Honoree: Valmore W. Bourque


Valmore W. Bourque
Dates: Died October 24, 1964
Hometown: South Hadley Falls, MA
Branch of Service: Air Force
Rank: Captain
Player: Cameron Kahle

Captain Valmore Bourque, 28, from South Hadley Falls, MA was assigned to the 309th Troop Carrier Squadron, 315th Troop Carrier Group, 13th Air Force. On October 24, 1964, he was the combat support pilot on an aerial resupply mission to an isolated U.S. Special Forces camp at Bu Prang near the Cambodian border. His plane was shot down near Quang Duc Province, South Vietnam. The wreckage came to a stop imbedded in the woods and was destroyed. A search team was able to recover his body.

In June 1955 Valmore Bourque had been the first cadet to enroll in the Air Force Academy, graduating in the Class of ‘60. Ironically, he was also the first Air Force Academy graduate to be killed in action. Lt Bourque was posthumously promoted to Captain.

The danger of combat was one her husband accepted as part of his job, according to his wife, Linda. "He was a career Air Force officer," she said, "ready to do what came his way. We discussed the possibility of his death, but we felt combat experience was a valuable part of the training of a career officer. The risks were part of the job."

Capt Bourque is survived by his wife, Linda and daughter, Wendy Sue.