Smith 324 Compelling Cases - Part 3

Laos Francis J. McGouldrick
Thomas W. Dugan
(1341)

John S. Albright, II
Joseph P. Fanning
Fred L. Clarke
Morgan J. Donahue
Samuel F. Walker, Jr.
(1340)

On December 13, 1968, a C-123K (Case 1340) collided in mid-air with a B-57E (Case 1341). The aircraft wreckage crashed into an area approximately 47 kilometers northwest of the town of Tchepone, Savannakhet Province, three kilometers east of Route 411 and in the area of Ban Kok Nak. The C-123 pilot, First Lieutenant Thomas H. Turner, exited through the cockpit window after finding the co- pilot's seat empty and fire coming into the cockpit from the fuselage. He later reported that there had been an explosion in the aft section of the aircraft and the C-123K had gone out of control. After parachuting from the cockpit window, Lieutenant Turner noted that there was another parachute below his and he believed it might have belonged to a member of the two-man B-57E crew. Lieutenant Turner was rescued on December 13th and all other crewmen from the two aircrews were declared missing.

Returning U.S. POWs had no information on the fate of the two aircrews. After Operation Homecoming they were eventually declared killed, body not recovered, based on a presumptive finding of death.

From 1968 through 1971, the next of kin of Lieutenant Donahue tried unsuccessfully to obtain information about him from Lao communist officials. Reward notices were circulated in Thailand in the late 1970s which promised money and resettlement into the U.S. for information about Lieutenant Donahue. During 1980, information attributed to former Royal Lao Army Region II Commander, General Vang Pao, asserted that U.S. POWs had been moved from North Vietnam to Sam Neua, Laos, and then to the area of Kham Keut, Khammouane Province. These and other reports in a similar vein, eventually leading to assertions that Morgan Jefferson Donahue was still alive and simultaneously a prisoner in either Khammouane Province or Houa Phan Province, Laos and Binh Tri Thien Province, Vietnam, were determined by DIA to be fabrications.

In 1980 the DIA Director, Lieutenant General Eugene Tighe, initiated an effort which prevented the release of all POW/MIA intelligence reports received at that agency after August 1979. While due in part to a concern that the release of such reports might hazzard any U.S. POWs still alive in Southeast, this policy coincided with efforts by some next of kin to have POW/MIA reports released so they could be entered into military service casualty board case reviews underway, including that of Captain Donahue. The Defense Department agreed to permit DIA to act as both initial and appellate review authority over such reports, effectively denying their release. Lieutenant Donahue was declared killed in action, body not recovered, in February 1981.

However, these earliest accounts led by 1981 to either funding by the U.S. Army's Intelligence and Security Command and National League of Families senior officials for, or involvement by senior Defense Department officials in, covert cross border forays by elements of the so-called Lao resistance operating from Thailand into Laos and may also have involved the so-called Vietnamese resistance. Such reports of live Americans in Khammouane and elsewhere were determined by DIA by 1987 to have been the result of an active measures disinformation program by the state security apparatus of Laos and Vietnam which achieved various objectives, including manipulation of the POW/MIA issue. Such hostile intelligence efforts had directly targeted the Lao neutralist faction as a conduit for the disinformation. DIA determined it was the neutralist groups and others in Thailand who had been, and still continue to be, conduits for hostile intelligence managed disinformation which eventually reaches private POW/MIA hunters and next of kin.

In 1982, a source reported information about a wartime crash of a C-130 in the area of this loss incident. Human remains were reportedly recovered and buried during the war. In 1986 the wreckage was located and the tail number determined to be that of the C-123K (Case 1340). In March 1990, Lao officials reported that civilians had recovered human remains from a B-57/C-123 crash site located on a karst in the area of this loss incident.

Laos Michael Bouchard
(1345)

On December 19, 1968, Lieutenant Commander Bouchard and Lieutenant Robert W. Colyar were the crew in an A-6A launched from the U.S.S. Constellation for a night visual bombing run in Laos and under the control of a forward air controller. Their aircraft received a direct hit from anti-aircraft fire while flying at an altitude of 7000 feet. An explosion and flash of fire swept the cockpit area and the aircraft crashed, several small explosions occurring on board prior to its impact in an area approximately 600 meters west of Route 92 and 55 kilometers southeast of Tchepone, Savannakhet Province.

Flares dropped in the area disclosed one good parachute and beepers were heard. However, Lieutenant Colyar's beeper signal overrode the second probable beeper signal. The last information from Commander Bouchard was that he was injured and had second degree burns. Contact was established with Lieutenant Colyar who was all right on the ground and was later rescued but did not know if Commander Bouchard had ejected.

The suspected crash site was surveyed in May 1990 and personal artifacts and aircraft parts were located. A witness described having seen skeletal remains at the sight some years ago. In September 1990 the aircraft parts were confirmed to have come from an A-6. A July 1991 crash site survey failed to locate any remains. However witnesses were located who described the crash, the aircraft braking in half with half of it falling into a river. One body was found at the time and reportedly buried. Although the survey led to a conclusion that they had located the wreckage of an A-6, it was not possible to determine if the crash site pertained to this incident or that of another aircraft lost in this same area.

During Operation Homecoming, a returnee, CW2 Miller, reported having learned through POW notes that Michael Boucher was a Navy Lieutenant at Hoa Lo Prison as late as March 1, 1973. This was the only such report with this name and there was no U.S. POW or MIA by that name. However, a U.S. Air Force analysis in 1978 asserted this correlated to Michael Bouchard being alive in Hoa Lo Prison on that date. A DIA review of the Air Force report concluded the Air Force incorrectly correlated the name Michael Boucher to Michael Bouchard when it correctly correlated to Lieutenant Jack M. Butcher who was at Hoa Prison from December 1972 until released in March 1973.

Laos Charles D. King
(1348)

Charles R. Brownlee
(1347)

On December 24, 1968, Major Brownlee was the pilot of an F-105D, one in a flight of four on a strike mission near the Mu Gia Pass between Khammouane Province and North Vietnam. His aircraft was hit by hostile fire during a strike on a truck and Major Brownlee reported "fire and smoke in cockpit...bad..." followed by a garbled transmission. The SAR force described seeing "junk in the air" when Major Brownlee's aircraft apparently suffered an explosion at about the time he ejected from his aircraft. His parachute landed in trees within 200 meters of his aircraft's crash site in double canopy dense jungle and aircraft on the scene began receiving hostile ground fire. There was no radio contact with or beeper from Major Brownlee after his ejection.

