News-Info-Alerts

To: ALL

From: Andi Wolos & Bob Necci
(POW-MIA InterNetwork)

Re: DPMO Update

Date: May 07, 1998

Defense POW/MIA Weekly Update
May 6, 1998

THREE SERVICEMEN ACCOUNTED FOR

The remains of three American servicemen previously unaccounted-for from Southeast Asia have been identified and are being returned to their families for burial in the United States.

They are identified as Colonel Richard K. Allee, of Port Jervis, NY; Colonel Gordon L. Page, of Palo Alto, Calif.; and Captain Armon D. Shingledecker, of Lima, Ohio, all US Air Force.

On December 21, 1968, Col. Allee was flying an escort mission over Khammouan Province, Laos. During an attack dive Col. AlleeÍs F-105D Thunderchief aircraft burst into flame. No ejection from the aircraft was observed.

In 1994, a joint US-Lao investigative team interviewed local villagers in Khammouan Province about the location of an aircraft crashsite. Several villagers described a crashsite of an American aircraft that was close to the last reported position for Col. Allee. Team members searched the site and found evidence of a crash and a limited amount of aircraft wreckage. The crashsite was excavated in 1996 and remains, personal effects, and life support equipment were recovered. Forensic analysis confirmed the remains were those of Col. Allee.

Col. Page was flying an RF-101C Voodoo aircraft, in a flight of two, on a photo reconnaissance mission over Vinh, Vietnam, on March 7, 1966. Both aircraft were lost and no contact was established with either pilot.

In 1989, the Vietnamese turned over 28 sets of remains purported to be of American servicemen. No names were associated with these remains. One set of remains was identified as those of Col. PageÍs wingman.

Subsequent interviews of villagers in Nghe An Province by joint US/Vietnamese investigative teams supplied information that correlated to the shootdown of Col. Page. However, no crashsite was ever located. A reexamination of some remains repatriated in 1989, based on advanced technology, determined that they were those of Col. Page.

On May 31, 1966, Capt. Shingledecker was a passenger on a C-130 Hercules flying a classified mission over North Vietnam. The pilot attempted to establish radio contact in the early morning hours. A flight of American F-4s flying over Thanh Hoa Province reported seeing a large ground flash shortly thereafter. When the C-130 failed to return to base, a search mission was launched but no crashsite was found. It was determined that the point where the F-4 crewmembers saw the ground flash was in the intended flight plan of the C-130.

Later on May 31, English language Hanoi Radio and Peking Radio broadcasts reported the downing of a US transport plane on the morning of May 31 over Thanh Hoa Province. All crewmen were purportedly killed. The Vietnamese subsequently turned over a document chronicling this loss incident. The report indicated that the eight crewmen were killed in the crash, and the remains of five were repatriated in 1986. The remains of the other three were destroyed in the crash.

Vietnam repatriated 22 boxes of alleged American remains in April 1986. Capt. ShingledeckerÍs name was associated with one set of remains. Forensic analysis of the remains was performed using advanced technology. They were identified as those of Capt. Shingledecker.

The remains will be shipped from the US ArmyÍs Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii at a date determined by the families.

With the accounting of these three servicemen, there are currently 2,090 unaccounted-for Americans from the Vietnam War.