Lucky Bag Yearbook

From the 1963 Lucky Bag:

PATRICK WAYNE WILKES

Pete took his time getting to the Academy. After graduating from New Mexico Military Institute in 1957, he attended Bullis Prep as his next time-waster. He failed to make it in from Bullis, and so fraternity and college life seemed like the next step. The college turned out to be Arizona State University. This school is well-known for its party life, and Pete was not one to pass up a party. By the end of the first semester he had had enough school. It was while a fireman in Scottsdale, Arizona, that he passed the Academy entrance exams. Plebe year Pat spent most of his time with 150# football and indoor and outdoor track. Pete’s final two years were relatively uneventful. He lettered in 150# football and spent some time with the afternoon “drill team.” After he makes his service selection, Pete is willing to let the chips fall where they may.

Loss

Patrick was lost on November 10, 1965 when the F-4B Phantom II he was piloting crashed off the coast of southern California. The other officer aboard was also killed.

Other Information

From USNA Class of 1963:

An air-sea search for a 26-year old Navy jet pilot from Burbank, presumed lost off the coast of San Diego Wednesday night was called off early today by the Navy. Lt.(jg) Patrick Wilkes, son of Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Wilkes formerly of Burbank, took off Wednesday night from the carrier Ranger on a routine night patrol with radar intercept officer Lt. Patrick Myers. Navy spokesmen said the carrier lost contact with the plane at 10:20 p.m.

The aircraft’s last known position was 50 miles southwest of San Diego just east of San Clemente Island.

A 1963 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Wilkes attended John Muir High School and Burbank High School before his appointment to Annapolis in 1959.

Upon graduation, Wilkes was married to his high school sweetheart, the former Martha Dragna, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Dragna of 1121 N. Glenoaks Blvd., in Glendale on June 17, 1963.

Wilkes received his airman’s wings last March and was scheduled to be transferred for duty in Viet Nam in December. Mrs. Wilkes of Del Mar said early today her husband was “doing what he loved, something he thought was worthwhile. He was looking forward to Viet Nam duty.”

Mrs. Wilkes, also 26, is the mother of a 1 1/2-year old daughter and is expecting another child in June. She is a registered nurse.

According to Ranger’s log (page 24), they were members of Fighter Squadron (VF) 142; the F-4B they were piloting was last seen at 33°01’N, 118°07.3’W.

From researcher Kathy Franz:

At Arizona State University, Patrick was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa. He played football in the intramurals.

In April, 1959, he was a fireman apprentice, USN, who returned to San Francisco from a two-week naval reserve cruise off the coast of Oregon and California on the USS Laws.

During the summer of 1961, Patrick attended the Aviation Indoctrination course given by the Navy Air Basic Training Command at Pensacola.

In June, 1965, Patrick completed flight training at Kingsville, Texas. He was next assigned to Miramar.

Patrick liked golfing for recreation.

He was survived by his parents, his widow Martha and daughter Patty Ann, 18 months old. His father Bruce was a doctor.

A memorial fund was set up to build and name a new room at Bartow Community Hospital in his honor.

Patrick has one memorial marker in California and another in Arizona.

Photographs

From the 1959 Arizona State University yearbook

From the 1959 Arizona State University yearbook

From the Desert Dispatch on August 16, 1961

From The San Bernardino County Sun on November 16, 1965