Remains of Marine killed in Vietnam coming home to Texas
SMITHVILLE, Texas (AP) - The remains of an American soldier who had been missing since the Vietnam War are coming home after being located with help from a former enemy.
Marine 2nd Lt. Donald John Matocha of Smithville was killed in a firefight in April 1968 on Dong Ma mountain in what was then the Republic of South Vietnam, but his body was not recovered.
The Defense Department had essentially given up trying to locate his remains by 1993, said Hattie Johnson, a case officer with the Marine Corps casualty office in Washington.
"They had exhausted all means of looking," Johnson told the Austin American-Statesman.
Then in 1996, Nguyen Van Loc, a 58-year-old farmer who had been a squad leader of the 320th Division of the People's Army of Vietnam, appeared at the Army's POW/MIA office in Hanoi. He said he'd found a dead American on Dong Ma mountain in the spring of 1968 and helped bury him in a bomb crater.
Matocha's grave was found in March, and dental records established positive identification.
A nephew is scheduled to escort Matocha's remains to Smithville on Sept. 16.
Loretta Eiben, one of Matocha's eight younger siblings, said her family will always appreciate Nguyen Van Loc's help.
"We owe a debt of gratitude to him and his willingness to make a repeat visit to the site," she said.
©2004 Associated Press
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Soldier's former foe in Vietnam helps family recover remains
Defense Department had given up hunt for Marine who died in '68
Associated Press
SMITHVILLE, Texas The remains of a Texas soldier missing in action from the Vietnam War have been identified thanks to help from a former enemy who told authorities where to find him.
Marine 2nd Lt. Donald John Matocha of Smithville was killed in a firefight in April 1968 on Dong Ma mountain in South Vietnam. His nephew is to escort his remains home Sept. 16.
The Defense Department had essentially given up on the hunt for Lt. Matocha's remains by 1993. Retired Army 1st Sgt. Hattie Johnson, a case officer with the Marine Corps casualty office in Washington, D.C., said the military had run out of search options.
"They had exhausted all means of looking," Sgt. Johnson said in the Austin American-Statesman.
In 1996, Nguyen Van Loc, a 58-year-old farmer who had been a squad leader of the 320th Division of the North Vietnamese army, appeared at the Army's POW/MIA office in Hanoi. He said he'd found a dead American on Dong Ma mountain in the spring of 1968 and helped bury him in a bomb crater.
Lt. Matocha's grave was found in March, and dental records established positive identification. A green plastic canteen, a plastic bottle of insect repellant and the soles of a pair of American jungle boots also were found, Sgt. Johnson said.
A stainless steel dog tag belonging to 57-year-old Stan Sellers of San Antonio, a Navy medic, also was found. He had accompanied Lt. Matocha's eight-man patrol up the mountain in their mission to silence an enemy outpost that was shooting at a nearby Marine base.
Lt. Matocha, a 23-year-old graduate of Texas A&M University, found his patrol outnumbered at least 5-to-1. He was hit immediately, and the wind generated by a helicopter that had come to rescue them pushed his body down a hill and into enemy hands.
Loretta Eiben, one of Lt. Matocha's eight younger siblings, said her family will always appreciate Mr. Van Loc's help.
"We owe a debt of gratitude to him and his willingness to make a repeat visit to the site," she said.
©Dallas- Fort Worth Telegram