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Captain Paul David Derby

A young man in a Marine Corps flight suit looks directly into the camera.
  • Unit: Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 115
  • Service Number: 092335
  • Date of Birth: January 4, 1943
  • Entered the Military: December 12, 1961
  • Date of Death: November 17, 1968
  • Hometown: Marshfield, Wisconsin
  • Place of Death: Chu Lai, Quang Ngai Province, South Vietnam
  • Award(s): Purple Heart, Vietnam Air Medal, Republic of Vietnam National Order Medal 5th Class, Vietnam Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal with V for Valor, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross, Vietnam Campaign Medal, National Defense Service Medal
  • Cemetery: Courts of the Missing, Court Five, National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi . Rock Island National Cemetery, Rock Island County, Illinois
Contributed by Mrs. Marley Hoefs
St. Croix Falls High School (St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin)
2024/2025

Early Life

Paul David Derby was born to Charles and Ramona Derby on January 4, 1943, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. As the eldest child in the Derby family, Paul was responsible for three younger siblings: Charles (Chuck), Elaine, and Charlotte. Paul’s younger brother, Chuck, followed his brother Paul into the service, enlisting in the Air Force. Chuck was killed in a car accident while serving in Germany in 1983. 

The family grew up in Marshfield, Wisconsin, where Paul and his siblings attended Columbus Catholic Schools. A dedicated student, Paul was an active participant in the Columbus Schools Community, engaging in various extracurricular activities such as Boy Scouts and the Newman Club, a student-led organization aimed at nurturing young people’s Catholic faith. Paul also excelled in athletics, playing quarterback and defensive end for his football team and competing in the 800m in track. He graduated from Columbus Catholic High School in 1961.

College Experience

In the fall of 1961, Paul enrolled at Stout State College in Menomonie, Wisconsin, now known as the University of Wisconsin-Stout. His college years proved to be transformative. Majoring in Industrial Technology, Paul emerged as a leader both academically and socially. He was an active member of the football team and joined the Chi Lambda fraternity, which continues to honor his legacy through a dedicated scholarship. During his junior and senior years, Paul served as president of the Stout Society of Industrial Technology.

Finding Love

It was also during his college years that Paul encountered the love of his life, Dorothy Wormet, from Baraboo, Wisconsin. Dorothy was a member of the Tri-Sigma sorority, and their paths crossed through mutual friends in the Greek community. Their initial date, scheduled for November 23, 1963, was postponed due to the assassination of President Kennedy, which left Dorothy deeply affected. However, the couple rescheduled their date and eventually married on January 23, 1965, just before the conclusion of their senior year.

Paul, with his younger brother, Chuck, who enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1964. Chuck was killed in an automobile accident in 1983 while serving in Germany. Courtesy of Scott Derby.
Paul Derby in his Marine Corps uniform before reporting to his duty in Vietnam in 1968. Courtesy of Scott Derby.

Homefront

Paul Derby’s hometown of Marshfield, Wisconsin, is currently recognized for the Marshfield Hospital and Clinic Systems, one of the leading hospital systems in the state. However, while Paul Derby was growing up, this was not the case. At that time, the Weyerhaeuser Company, a significant plywood manufacturer, was the primary industry in the area, yet it lacked any direct connection to the Vietnam War.

College Life Amidst the Vietnam War

Throughout the majority of the Vietnam War, Derby attended Stout State College in Menomonie, Wisconsin, which may explain why many attribute his origins to Menomonie. Stout, like numerous colleges during that era, experienced some protests; however, the level of dissent was notably lower than in other Wisconsin institutions and across the nation. This can be attributed to Stout’s more conservative environment and its strong opposition to protest activities. College President William Meechel articulated this stance clearly, stating, “When dissent becomes such that it interferes with the operation for which we are in the business, then we will act firmly, we will act quickly, and people who dissent will have to allow us to dissent from their dissent.” Despite this firm approach, President Meechel encouraged student engagement by hosting weekly “box lunch” programs, providing a platform for students to voice their thoughts and concerns.

