Lieutenant Colonel Austin was the pilot of a F-105 Thunderchief Fighter flying over Ban Karai Pass, North Vietnam when it was hit by hostile fire and crashed on 19 March 1967. He was officially declared dead on 25 May 1979. His remains were not recovered. He was promoted to Colonel while in a Missing in Action status. Colonel Austin's name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial, Honolulu, Hawaii. Narrative submitted with enrollment.