SP5 MICHAEL LAUTZENHEISER, HOOSIER KILLED IN ACTION/BODY NOT RECOVERED
Michael was born 15 September 1951 in Hartford City, Indiana. He was the 4th child, and 2nd son of Earl and Su Lautzenheiser. The family lived in Montpelier, Indiana and after the birth of another son moved to Muncie in June of 1955 and added another child, a girl, in 1959. Mike and his close-knit brothers and sisters grew up in Muncie and went to Garfield Elementary, Wilson Junior High and Southside High Schools.
Shortly before his high school graduation he voluntarily joined the Army and reported for duty at Ft. Knox, Kentucky in June 1969. His older brother, Peter, was already serving in the Army, and his father was a WWII veteran and currently serving in the Air Force Reserves. Mike’s plan was to serve his country and upon completion of his service, return to Muncie to pursue a college career at Ball State University. He was also very interested in pursuing his relationship with and someday marrying his fiancée, Teresa.
He received advance training at Ft. Eustis, Virginia and was assigned as a Flight Engineer on the CH47 (Chinook) Helicopter. He was assigned to Vietnam in January 1970 and was further assigned to the 147th Assault Helicopter Company stationed in Can Tho. He served in this unit until the later part of December 1970 and arrived home on leave on Christmas Eve of 1970.
After his leave he returned to Ft. Eustis, Virginia, and was assigned as an instructor in a CH 47 training unit from January through July 1971. He came home on a short leave and was to report back to Vietnam in an Assault Helicopter Unit – the 68th Aviation Company stationed at Pleiku. He served in this unit until October 26, 1971 when he was reported as Missing In Action (MIA).
Since that day, Joy and Peter, along with their parents and siblings, became family members of a soldier Missing In Action, missing in Southeast Asia. Their brother, SP5 Michael Lautzenheiser, was the flight engineer of a CH47 helicopter that lost radio contact with its base, over the South China Sea near the coast of Vietnam. Search and rescue operations recovered the bodies of 4 of the 10 men on that aircraft, but nothing was discovered of the fate of the other 6 men. In the 1970’s the family became members of the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia, commonly referred to as the League of POW/MIA Families. The League works closely with members of Congress, the military and the government Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) to continue its quest for the fullest possible accounting of those who served in Vietnam. Over the last 45 years the official status of Specialist Lautzenheiser has changed from MIA to KIABNR, back to MIA and then finally back to KIA-BNR. His remains have never been found.
ABOUT OUR KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Chief Warrant Officer Five (CW5) Peter Lautzenheiser, US Army Retired
CW5 Lautzenheiser was born in Hartford City, Indiana in 1950. He was raised in Muncie, Indiana where he attended Southside High School. After high school in 1968 he remained in Muncie and worked for Westinghouse and Ball Brothers until he began an apprenticeship as a tool and die maker. In the second year of his apprenticeship he decided to begin a career as a pilot. He then began a journey that would last for the next 42 years serving in the active Army, the Army Reserve, and the Army National Guard and working in the Defense Aerospace Industry. During his long service he received many awards for merit and heroism including the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star, and 38 awards of the Air Medal.
Joy Brinduse
Joy was raised in Muncie, Indiana, where she graduated from Southside High School. She graduated from Ball State University in 1984 with a B.S. in Accounting. Mrs. Brinduse worked for 5 years in Public Accounting at Greene, Inc., a CPA firm, before beginning her career in private accounting. She began that career as a staff accountant for Communications Products, Inc. in Indianapolis. She left that company as Vice President of Accounting and started her work at Markey’s Audio Visual, Inc., in Indianapolis, as Controller. She retired from Markey’s in 2013 as Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of the Board of Directors. Mrs. Brinduse has also contributed her time and energy over the last 20 years to working with Zonta International, a non-profit organization committed to empowering women around the world through service and advocacy.
Michael Lautzenheiser
Veteran of:
U.S. Army 1969-1971 (MIA)
