ADR2 Louis F Balderman was born on May 29, 1943 to Mr. and Mrs. James Duffy Balderman of Philadelphia, PA.  Louis had two brothers and two sisters.  Before enlisting in the Navy, Louis worked at a machine shop. 

While he was deployed overseas, he sent several letters home letting his family know that he was scared and to make plans if anything were to happen to him as far as the car and the money from insurance to pay off the house for his parents.

Louis was due to come home in May, 1969  for what would have been his 26th birthday and the city was starting to celebrate his homecoming by placing yellow ribbons around the trees and banners were placed at his home where his parents resided.

Tragedy struck April 15 1969 where 31 crew members and one Marine were on a routine mission over the Sea of Japan and two North Korean migs took their plane down and only two bodies were ever recovered.

Louis was not meant to be on the mission that day but they shuffled some around that had other commitments and had to be replaced .There are still so many unanswered questions of this tragic Day.

The town mourned and his family was left in the dark whether any of the crew could have been picked up or were they captured and tortured or are their graves at the bottom of the sea?  In 1970 a facility was named in Honor of ADR2 Louis F Balderman at the Philadelphia Naval base they called the Balderman Hall.  Sadly it is now gone.

Let us Never forget the Brave crew We Will Never Forget!

By Theresa Richardson, niece of the ADR2 Louis Balderman