--- title: "The first man killed in the Vietnam War was murdered by a fellow airman" date: "2022-08-10" modified: "2022-08-10" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/the-first-man-killed-in-the-vietnam-war-was-murdered-by-a-fellow-airman/" categories: - "Air Force" - "History" - "War History" --- # The first man killed in the Vietnam War was murdered by a fellow airman ![]() On June 8, 1956, U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Richard Fitzgibbon died of gunshot wounds sustained in South Vietnam. He was the first casualty of what would be known to history as the Vietnam War. --- Except it wasn't a Viet Cong bullet that killed Fitzgibbon — it was a fellow airman. Fitzgibbon was assigned to the Military Assistance Advisory Group, training South Vietnamese airmen in Saigon. A crew chief, [he confronted the plane's radio operator]() when they came under fire mid-flight, making sure the operator did his job. ![MAAG Vietnam aircrew patch]() *An early aircrew patch from MAAG Vietnam.* After the mission, the radio operator stewed over the altercation, heading to a bar to have a few drinks and loosen up. Except he drank heavily, and the incident only intensified his anger. Later that day, the man approached Fitzgibbon on the porch of his barracks room as he handed out candy to Vietnamese children and [shot the crew chief to death](). Fitzgibbon was a Navy veteran of World War II who later joined the Air Force. His son Richard joined the Marines and fought in Vietnam. He was killed in combat near Quang Tin in 1965. ![killed in vietnam]() *Richard Fitzgibbon Jr., left, and Richard Fitzgibbon III. The father was killed in Vietnam in 1956, while the son died there in 1965. (Photo from Sen. Ed Markey)* Technical Sergeant Fitzgibbon's name wasn't added to the Vietnam Memorial Wall until 1999, after [a lobbying campaign]() from his family, with the help of Senator Ed Markey. The Department of Defense had to first change the criteria for adding a name — specifically identifying the start of the war. The DoD now recognizes the date the MAAG was set up, Nov. 1, 1955, as the start of the conflict in Vietnam — the earliest date to qualify for having a casualty's name added to the memorial wall. ![vietnam memorial wall]() *Richard Fitzgibbon's name on the Vietnam Memorial Wall.* The Fitzgibbons were [one of three father-son pairs]() who died in the Vietnam War. ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()