On the morning of December 25th, rotor wash from a SAR helicopter attempting to recover Major Brownlee from the trees caused his parachute to dislodge and fall 70 feet to the ground. Paramedic Airman First Class King was lowered from a SAR helicopter and he reported back he'd found the pilot inert in the parachute. Airman King cut the pilot loose from his parachute harness and hooked his body to a cable which was intended to drag him through brush and under a fallen tree for a distance of over 20 feet to reach an open area from which to lift Major Brownlee's body from the crash site. With the body of Major Brownlee ready to be hoisted from the ground, Airman King reported receiving enemy fire, then radioed he had been hit by hostile fire and directed the SAR helicopter to pull up with enemy forces within 30 feet of him. While being hoisted up, the penetrator cable and hoist broke loose and Airman King and Major Brownlee fell ten feet to the ground below as the SAR aircraft was receiving hostile automatic weapons fire from the ground below. There was a two second emergency beeper ten minutes later but its precise location could not be fixed. Further efforts to locate both individuals were not successful.

On December 24th a Vietnam People's Army unit radioed it had shot down an aircraft and the pilot had bailed out. Ground forces later reported seeing the pilot bailing out of a reconnaissance aircraft. In another report, a People's Army unit described a rescue attempt on December 25th in which a helicopter with someone on a ladder was also shot down and there was a report that an attempt would be made to capture the pilot with no indication if he'd been captured. These reports, associated with Khammouane Province, were placed in the MIAs files.

Both individuals were declared missing. Returning U.S. POWs were not aware of their precise fate. Several years after Operation Homecoming both were declared dead/body not recovered, based on a presumptive finding of death.

Laos Robert F. Coady
(1363)

Mid-morning on January 18, 1967, Captain Coady was the pilot of an A-1H, the number two aircraft in a flight of four on a combat support mission approximately five miles south-southeast of Tchepone, Savannakhet Province. His aircraft made a shallow dive on a target, was hit by hostile fire during the dive, and crashed with wings level into a wooded hillside within ten meters of the source of the ground fire, exploding on impact. He was not observed to parachute from the aircraft and no beeper was heard. A SAR effort located no evidence of him.

In 1971, Captain Coady's sister viewed a film depicting U.S. POWs in North Vietnam during Christmas 1969. She also believed she'd seen his picture in a photo album the U.S. Navy had provided her. DIA has determined that all those in the 1969 film have been positively identified and Captain Coady is not in either the film or photos prepared of individuals depicted in the movie.

Upon his early release from prison in 1969, one U.S. POW reported having heard of a POW named either Bill Cody or Cote but never saw an individual with that name and could provide no other information about the individual. In 1978 the U.S. Air Force correlated this to Robert T. Coady but there is no basis for such a correlation and no other returnee from North Vietnam ever provided such a name. In July 1974 he was declared dead/body not recovered, based on a presumptive finding of death.

In July 1992 Captain Coady's crash site was investigated by a joint U.S./Vietnamese team and the team interviewed witnesses concerning the circumstances of the crash. One source described having recovered Coady's dog tag and other personal artifacts in 1990 while scavenging for metal at the crash site. During July 1992 personal artifacts and surface wreckage recovered permitted a tentative correlation of the site to Captain Coady's aircraft crash site. The recovered material also suggested Captain Coady did not exit his aircraft before it crashed.

Laos Russell K. Utley
Daniel E. Singleton
(1366)

On January 26, 1969, Major Utley and First Lieutenant Singleton were the crew in an F-4E, the lead aircraft in a flight of four on a strike mission over Savannakhet Province. At 0017 hours,there was an explosion on the ground during a strike on ground targets and it was evident that Major Utley's aircraft had crashed. There were no parachutes or beepers, and efforts to contact the crew by radio were unsuccessful. Both airmen were declared missing.

Shortly after the crash, a People's Army of Vietnam unit reported that an aircraft had been shot down on January 26th and a pilot captured. Later, a People's Army unit became more specific when it reported that it one of its elements had hit an F-4 on the night of the 25th. They found the pilot's collar (sic), the pilot was dead, and the aircraft had burned completely. Major Utley's loss incident was the only incident on January 26th and both People's Army of Vietnam reports appeared to describe the same incident. Returning U.S> POWs did not report the missing airmen in captivity. After Operation Homecoming, they were declared dead/body not recovered.

Laos Larry J. Stevens
(1383)

On February 14, 1969, Lieutenant JG Stevens was the pilot of an A- 4C on a night strike mission over Laos. His aircraft was hit by hostile anti-aircraft fire at an altitude of 10,000 feet. His wingman's aircraft was also damaged but he managed to fly his aircraft out over the coast, eject, and was rescued.

U.S. aircrews reported two explosions at the time Lieutenant Steven's aircraft was hit and a forwarded air controller observed his aircraft impact with no parachute observed and no beeper.

Returning U.S. POWs were unable to provide any information on the eventual fate of Lieutenant Stevens who was declared killed in action, body not recovered, based on a presumptive finding of death.

In 1991, information was provided to next of kin through private POW/MIA activist channels asserting that Lieutenant Stevens was alive and in Cambodia. A photograph allegedly showing Lieutenant Stevens with two other American MIAs, Lundy and Robertson, was produced together with opinions of a pathologist and next of kin that the three in the photograph were indeed the missing American servicemen. The photograph was later determined by DIA to be a hoax.

North Vietnam John M. Brucher
(1388)

See Vessey Discrepancy Cases for case summary.

Laos Cristos C. Bogiages, Jr.
(1397)

On March 2, 1969, Major Bogiages was the pilot of an F-105D, one in a flight of two on a strike mission over Laos. Enroute to the target area he was diverted to work with a forward air controller on another target. After dropping his bombs on storage buildings and wooden crates outside them in Xieng Khouang Province, Major Bogiages made strafing passes on the same target. Major Bogiages made a normal recovery from his second strafing pass but then entered into a steep right hand turn and crashed on a small ridge approximately one kilometers south of the target. The burning wreckage was widely spread over a 500 meter area and the aircraft's drag chute was located 600 feet from the wreckage. Those on the scene did not believe the pilot had survived the crash. Major Bogiages was not seen to eject prior to the crash and there was no beeper. The forward air controller was hit by hostile ground fire while flying over the area.

