Thomas Earl Alderson

Thomas Earl "Tom" Alderson was born in Lakota, Nelson County, North Dakota on October 9, 1941, and later moved to Grand Forks, North Dakota. He graduated from Grand Forks Central High School in 1959 and attended the University of North Dakota. He earned his dental degree (DDS) from the University of Minnesota in June 1966. He was married to Marika Mosely.

Captain Alderson was a passenger on the US Army CH-47A Chinook helicopter #66-19041 when they collided with the USAF C-7A Caribou cargo aircraft (63-9753) near Camp Evans in Thua Thien Providence on October 3, 1968. When the two aircrafts collided at an altitude of approximately 1100 feet, at least one of the helicopters rear rotor blades sliced through the cockpit section of the airplane, killing both pilots instantly and destroying all engine controls. Some of the passengers on the Caribou sere near the end of their tour of Vietnam and were heading back to the United States.

Captain Alderson is buried or memorialized at Memorial Park Cemetery, Grand Forks, Grand Forks County, North Dakota. He received the Bronze Star and is honored on the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in Washington, DC, name inscribed at VVM Wall, Panel 42w, Line 65.