Michael Banard Varnado

Vietnam War
Unit229th Aviation Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division
RankChief Warrant Officer Second Class U.S. Army
Entered Service FromFerriday Louisiana
Date of DeathMay 2 1970
StatusRecovered
Memorialized
Courts of the Missing
Court
B
Notes
Chief Warrant Officer, Second Class Varnado was a member of Company B, 229th Aviation Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division. On May 2, 1970, he was the pilot of a Bell Iroquois Utility Helicopter (UH-1H) was hit by ground fire and forced to land in near Memot, Cambodia where he was taken prisoner and died in captivity. His remains were recovered on April 27, 1989 and identified on July 27, 1989. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
rosetta medal
When an individual’s remains have been accounted for by the U.S. Department of Defense, a rosette is placed next to the name on the Wall/Tablet/Court of the Missing to mark that the person now rests in a known gravesite.