On October 27, 1969, a ground search party entered the site and recovered a piece of material and left boot but no remains or survival gear. The material showed evidence of being subjected to high temperature based on fused portions of nylon which was also cut in several places. The boot was cut in the back, all laces were gone and the boot tongue was cut full length by a sharp object. It was believed the items were removed from a badly injured aviator. The material was initially believed to be a portion of the pilot's G-suit but was later found to be a portion of a deployment bag.

Major Bogiages name was passed to North Vietnamese officials late 1970 and U.S. officials were told through a private activist group, COLIAFAM, that Major Bogiages had never been detained in Vietnam. He was initially listed as missing in action. After Operation Homecoming he was declared dead/body not recovered, based on a presumptive finding of death.

In November 1982 a hearsay report was received about a F-105 crash near Phone Savan in which the pilot was killed and buried nearby. In April 1986 another report was received about a June 1969 crash of an F-105. The Pathet Lao ordered local villagers to bury the badly burned body of an American who fell out of the aircraft before it crashed. In August 1988, a report was received about a May 1969 crash of an F-105, one of two bombing a target. The aircraft crashed while pulling off the target. One badly burned body was seen in the wreckage. In January 1989, additional hearsay information about a wartime crash in which two crewmen reportedly died. These reports might have pertained to one of several incidents and were placed in the files of each loss. In April 1991 a U.S. citizen faxed a list of MIA to JCRC which had been originated by a resident of Thailand. Major Bogiages name was on the list but the meaning of the list was unclear.

South Vietnam John T. McDonnell
(1402)

See Vessey 135 Discrepancy Cases for case summary.

Laos Carter P. Luna
(1405)

On March 10, 1969, Lieutenant Colonel Luna and Captain Aldis P. Rutyna were in one of a flight of two F-4D aircraft on a combat mission over Laos. Their aircraft was hit by hostile ground fire while over the Route 9112/9116 road junction. The JCRC currently carries them as lost over Savannakhet Province and the Defense Intelligence Agency carries them as lost over Khammouane Province.

Both crewmen ejected and landed safely. Both were in voice contact with search and rescue aircraft and reporting enemy ground fire close to their position. Communications was lost with Lieutenant Colonel Luna one hour later. The two crewmen landed on top of enemy forces and for the next two hours, Captain Rutyna served as a forward air controller calling in airstrikes on surrounding hostile forces. Captain Rutyna was rescued at that point, three hours after his shoot down.

Lieutenant Colonel Luna was not seen alive in the northern Vietnamese prison system. He was initially declared missing and in August 1975 was declared dead/body not recovered.

Laos David Dinan
(1408)

On March 17, 1969, First Lieutenant Dinan was the pilot of an F- 105, one of two aircraft in a flight on a strike mission over Xieng Khouang Province in northern Laos. On his second staffing run over the target, Lieutenant Dinan radioed he believed he was hit and his cockpit was filling with smoke. He was able to eject from his aircraft and the crewman of another aircraft on the scene reported Lieutenant Dinan had waved to him from his parachute. A forward air controller observed his parachute enter the jungle and heard a beeper but was unable to establish either voice contact or a visual sighting of him once he had landed.

Approximately one hour later his parachute was located in tall trees. A pararescue specialist was lowered and reported Lieutenant Dinan was killed;the parachute had shredded when it went into the tall trees on a hillside slope and the pilot's body had been dismembered. Lieutenant Dinan's body could not be recovered due to darkness and the hazardous location of his landing area. In March 1969 Lieutenant Dinan was declared dead/body not recovered.

In May 1983, the Joint Casualty Resolution Center received a report about the 1969 crash of a U.S. aircraft in the area where Lieutenant Dinan was lost. The pilot was reportedly captured after landing. This report was placed in Lieutenant Dinan's file due to the coincidence of time and location in the report.

Laos Frederick W. Hess
(1418)

On March 29, 1969, First Lieutenant Hess and Captain William J. Popendorf were the crew in an F-4D on an herbicidal spray mission in the Ban Laboy area of Khammouane Province. At an altitude of 200 feet and at a possible air speed of 500 knots there was an explosion in the left rear of the aircraft. Their aircraft went into a shallow climb and at 500-600 feet it began to roll to the left and then crashed in the area of Route 915. There were no chute or beepers. However, Captain Popendorf then radioed that he was alive on the ground with a broken arm and right leg. He was subsequently rescued.

Captain Popendorf reported that he heard Lieutenant Hess eject prior to his own ejection from the aircraft. Captain Popendorf's parachute was not fully deployed when he landed but had been snagged in a tree. Lieutenant Hess was declared missing in action.

In 1972 the Defense Attache Office in Vientiane, Laos, forwarded the results of the Exploitation Team (Project 5310-03-E) interrogation of a People's Army of Vietnam soldier describing the April or May 1970 shoot down of an F-4H aircraft over the Binh Tram 31 area of operation. There was a parachute and seat and in the aircraft's wreckage. This report was placed in Lieutenant Hess' file due to the similarity in loss location.

Returning U.S. POWs had no information on Lieutenant Hess' precise fate. In May 1979 he was declared killed in action, body not recovered, based on a presumptive finding of death.

In February 1984, the Joint Casualty Resolution Center in Thailand reported information from a private U.S. citizen in Thailand. The source asserted that the Lao "resistance" had recovered artifacts from Seno District, Savannakhet Province, including a skull and ring and associated this material with Lieutenant Hess.

South Vietnam William C. Pierson, III
(1425)

On April 13, 1969, Warrant Officer Pierson and Captain Alvie J. Ledford were crewmen on an AH-1G aircraft making an attack run on an enemy gun position in Quang Nam Province. While at an approximate altitude of 500 feet and in a 45 degree dive, an accompanying aircraft pilot saw their aircraft hit by hostile ground fire. He also described seeing the pilot's compartment separate from the aircraft and disintegrate as it fell. Both crewmen were initially reported missing in action.

