Paul A. Avolese
Paul Andrew Avolese was born in June 1932 in Queens County, New York, the youngest of four children. Both of his parents were Italian immigrants who initially arrived in Massachusetts before moving to New York. After enlisting in 1952 and graduating from Officer Candidate School as a second lieutenant, Avolese attended the Bombardier Navigation School. He was a radar navigator with the 4133rd Bombardment Wing, 2nd Bombardment Squadron. He married Marilyn Joy in 1956, and the couple had four children.
In July 1967, Avolese was a navigator for one of three B-52D Stratofortress bomber aircraft sent on a mission to bomb enemy targets in South Vietnam. The three aircraft took off from Anderson Air Force Base in Guam. Their destination was 2,500 miles away, with the aircraft crossing the Philippine and South China Seas. Approximately 20 miles from the Vietnamese shore, ground control instructed two of the aircraft to change positions. This resulted in both aircraft, one of which Avolese was onboard, crashing in midair. Seven men from both aircraft were rescued, while the remaining six, including Avolese, being reported missing.
Defense Prisoner of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIA) Accounting Agency and Project Recover, a government agency and private research group respectively, led an underwater search along the Vietnamese coast for the underwater wreckage of the aircraft in 2020. Avolese’s remains were found among the wreckage and underwent DNA testing in September 2020 at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii to confirm his identity. Avolese was 35 years old when he died. He was buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego.
Avolese underwent two tours in Vietnam and was in the Air Force for 15 years, having achieved the rank of major at the time of his death. He received an Air Medal for his service to his country.
We honor his service.
Nominate a Veteran
Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s “Honoring Veterans” social media spotlight is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.
It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission
Writer: Jack Patterson
Editors: Nolan Lounsbery, Brooke Wolfenbarger, Annabelle Colton
Researcher: Patrick E. Woods
Graphic Designer: Kiki Kelley
Topics in this story
Link Disclaimer
This page includes links to other websites outside our control and jurisdiction. VA is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of non-VA Web sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policy or terms and conditions of those sites to fully understand what information is collected and how it is used.
Statement of Endorsement
Reference herein to any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government, and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.
More Stories
This week’s Honoring Veterans Spotlight honors the service of Army Veteran David Bellavia, who received a Medal of Honor from the Iraq War’s deadliest operation, the Second Battle of Fallujah.
This week’s Honoring Veterans Spotlight honors the service of Army Veteran Scotty Hasting, who served in Afghanistan.
This week’s Honoring Veterans Spotlight honors the service of Army Veteran Roy Sheldon, who served in 97th General Hospital in Frankfurt, Germany.
