:

Captain William K. Cogdell distinguished himself by gallantry in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force as a T-28 Pilot in Southeast Asia on 17 January 1967. On that date, during a combat support mission, Captain Cogdell was diverted to aid the pilot of a forward air control aircraft downed by hostile fire in an area heavily defended with automatic weapons. After locating the downed aircraft, Captain Cogdell heroically rendered aid to the pilot on the ground with air cover in the face of intense hostile ground fire. By his gallantry and devotion to duty, Captain Cogdell has reflected great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.

On September 22, 1967, Capt. Cogdell’s alma mater, Eastern High School in Greentown, Indiana, dedicated its football field as “Cogdell Field” in his honor.

According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency:

In February 1994, a joint U.S. and Vietnamese recovery team excavated the Trojan’s crash site and recovered remains. Later that year, the recovered remains were identified as those of Capt. Cogdell.

In Honolulu, Hawaii, Capt. Cogdell’s name is engraved on the American Battle Monument Commission’s “Courts of the Missing” (Court A). As is the custom, a rosette has been placed next to his name to indicate that he has been found.

27 years after he gave his life for his country, William Cogdell was laid to rest with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. (Section 60, Site 5364) on May 27, 1994.

He is honored at the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial in Washington D.C., where his name is inscribed on Panel 14E, Line 42.

Sources
Details and card photo submitted by Brad Cogdell, Capt. Cogdell’s son.
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency: CAPT William Keith Cogdell
Arlington National Cemetery: William Keith Cogdell – Captain, United States Air Force
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, The Wall of Faces: William Keith Cogdell
Together We Served: Cogdell, William Keith, Capt
HonorStates.org: William Keith Cogdell
The Kokomo Morning Times, Jan. 20, 1967: Local flyer killed in Asia
The Kokomo Tribune, January 20, 1967: Memorial Services Saturday for Greentown Pilot Killed Overseas
The Kokomo Tribune, May 26, 1967: Capt. Cogdell Awarded Four Posthumous Honors
The Kokomo Morning Times, Sep. 23, 1967: Cogdell Field is Dedicated
Burial Site: Find a Grave