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forces. He is believed to have been held as a prisoner of war and his family was told stories of his courage while imprisoned, but he was never released or accounted for. His wife, Marian
Shelton, sought to find him and became an active participant in the
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upon the request of his children and after a search of the area where he was captured failed to yield evidence that he might still be alive.
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by gunshot, apparently due to frustration and despair over her inability to find him.
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on April 29, 1965, his 33rd birthday. His fate is unknown and he was classified as a
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until 1994, making him the last official U.S. prisoner of war from the
Vietnam War.
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After his plane was shot down, Shelton sent a radio report that he had escaped by
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Last
Vietnam POW Declared Dead So Family Can Have Peace After Decades Of Pain
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Children of the Last P.O.W. Close a Pain-Filled
Chapter
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At the time of his downing, Shelton held the rank of
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In
September 1994, the Air Force reclassified him as
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United States Air Force personnel of the
Vietnam War
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19:For the England international footballer, see
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16:United States Air Force officer (1932–1965)
205:attended by dignitaries including General
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139:(April 29, 1932 – April 29, 1965) was a
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319:United States Air Force officers
309:People declared dead in absentia
179:. In October 1990 she committed
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304:Missing person cases in Vietnam
211:Chief of Staff of the Air Force
223:List of people who disappeared
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329:Vietnam War prisoners of war
203:Arlington National Cemetery
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299:1960s missing person cases
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141:United States Air Force
111:United States Air Force
157:reconnaissance mission
269:Sally Streff Buzbee,
314:Shot-down aviators
254:The New York Times
137:Charles E. Shelton
257:, October 5, 1994
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275:Associated Press
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188:killed in action
177:POW-MIA movement
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125:Battles/wars
68:(1965-04-29)
294:1932 births
149:Vietnam War
147:during the
129:Vietnam War
288:Categories
229:References
79:Allegiance
64:presumably
42:1932-04-29
172:communist
168:parachute
155:during a
145:shot down
217:See also
97:Service/
53:Kentucky
199:colonel
195:captain
181:suicide
120:Colonel
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99:branch
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55:, U.S.
151:over
49:Utica
153:Laos
117:Rank
73:Laos
60:Died
36:Born
290::
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40:(
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