Tours of Duty Releases Chorlins Case Findings After Potential Additional Remains of Vietnam War Pilot Surface Overseas

Tours of Duty has released case findings on U.S. Air Force Captain Richard David Chorlins, a Vietnam War pilot counted as accounted for after DNA identified a fingernail-sized fragment. Chorlins, 24, was with the 602nd Special Operations Squadron at Nakhon Phanom, Thailand, and was lost on January 11, 1970, while flying an A-1H Skyraider over Laos. In 2023, Tours of Duty learned of a Vietnamese family claiming potential additional remains and, in 2024, traveled to Vietnam to pursue a lawful pathway for repatriation. The findings note that his sister had not been briefed about the encounter or the family claim when Tours of Duty notified her. The organization seeks congressional involvement to expedite review and transfer of any remains or identifying material. Tours of Duty emphasizes the urgency of Vietnam-era accounting as witnesses age; materials held for decades may not remain available. The full Chorlins case findings are available under the reference Chorlins, Richard Refno 1549.