News-Info-Alerts

To: ALL

From: Bob Necci & Carol Hrdlicka, Andi Wolos
(POW-MIA FaxNetwork)

Re: Aviator Identified

Date: May 29, 1997

Memorandum: No. 089-M

The human remains of an American serviceman previously unaccounted-for from the war in Southeast Asia have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial in the United States. He is Capt. Jeffrey L. Harris, USAF, of Clinton, Md. On May 10, 1972, Harris was flying his F-4E Phantom on a combat mission over North Vietnam when he was attacked by a MiG-19. The flight leader of the mission observed Harris' aircraft burst into flames shortly before it crashed. There were no radio transmissions heard from the stricken aircraft, and no one in the flight saw any parachutes or received any emergency beeper signals. In Aug. 1978 the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) unilaterally turned over the remains of Air Force Capt. Dennis E. Wilkinson, the weapons systems officer aboard the F-4E. Wilkinson, of West Palm Beach, Fla., was positively identified the following month. Three joint U.S. - S.R.V. teams conducted investigations and excavations in 1993, 1995 and 1996. During the last excavation, they recovered human remains, personal effects, crew-related equipment and a blood chit. A blood chit is a document often carried by aircrew members to aid in their escape or evasion if they crash behind enemy lines. Individual remains of Harris, and group remains of both Harris and Wilkinson are being returned to their families for burial at a later date. With the identification of Harris, 2,123 American servicemen remain unaccounted-for from the war in Southeast Asia. The U.S. government welcomes and appreciates the cooperation of the government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam which resulted in the accounting of this serviceman. We hope that such cooperation will bring increased results in the future. Achieving the fullest possible accounting for these Americans is of the highest national priority.