Captain Ledford's remains were recovered on April 20, 1969. Warrant Officer Pierson was declared dead/body not recovered, in October 1978. U.S. POWs returned alive during Operation Homecoming were unable to provide any information on the fate of Warrant Officer Pierson.

South Vietnam Charles V. Newton
Charles F. Prevedel
Douglas E. Dahill
(1428)

See Vessey 135 Discrepancy Cases for case summary.

Cambodia Jerry M. Shriver
(1431)

On April 24, 1969, Sergeant First Class Shriver was a member of the 5th Special Forces Group Command and Control South with a 25 man Vietnamese/U.S. reconnaissance control in a covert cross border operation into Cambodia. While 23 kilometers southeast of Memot, Kampong Cham Province, the platoon engaged hostile forces. He was last seen running into woods near his platoon's helicopter landing zone. Vietnamese voices were later heard stated that one American was in the process of being captured. He was initially declared missing in action. The area of his loss was later struck by a B-52 strike.

In June 1970 a recovery team landed at the site of the platoon ambush and recovered the remains of two Vietnamese and another American platoon member. Their remains were found lying on the ground and had not been buried.

Sergeant Shriver was initially declared missing in action and after the end of hostilities was declared dead/body not recovered. Returning U.S. POWs were unable to provide any information on his fate.

Laos William J. Brashear
Henry G. Mundt II
(1437)

On May 8, 1969, Major Brashear and Lieutenant Mundt departed Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam, in one of a flight of four F4C aircraft on a mission over Laos. Their aircraft was hit by hostile fire while over the target area near Chavane Airfield, Saravane Province. One parachute was seen to have deployed and a second floated. A search and rescue helicopter reported voice contact with one survivor but could not identify him. The survivor reported he was badly burned and had an injured leg. One member of the SAR flight identified the voice as that of Major Brashear.

Neither individual was identified alive in the northern Vietnamese prison system and neither of their remains have been repatriated. Both individuals were initially declared missing. Lieutenant Mundt was declared dead/body not recovered, in February 1979. Major Brashear was also declared dead/body not recovered.

In 1972 a People's Army of Vietnam defector reported observing a U.S. POW at the site where Major Brashear's aircraft was lost. He also reported he heard the POW was an F-105 pilot and a major.

Laos Virgil G. Stewart
(1444)

On May 17, 1969, First Lieutenant Stewart was the pilot of an F-4D in the area of the Mu Gia Pass, Khammouane Province, Laos, when his aircraft sustained battle damage. He ejected from his aircraft and reported to rescuers that he was on the ground with a broken arm and leg. Rescue forces had a visual sighting of him and short beepers. A hostile gun position was located south of his position and it was attacked by SAR forces. A pararescue specialist later landed in the area and found him dead. Hostile groundfire prevented recovery of his body. He was declared killed in action, body not recovered, in May 1969.

In 1978, the Defense Intelligence Agency reevaluated a December 1972 report from the Defense Attache Office, Vientiane, prepared by the Air Force member (Project 5800-09-05) of the Attache's Exploitation Team. One of the items reported by the source of the report was that an F-4H had crashed circa May 1969 and it was assumed the pilot had been rescued. This report was reevaluated to be a possible correlation to one of several losses in the area of the crash, one of which was Lieutenant Steward's loss incident.

Laos James W. Grace
(1455)

On June 14, 1969, Captain Grace and First Lieutenant Wayne J. Karas were the crew in an F-4D on a bomb damage assessment mission over Savannakhet Province. Their aircraft was hit by hostile ground fire while assessing damage to a bridge and was able to fly 85 kilometers east-northeast before both crewmen were forced to eject. They parachuted safely from their aircraft and search personnel were in contact with them. The two crewmen landed approximately 100 meters apart and were soon recovered by SAR forces.

However, during their recovery, the rotor blade on the helicopter recovering Captain Grace hit a tree and this caused Captain Grace to fall from the jungle penetrator on which he was seated. He fell 300-500 feet to the ground and efforts to locate him there were unsuccessful. Friendly units searched the area during August 1969- June 1970 but found no evidence of him. Lieutenant Karas was recovered safely.

Returning U.S. POWs had no information on Captain Grace's precise fate. In June 1976, Captain Grace was declared killed in action, body not recovered.

South Vietnam Donald L. Sparks
(1456)

See Vessey 135 Discrepancy Cases for case summary.

Laos Patrick M. Fallon
(1463)

On July 4, 1969, Colonel Fallon was the pilot of an A-1H, lead in a flight of two aircraft which departed Nakhon Phanom Air Base, Thailand, late in the morning for an armed reconnaissance mission over Xieng Khouang Province, Laos. His aircraft was hit in the wing during his second pass over the target and Colonel Fallon bailed out. Aircrew overhead saw Colonel Fallon's parachute being dragged in and initially "guessed" Colonel Fallon was on the ground and a prisoner approximately 20 miles southeast of Muong Suoi. However, Colonel Fallon was able to report he had landed safely and was in good condition but receiving fire from nearby hostile forces. Aircraft in the area laid down air strikes within one hundred feet of his position and received hostile ground fire. They reported friendly forces were two and a half miles southwest of his location and advised him to move in that direction but Colonel Fallon was observed surrounded by hostile forces.

After being in communications with aircraft overhead for approximately thirty minutes, Colonel Fallon radioed "Put it in around me. They have zapped me. I've had it." However, radio communications continued with Colonel Fallon for approximately 15 more minutes with no evidence he'd been wounded.

Colonel Fallon's wingman observed hostile infantry on the ridge top around his position. U.S. aircraft delivered ordnance on Colonel Fallon's position. Colonel Fallon was declared missing in action.

In August 1969 the area Colonel Fallon was last seen was searched by ground forces but with negative results. On September 16, 1969, an unconfirmed report was received that a U.S. pilot had been killed by grenades while defending himself with a pistol. An attempt was being made to locate villagers who might know of the grave site.

Returning U.S. POWs had no information on Colonel Fallon's precise fate. In August 1979 he was declared dead/body not recovered, based on a presumptive finding of death.

