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WASHINGTON, D.C. (Dakota News Now) – The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced this week that fallen US Air Force Col. Walter A. Renelt of Roberts County, South Dakota, was accounted for in June of 2025.
Renelt was killed during the Vietnam War when the O-2A Skymaster aircraft he was an instructor aboard was hit by enemy fire and crashed during a visual reconnaissance mission.
Ground rescue attempts and searches were prevented due to enemy activity and bad weather, and the Air Force made a presumptive finding of death on July 12, 1973.
Between 1995 and 2022, the Department of Defense and the Laotian government conducted joint field activities to find Renelt and his crew member, who was also aboard the aircraft. In Early 2022, during one of the joint field activities, a rank insignia individualized to Renelt was discovered.
