ADJ1 - E6 - Navy - Regular
34 year old Married, Caucasian, Male
Born on December 02,1931
From MARINE ON ST CROIX, MINNESOTA
His tour of duty began on April 06, 1966
Casualty was on April 06, 1966
NORTH VIETNAM
NON-HOSTILE, FIXED WING - CREW
AIR LOSS, CRASH AT SEA
Body was not recovered
Religion: PROTESTANT

Additional data from:

POW/MIA
Minnesota Won't Forget
PO Box 11782
St Paul, MN 55111-1782

(612) 888-0221

Name: Malvin Thomas Krech
Rank/Branch: Petty Officer First Class E-6 US Navy
Unit: Heavy Attack Squadron 4 USS Enterprise
Date of Birth: 02 December 1931
Home Cith of Record; Marine on the St Croix, MN
Date of Loss: 02 April 1966
Country of Loss: South Vietnam / Over Water
Loss Coordinated: 173051N 1083538E (BK450750)
Status (in  1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 5
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: A3B

Other Personnel in Incident: William R. Grayson (missing); William F. Kohlrusch (rescued, but died of injuries) SOURCE: From one or more of the following: Raw data from US Government agency sources, correspondenence with POW/MIA families, published sources, intervierws. Copyright P.O.W. Network.

SYNOPSIS: The A3 Skywarrior "Whale" a three-place turbojet light bomber, reconnaissance plane, electronic warfare aircraft or airborne tanker. On 1 April 1966, three USS Enterprise personnel were lost in an A3B(T) Skywarrior in the Gulf of Tonkin about 45 miles off the southwest shore of the Chinese Island of Hai Nan Tao. The pilot was Commander William R, Grayson; the designated navigator was ADJ2 Melvin T. Krech and the electronics officer was Lieutant JG William F. Kohlrush. At 0800 that morning the aircraft was catapult launched for an operational flight, but did not maintain air speed and crashed near the ship.

The rescue helicopter was on the scene within moments of the crash, but only sighted Kohlrush and he was the only one retrieved from the crash site. He died minutes after he was rescued. The investigation which followed did not determine the cause of the accident. Krech and Grayson were listed Killed, Body Not Recovered. Navy officials believe at this time, due to the circumstans surrounding the loss of Grayson and Krech, that both are dead, and recovery of their remains would probably be impossible.

Grayson and Krech are among those Americans who remain unaccounted for from the Vietnam War. The cases of some, like Grayson and Krech, seem clear - that they perished and cannot be recovered. Unfortunately, mounting evidence indicates that hunders of Americans are still captive, waiting for the country they prodly served to secure their freedom.

In our haste to leave an unpopular war, we abandoned some of our best men. In our haste to heal the wounds of this same war, will we sign their death warrants? Or will we do what we can to bring them home?