Laos Peter X. Pike
Paul L. Bannon
(1465)

On July 12, 1969, Major Bannon and First Lieutenant Pike were the crew in an F-4D which departed Ubon Air Base, Thailand, on a visual reconnaissance mission over Laos. While over Khammouane Province, Lieutenant Pike radioed that he was trying to find a hole in the clouds because their target area was unworkable due to poor weather conditions and he was going to move to another area. Their radio transmission suddenly stopped in mid-sentence at the same time their radar signal disappeared. The area in which the crew was flying at the time was mountainous terrain with mountain tops to 4500 feet and peaks in the area to 5830 feet. A limited aerial search of the area failed to locate any evidence of the missing crew.

In December 1970, the Swedish Government provided U.S. officials with a list of 207 names of American POWs and MIAs. Major Bannon's name was annotated that he was never captured in North Vietnam.

Returning U.S. POWs had no information on the eventual fate of the crew. Lieutenant Pike and Major Bannon were declared killed in action, body not recovered, based on a presumptive finding of death, in May 1974 and January 1979 respectively.

In late 1979, JCRC received information from an ethnic Lao resident in Thailand involved in self described Lao resistance activities. He reported that his element had captured a Pathet Lao guard from a cave prison in Khammouane Province to which 18 U.S. POWs had been transferred from Xieng Khouang Province in March 1979. The senior prisoner was described as Colonel Paul who was said to have been the pilot of a Porter aircraft shot down over the Plain of Jars in Xieng Khouang Province in 1971. In a separate letter to another individual, the source identified the senior POW as Paul W. Mercland. CIA was reportedly unable to corroborate the report, believed associated with the claimed presence of U.S. POWs in the area of Nhommarath in 1981. In June 1981, this incident was briefed by the DIA Director and his staff to the House Sub- Committee on Asian and Pacific Affairs which time the DIA said that the Nhommarath report had developed into "a complex and sensitive matter."

In April 1986, the Joint Casualty Resolution Center received information about aircraft wreckage on the ground in the area of this loss incident. Other crash reports were deceived during December 1988-August 1989 which might correlate to this loss incident.

Laos Roger D. Helwig
(1488)

On September 11, 1969, Helwig and fellow F-4D crewman Roger H. Stearns departed Da Nang, South Vietnam, on a visual reconnaissance flight over Savannakhet Province, Laos. After pulling low off their target, fuel was observed to be streaming from the top and bottom of their aircraft's wings. A small flash occurred on the left wing, and their aircraft rolled to the right and was almost completely inverted when it crashed into the ground in a stream bed several hundred feet beyond the target, exploding into a fireball on impact. The time from pull out to crash was estimated to be approximately five seconds, the canopy was seen still in place on the aircraft when it crashed, and no parachutes deployed. The two crewmen were declared missing.

Reports from others on the scene described part of a parachute in a tree beside the wreckage, an apparently deflated life raft to the west of the stream bed, and other badly torn parachute parts 75 meters north of the wreckage. There was no sign of any survivors. There were intermittent beepers in the area for the next two hours, but in no apparent order to the signals, and there was no voice transmission.

Returning U.S. POWs had no information on the two missing airmen and after the start of Operation Homecoming they were declared killed in action, body not recovered, based on a presumptive finding of death.

In October 1984, the Joint Casualty Resolution Center received crash site information from a refugee in Thailand who provided the tail number of an F-4 aircraft which correlated to the F-4D's tail number involved in this incident. In March 1989 the site was surveyed by a joint team in May 1990 a data plate from the aircraft was recovered together with an identity card and human remains of Roger H. Stearns. Roger Helwig remains unaccounted for.

Laos Gray D. Warren
Neil S. Bynum
(1505)

On October 25, 1969, First Lieutenant Bynum and Captain Warren were the crew in an F-4D on a forward air control mission over Khammouane Province. A bulldozer was sighted in the target area and they made two passes over the bulldozer. While on their third pass, a low angle pass on the dozer, they hit the bulldozer with a pod of high explosive rockets and then their aircraft was observed to impact on the ground and approximately 100 meters north of the bulldozer, exploding into a large fireball. The wreckage of their aircraft was spread over a 400 meter area. The area of impact was in the area of Ban San and Route 912, approximately nine kilometers from the Laos/North Vietnam border. There were no known survivors and both airmen were declared missing in action. SAR forces encountered hostile weapons fire during a two hour visual reconnaissance of their crash site.

Returning U.S. POWs had no information on their precise fate. They were declared dead/body not recovered, on separate dates in 1973 and 1976.

South Vietnam John G. Graf
(1523)

On November 15, 1969, Commander Graf, a U.S. Navy intelligence officer, was accompanying U.S. Army Captain Robert White on a flight south of Saigon. Their aircraft was hit by hostile small arms fire and crashed along the coast in Vinh Binh Province. Both crewmen parachuted to safety, were captured by local guerilla forces, and held in a provincial level prison. Both crewmen were initially reported as missing and then reclassified as POWs.

Commander Graf escaped from the prison circa February 1971 and was never seen again by Captain White. Captain White survived in the Vinh Binh prison. In 1972, a captured People's Army of Vietnam document from Military Region 3 in the southern Vietnam delta identified him as the only American POW in captivity in the delta who had not been evacuated to the Region 3 Headquarters controlled prison in the U-Minh mangrove swamp in Kien Giang Province.

Captain White's name did not appear on the Provisional Revolutionary Government's list of Americans to be repatriated during Operation Homecoming. Then, at the end of March 1973, People's Army of Vietnam General Tran Van Tra advised U.S. officers with the Joint Military Commission that Captain White had been omitted from the list and was to be repatriated. He was released to U.S. officials on April 1, 1973, the last American POW released during Operation Homecoming. Upon repatriation, he stated he was led to believe during the war that Commander Graf was still alive but had been told prior to his release that Commander Graf had died.

Wartime records recovered from the Vinh Binh area included the interrogation reports of Captain White and Commander Graf. After Operation Homecoming, Commander Graf was declared killed in action, body not recovered, based on a presumptive finding of death.

U.S. investigators in Vietnam recently interviewed former staff of the provincial prison who described Commander Graf's escape. His body was recovered later and it was evident he had drowned. His body was buried in a river bank which later eroded in flooding, washing away the area where his body had been buried.

