Stanley Dean Struble

Rural Castana native Stanley Dean Struble served in the Army as a helicopter pilot. Warrant Officer (WO) Struble deployed to Southeast Asia in July 1970. He flew Hughes OH-6 Cayuse observation helicopters with the 1st Aviation Brigade. On November 19, 1970 WO Struble was flying with other helicopters near the Soui Cau Valley, west of LZ Uplift. The pilots were trying to locate enemy forces in the valley. The choppers received small arms ground fire on a few occasions but were unable to locate the source. They returned to the area later in the afternoon and received fire again. Upon gaining altitude and assessing the situation, WO Struble’s aircraft burst into flames and crashed into the jungle. Ground forces recovered his body, along with his co-pilot’s body. Struble was 21 years old at the time of his death. His body was returned to Iowa and buried at the Kennebec Cemetery in Castana.