Paul Derby was an active member of the Chi Lambda Fraternity at Stout State College. In this photograph from 1963, he is seated in the front row, first on the left. Ancestry.
Paul Derby majored in Industrial Technology at Stout State University. He was also the president of the Stout Society of Industrial Technology. 1964. Ancestry.
Paul Derby’s senior photograph from the 1965 Stout State College yearbook. Ancestry.

Military Experience

Paul David Derby enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps while still in college on December 21, 1961. During breaks, he attended basic training, and in the summers of 1962, 1963, and 1964, he attended officer’s training school at Quantico, Virginia. After graduating from Stout State School in May 1965, he entered the Marines full-time. 

Stations

During his military career, Paul participated in several training programs, including Basic Flight Training in 1966, Advanced Flight Training, and Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape Training in 1967. Throughout this period, he and his wife, Dorothy, were stationed at multiple military bases, including Meridian, Mississippi; Kingsville, Texas; Pensacola, Florida; and finally, Cherry Point, North Carolina. 

Dorothy fondly recalled Paul’s outgoing personality and his exceptional generosity. While training in Pensacola, Paul encountered another Wisconsin native who was in search of accommodations. He graciously invited his classmate, along with his wife and young daughter, to stay with him and Dorothy. This was just one example of Paul’s kind-hearted nature. During these years of training, Paul and Dorothy welcomed two children of their own, Scott and Pamela.

“He loved the Marines. He loved to go fast.”

While stationed at Cherry Point, Paul regularly rose early to attend the morning colors ceremony. On many occasions, Scott and Dorothy accompanied him to enjoy the baseband performing the National Anthem and to witness the Color Guard raise the flags. Dorothy remarked, “I don’t think he wanted to be anywhere else; he loved the Marine Corps.” Dorothy also remembered that Paul requested to do a specific maximum performance climb during an airshow; watching it terrified her, but she remembered with a smile, “Paul loved to go fast.”

Vietnam

Derby received his orders for Vietnam in May 1968; he arrived in South Vietnam on July 26, 1968. He was assigned to the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 115, nicknamed The Silver Eagles. He flew 117 missions in his F4-B Fighter Jet (McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom) out of the Chu Lai station. These missions were all in support of ground troops or attacking enemy positions. 

On November 17, 1968, Paul Derby and his Radar Intercept Officer, First Lieutenant Tom Reich, conducted an operation supporting ground troops approximately 25 miles south of Chu Lai in Quang Ngai Province. As Derby was disengaging from his initial target, their aircraft came under intense enemy ground fire. Observations from the Forward Air Controller and Derby’s wingman noted that the aircraft erupted into flames and disintegrated prior to impact with the ground. Neither Derby nor Reich had the opportunity to eject, and both were killed. The remains of First Lieutenant Tom Reich were found, but Derby was never found. 

Missing in Action

When Dorothy was told about her husband’s death, she made it clear that she did not want anyone else to come in harm’s way to recover Paul’s remains. She felt like she did not need to have a burial to have closure, and she could not live with herself, knowing attempts to recover him could cause more harm. When his items returned home, she could not bear to open the packages and asked the UPS driver to open the box. Even to this day, she tears up when she remembers Paul.

Paul Derby, along with other members of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 115 in Chu Lai, Vietnam, 1965. Courtesy of Scott Derby.
Paul Derby flying in his F-4 Phantom, 1965. Courtesy of Scott Derby.
Paul Derby and other Marine aviators in Chu Lai, Vietnam, 1968. Derby is standing to the left of the star near the rear of the plane. Courtesy of Scott Derby.

Commemoration

Paul David Derby was the best of what America has to offer. Paul left behind a wife, Dorothy, and two young children: Scott, who was three at the time, and Pamela, who was just a year old. His parents, brother Chuck, and sisters Elaine and Charlotte also lost their son and brother. A sacrifice like this cannot be put into words.

Tragically, Paul Derby’s remains have never been recovered, and he is officially listed as Missing in Action. His family continues to receive updates regarding ongoing search efforts. 