Laos Benjamin F. Danielson
(1535)

On December 5, 1969, Captain Danielson was flying an F4C from Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam, on an interdiction mission over Laos. His aircraft was hit by hostile groundfire while in a high angle bomb delivery into an area of up through 75mm anti-aircraft fire in a heavily defended area near the North Vietnamese border. He and his co-pilot ejected and landed close together in Khammouane Province, Laos. Captain Danielson and his co-pilot were separated by a stream but were in contact with one another until December 6. On that date the co-pilot heard the sound of excited voices from a hostile search party scouring the area where Captain Danielson was located. The co-pilot then heard weapons firing, a scream from the area where Captain Danielson was hiding and then silence. There was no further radio transmission from Captain Danielson. The co- pilot was rescued the following day.

Captain Danielson was not reported alive in the northern Vietnamese prison system. He was initially declared missing and was declared dead/body not recovered in June 1976.

Laos Bruce C. Fryar
(1542)

On January 2, 1970, Captains Fryar and Nicholas G. Brooks were the crew of an A-6A from the U.S.S. Ranger, one in a flight of two on a late afternoon strike mission over the Mu Gia Pas in Khammouane Province. A forward air controller saw an orange flash followed by a fire on the right side of their aircraft. The forward air controller and flight leader saw two deployed parachutes and ejection seats. Two beepers were heard on guard frequency and there was a weak voice transmission which was unintelligible.

A pararescue specialist was lowered to the site of one parachute and found a lifeless body he identified later through a photograph as that of Captain Fryar. While attempting to hook his body onto a cable to remove it, the pararescue specialist reported Captain Fryar's body was limp, his head had turned 360 degrees as if his neck was broken, and his legs were bent up behind his head. Hostile ground fire forced the SAR force to withdraw and the effort was temporarily suspended. The SAR force returned on June 3, 1970 and Captain Fryar and his parachute were gone. There was an electronic beeper that morning but no pattern to its transmission. The SAR effort was continued until suspended January 7th. On January 19, 1970, a People's Army of Vietnam unit in Laos radioed it had captured one injured pilot but was unable to get the second. The pilot was "very sick" but had been killed by ethnic minorities. The second pilot was eventually captured but later escaped.

Both crewmen were initially declared missing in action. Returning U.S. POWs were unable to describe their precise fate and after Operation Homecoming both were declared killed in action, body not recovered, based on a presumptive finding of death.

In April 1982 Captain Brooks remains were repatriated and identified.

In February 1986 the Joint Casualty Resolution Center received information that remains had been recovered from this crash site and repatriated in May 1985 but no remains correlated to Captain Fryar were identified at the Central Identification Laboratory. In May 1991, a joint U.S./Lao investigation of the crash site led to the interview of witnesses who stated the bodies of two crewmen were recovered after the incident and buried in an adjacent bomb crater. The joint team did recover remnants of two survival tests, one flight suit and other artifacts but no remains. This site excavated was believed that of this loss incident.

North Vietnam Holly G. Bell
Gregory L. Anderson
William D. Pruett
Leonard C. Leeser
William C. Shinn
William C. Sutton
(1552)

On January 28, 1970, an HH-53B with six crewmen on board was in a holding pattern while engaged in a search and rescue mission over Ha Tinh Province. There was a MIG alert on the radio after which a MIG-21 aircraft fired an air to air missile which hit the HH-53B. There was a fireball explosion which turned the aircraft into hundreds of pieces. There was one two second beeper after the explosion but there were no parachutes seen by other SAR aircrews covering the SAR effort. The crew of the helicopter was declared killed in action, body not recovered, in April 1970. Returning U.S. POWs had no information on their precise fate.

In December 1988, Vietnam returned William Sutton's identity card and remains from Huong Khe District, Nghe Tinh Province it identified as those of William Sutton. The remains were determined to be of Holly G. Bell.

South Vietnam Gary B. Scull
(1572)

See Vessey 135 Discrepancy Cases for case summary.

Laos Dennis G. Pugh
(1573)

On March 19, 1970, Captain Richard A. Rash and First Lieutenant Pugh were the crew in an F-4D on a combat mission over Khammouane Province. They were hit by hostile ground fire and ejected from their aircraft in an area approximately 15 kilometers south of the Mu Gia Pass. Airborne search and rescue forces established contact with both of them on the ground but were unable to recover them due to darkness. The next day SAR forces reestablished contact with Lieutenant Pugh who reported that hostile forces were within ten meters of his position. He requested the SAR forces place ordnance on his position and he then held down the transmit key on his radio. Then, excited Asian voices were heard followed by 15 to 20 shots being fired, followed by silence. Ordnance was placed on his position as he requested and there was no further contact with him.

Captain Rash was rescued on March 21st and reported hearing the sound of small arms fire from Lieutenant Rash's location after which he lost radio contact with him. Further efforts to locate Lieutenant Pugh were unsuccessful and he was declared missing in action.

Returning U.S. POWs had no information on the eventual fate of Lieutenant Pugh. He was later declared killed in action, body not recovered, based on a presumptive finding of death.

In 1984, U.S. intelligence received information from a source describing the shoot down of an aircraft in which one pilot was rescued and one was taken prisoner. This report was believed to possibly correlate to this loss incident although Captain Rash and the SAR pilots believed Lieutenant Pugh had died.

Laos Richard L. Ayers
Robert E. Rausch
(1596)

On April 16, 1970, an RF-4C with a two man crew of Major Ayers and Captain Rausch departed Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Saigon to conduct reconnaissance along the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Vietnam as well as the adjacent area of Savannakhet Province, Laos. They refueled in flight and advised their controller that they were heading north to another target area. The new target area was known to be a high threat area with 37mm and other anti- aircraft weapons. They were last reported over Savannakhet Province but did not return from their mission and were declared missing in action. There were no chutes or beepers located.

Subsequent to their disappearance, Radio Hanoi's domestic service reported its forces had shot down an RF-4C in the Vinh Linh Special Zone, the North Vietnamese side of the DMZ, on the afternoon of April 16, 1970. This report was correlated to the loss of Major Ayers' aircraft.

On April 17, 1970, a People's Army of Vietnam unit radioed a report concerning four recent U.S. aircraft shoot downs. Three of the aircraft were F-4 and the completely burned remains of one crewman were found in one F-4 crash site wreckage. The pilot of the fourth aircraft, an RF-4C, was also killed. The portion of this radio message dealing with the RF-4C was believed associated with Major Ayers' shoot down even though People's Army forces only reported (one) pilot killed.

