James Lynn Abler

James Lynn Abler was raised in Royal in Clay County. He was assigned to the U.S. Army 1st Cavalry Division as a helicopter repairman once he arrived in Vietnam in August 1969. SP4 Abler was killed when the Bell UH-1H Iroquois Huey helicopter he was aboard crashed on May 22, 1970. The pilot of the aircraft reported engine failure before disappearing into the triple canopy jungle. A near-by helicopter observed the crash. His body was returned to Iowa and he was buried at the North Lawn Cemetery in Spencer. He was 21 years old at the time of his death.