Paul Derby is memorialized on Court Five of the Honolulu Memorial at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi and on Panel 39W, Line 077 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Additionally, a commemorative marker has been placed at the Highground Veterans Memorial in Neillsville, Wisconsin, situated alongside those of his brother, Chuck, and father, Charles, who served in World War II and a second marker at Rock Island National Cemetery in Rock Island, Illinois.

Paul Derby led a life rich in love. His affection for his family was matched only by his dedication to his country and his fellow Marines. The sacrifices made by those who lost their lives in action are significant; however, it is essential to recognize that Gold Star families endure substantial sacrifices as well.

Dorothy Derby and children Scott (age 3) and Pamela (age 1) accept Paul Derby’s U.S. Navy Commendation Medal at a ceremony in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Baraboo News, 1969. Courtesy of Scott Derby.
Scott and Pamela Derby are joined by Dorothy’s daughter Cheryl from her second marriage, who visited Paul Derby’s memorial marker at Rock Island National Cemetery in Rock Island, Illinois in 1970. Courtesy of Scott Derby.
Paul Derby’s name on the Honolulu Memorial at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. American Battle Monuments Commission.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

Derby, Charlotte. Telephone interview with the author. November 20, 2024.

Derby, Elaine. Telephone interview with the author. November 20, 2024.

Derby Family Records, 1961-1968. Courtesy of Scott Derby and Dorothy (Derby) Franczyk.

Derby, Paul David. Performance Reviews. Defense POW Missing Personnel Office. 1984. 

Derby, Paul David. Service Contract. Defense POW Missing Personnel Office. 1984. 

Franczyk, Dorothy Marie. In-person interview with the author. February 18, 2025.

Paul David Derby. Official Report of Recovery Efforts. Defense POW Missing Personnel Office. 1995. Courtesy of Scott Derby.

Stout State College Yearbook. Menominee: University of Wisconsin System, 1962.

Stout State College Yearbook. Menominee: University of Wisconsin System, 1963.

Stout State College Yearbook. Menominee: University of Wisconsin System, 1965.

Wisconsin. Wood County. 1950 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://ancestryclassroom.com.

Secondary Sources

Bernstein, Rebecca Sample. City of Marshfield, Wisconsin Intensive Survey Report. City of Marshfield. July 1991. Accessed March 23, 2025. https://cms4files1.revize.com/marshfieldwi/Development%20Services/Historic%20Preservation/City%20of%20Marshfield%20Intensive%20Survey%20Report%201991%20Commercial%20Architectural%20and%20Historical%20Survey.pdf.  

“Capt. Paul David Derby.” Find a Grave. Updated November 7, 2014. Accessed March 23, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/138416520/paul-david-derby. 

Miller, Erin, John B. Sharpless, and John D. Logeman. Wisconsin’s 37: The Lives of Those Missing in Action in the Vietnam War. McFarland & Company, Inc., 2018.

Mueller, Tom. Duty, Honor, Country and Wisconsin. Dog Ear Publishing, 2013.

“Paul David Derby.” American Battle Monuments Commission. Accessed December 11, 2024. https://www.abmc.gov/decedent-search/derby%3Dpaul. 

“Paul David Derby Memorial.” Avery Family Website. Accessed February 25, 2025. http://www.compassist.com/jerry/dockstader-wegert-family/Memorials/DerbyPaul.htm.

“Paul David Derby.” Defense Personnel POW/MIA Accounting Agency. Accessed December 11, 2024. https://dpaa-mil.sites.crmforce.mil/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000Ka3fEAC. 

“Paul David Derby.” Find a Grave. Updated February 25, 2014. Accessed March 23, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/125602187/paul-david-derby. 

“Paul David Derby.” The Wall of Faces, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. Accessed March 23, 2025. . https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/13014/PAUL-D-DERBY/. 

“UW-Stout History.” University of Wisconsin-Stout. Accessed January 7, 2024. https://www.uwstout.edu/about-us/university-archives/uw-stout-history.

This profile was researched and created through the Researching Silent Heroes program, sponsored by the American Battle Monuments Commission.