South Vietnam Eugene L. Wheeler
(1598)

See Vessey 135 Discrepancy Cases for case summary.

Laos Charles S. Rowley
(1600)

On April 22, 1970, Lieutenant Colonel Rowley was the navigator on an AC-130 on an armed reconnaissance mission over Saravane Province, Laos. It was hit by 37mm antiaircraft fire and crashed. One crewman was rescued alive and ten others, including LTC Rowley, were reported missing in action. No chutes or beepers were reported for the ten mission. Lieutenant Colonel Rowley's photograph was identified by returnees.

During the mid-1980s private U.S. and Lao POW hunters produced a photograph of a Caucasian reported to be LTC Rowley alive in Laos. In May 1991 U.S. intelligence received information of the recovery of identification media containing the name and social security account number of LTC Charlie B. Davis, the aircraft's navigator.

Cambodia Dale W. Richardson
Rodney D. Price, Jr.
Bunyan D. Price
Robert M. Young
(1610)

On May 2, 1970, eight U.S. Army personnel were flying in a UH-1H in northern Tay Ninh Province, South Vietnam. They crossed into Cambodia and were shot down by hostile ground fire, crashing southwest of Memot City. One Army Private evaded capture and was rescued. Four were captured. Two of those captured, Warrant Officer Maslowski and Specialist Crowson, were released in February 1973 during Operation Homecoming. Warrant Officer Varnado was wounded in the right side and left leg. He was taken to a hospital after captured and was never seen by U.S. POWs as alive after that time. A wartime report was received describing an American POW who died at Hospital K-21 on 26 August 1970, wounded in the left thigh during a helicopter crash in June 1970. The unit which shot down the helicopter was Z26 Company, 75th Artillery Group.

In January 1973, the Provisional Revolutionary Government acknowledged the death in captivity of Captain Young and Warrant Officer Michael B. Varnado. Varnado's returns were repatriated on April 27, 1989. The death of Captain Young was witnessed by nine U.S. POWs who were repatriated during Operation Homecoming. In February 1975, a Viet Cong defector who had served as a guard at prison camp TB.22 described Captain Young's death and located his burial site.

In April 1970, a Viet Cong defector reported having seen an American in Kampong Cham Province in April 1970. This report was believed associated with Specialist Price. In 1981 three South Vietnamese Army escapees from prison B-7 in Kratie Province reported an American POW there in 1971 who had reportedly been there for one year. During their only one hour interview they identified one of two photographs of Price as similar to the individual imprisoned at their camp. This identification led to a reclassification of Price from missing in action to POW.

Specialist Griffin and Captain Richardson were last seen alive after their crash and prior to the capture of Captain Young and the three others. Although those surviving into captivity were kept together and joined other U.S. POWs then in custody inside Cambodia, returning U.S. POWs never saw Richardson, Price or Griffin alive in captivity. A classified document last believed in the possession of Captain Richardson was shown to Captain Young. Captain Richardson was last seen alive and firing his pistol at enemy forces and was then hit by hostile fire while running.

After the end of hostilities, all unaccounted for crewmen were eventually declared dead/body not recovered.

South Vietnam Larry G. Kier
Refugio T. Terran
(1613)

On May 6, 1970, Private First Class Kier and Private First Class Terran were at a fire support base in Quang Tri Province. Their position came under an enemy attack and a nearby ammunition dump 20 meters from their bunker was hit by a rocket propelled grenade. Napalm from the ammunition dump leaked into their position which caught fire and burned. After the attack Terran could not be located, and Kier, at a separate location, could not be located either. Both individuals were declared killed in action, body not recovered in the late 1970s.

In August 1991, a Vietnam resident turned over the partially melted identity card belonging to Kier together with two bone fragments. The bones were reportedly recovered during 1987 and were turned over to a U.S. representative in Hanoi. The fragments are currently undergoing analysis.

South Vietnam Alan R. Trent
Eric Huberth
(1619)

On May 13, 1970, First Lieutenant Huberth and Captain Trent were the crew in an F-4D, one in a flight of two F-4 which took off from Phu Cat Air Base against a target approximately 105 miles northwest inside Cambodia. There was .30 and .50 calibre ground fire against their aircraft while in the target area. Their aircraft was observed to crash into a ridge line during a dive. A forward air controller saw no one eject, no parachutes and heard no beepers. Another F-4 on the scene and with a clear view of the crash reported the aircraft exploded on impact with a full load of munitions on board and the resultant wreckage was spread over a 500 meter area. There was a search and rescue effort on May 14th and 15th, to include a ground team on the 14th, but there was no evidence that anyone had survived the incident.

Both airmen were initially reported missing in action. Returning U.S. POWs had no information on their precise fate. In November 1973 both were declared dead/body not recovered, based on a presumptive finding of death.

South Vietnam James M. Rozo
Robert P. Phillips
Joe P. Pederson
(1639)

See Vessey 135 Discrepancy Cases for case summary.

Laos Donald B. Bloodworth
James W. Reed
(1650)

On the evening of July 24, 1970, Captain Reed and First Lieutenant Bloodworth departed Udorn Air Base, Thailand, in an F-4D, one in a flight of three aircraft on a night escort mission over Laos. They refueled in flight and preceded to the Plain of Jars area of Xieng Khouang Province to provide escort to an AC-119 gunship. The gunship located a truck on Route 7 and fired on in. After expending its ammunition, Captain Reed's aircraft also attacked the truck. They were unsuccessful on their first pass and were approved for a second pass over the target but there were no further communications with the crew. Shortly thereafter, there was a large explosion on the ground near the target. There were no chutes or beepers and a ground search was not possible to extremely heavy hostile activity in the crash site area.

On July 25, 1970, a hostile unit in Laos radioed that its forces had shot down one F-4 on July 25th with anti-aircraft fire and the pilots had been captured. This report was initially believed correlated to this loss incident but was later determined to probably correlate with another incident in South Laos, which occurred on July 25th, and not this incident, which occurred in North Laos on July 24th.

Both crewmen were declared missing in action. Returning U.S. POWs had no information on the precise fate of the two missing crewmen. After Operation Homecoming they were declared dead/body not recovered, based on a presumptive finding of death.

In July 1973, the Defense Attache Office Exploitation Team (Project 5310-03-E) forwarded information from a prisoner who described the crash of one of three jets bombing on the eastern rim of the Plain of Jars circa April 1968. One aircraft reportedly dove on a ground target but didn't recover from its dive and crashed. The next day the source heard from a Pathet Lao medical technician that two crewmen were killed in the crash.

DIA believed this report might be associated with this loss incident. In 1973 the Exploitation Team forwarded information from a former Pathet Lao describing an aircraft crash said to have occurred in 1969 near Nong Tang cave. While it was initially suspected it might pertain to this loss incident, DIA reevaluated it after Operation Homecoming and concluded it might pertain to the loss incident of a returnee, Charles Reiss.

In 1986 the Joint Casualty Resolution Center received a report about a crash site in the vicinity of this loss incident. In January 1990, a joint JCRC/Lao team visited the area of this loss incident and was told a Lao national had remains to turn over. The source could not be located at that time. In July 1971 a joint team investigated the site and in December 1991 another joint team visited the site, locating F-4 wreckage and a portion of parachute harness.

South Vietnam Bernard H. Plassmeyer
(1660)

See Vessey 135 Discrepancy Cases for case summary.

Laos Fred A. Gassman
David A. Davidson
(1663)

On October 5, 1970, a joint U.S./Vietnamese reconnaissance team designated Team Fer-de-Lance from the 5th Special Forces Group Command and Control North group engaged hostile forces in the Phu Dung operational area in Saravan Province. The Assistant Team Leader, Sergeant Gassman, radioed to an aircraft overhead that the Team Leader had been hit by hostile fire and fallen off a cliff, the team was receiving hostile ground fire from three sides, and they were low on ammunition. The Assistant Team Leader then radioed "I've been hit - and in the worst way." Several groans were heard over the circuit and then the radio went silent.

Two other team members later described how Staff Sergeant Davidson was hit by a long burst of enemy fire after which Sergeant Gassman was talking on the radio when he too was shot. Sergeant Gassman groaned and fell to the ground with a large hole in his back. One Vietnamese team member with Sergeant Gassman when he was shot believed he had died.

After the incident the Sergeants Gassman and Davidson were declared missing in action. Returning U.S. POWs had no information on their precise fate. After Operation Homecoming they were declared dead/body not recovered, based on a presumptive finding of death.

Laos Joseph L. Chestnut
(1666)

On October 13, 1970, Major Chestnut was the pilot of a T-28 propeller aircraft on an orientation flight which originated from Luang Prabang, the royal capital of Laos. The flight leader saw smoking coming from Major Chestnut's T-28 wings but there were no flames. His T-28 began a shallow straight ahead climb and then went over the crest of a hill and exploded on the other side of the crest. Major Chestnut was not seen to parachute from the aircraft and there was no beeper. He was declared missing.

On October 14, 1970, a ground search team entered the area of Major Chestnut's crash. They located the aircraft's wreckage and Major Chestnut's seat but there was no evidence of Major Chestnut. They searched the area again on October 23rd and located more wreckage, but there was still no evidence of Major Chestnut.

Returning U.S. POWs were unable to provide any information concerning Major Chestnut. In July 1978 he was declared dead/body not recovered, based on a presumptive finding of death.

In July 1990, a source provided information on a T-28 crash near Luang Prabang in 1971. The aircraft was said to have been shot down and the pilot buried. Another initially claimed he had witnessed the incident, later acknowledged his information came from what he'd learned as a member of the ground search party, and later introduced a source with hearsay information about the crash.

South Vietnam Douglas F. Strait
(1668)

See Vessey 135 Discrepancy Cases for case summary.

North Vietnam David I. Wright
William W. Bancroft, Jr.
(1675)

On November 13, 1970, Lieutenant Bancroft and his pilot, Major David I. Wright, were on an aerial reconnaissance mission over Ha Tinh Province, North Vietnam. Their wingman reported antiaircraft fire in the area as Lieutenant Bancroft's aircraft made a low level pass. Their aircraft suddenly exploded while approximately 500 feet above the ground, crashing tail first into the ground, followed by an all consuming explosion. There were no chutes or beepers.

Lieutenant Bancroft and Major Wright were initially reported missing and their status changed to killed in action, body not recovered, prior to Operation Homecoming. Returning U.S. POWs did not report them alive with other U.S. POWs in the northern Vietnamese prison system.

Laos Owen G. Skinner
Thomas Allen Duckett
(1683)

On December 12, 1970, Skinner and Duckett departed Thailand in an 0-2 to provide forward air control support to a B-57 aircraft engaged in an air strike on trucks in an area nine kilometers southeast of Tchepone in Savannakhet Province, Laos. The aircraft did not return from its mission and its wreckage was located in the target area and approximately 500 meters south of Route 9. Both airmen were declared missing.

The crew of the B-57G was also downed during this mission but the crewmen were rescued. The crew of the B-57G reported it had sustained a mid-air collision with an 0-2. An Air Force inquiry found case 1683 to have been a hostile loss due to it being a high threat area and nothing substantive in the B-57G crew statements to confirm that a mid-air collision had occurred even though the B-57G crash side was near the O-2 crash site.

A search and rescue aircraft located the O-2 wreckage on December 13 and observed a parachute hanging from a tree near the crash site. An emergency beeper was also heard in the area on December 14. The area was characterized as full of hostile ground forces. The rescue aircraft made radio contact with someone but was unable to determine who or where.

Returning U.S. POWs were unable to confirm the crew survived into captivity. After Operation Homecoming, they were declared dead/body not recovered.

In September 1989 the area of the 0-2 crash site was surveyed by the Joint Casualty Resolution Center and there was no evidence of the wreckage of the aircraft. The area was described as a well established farming community.

Laos Albro L. Lundy, Jr.
(1685)

On December 24, 1970, Major Lundy was the lead A-1E aircraft in a flight of two escorting a flight of three medical evacuation helicopters. The medevac Air America helicopters had made a pick up from the Ban Ban Valley in eastern Xieng Khouang Province. During the flight over Xieng Khouang Province, Major Lundy reported his engine was running rough, then reported his engine backfiring and he was ejecting. His seat rocket was seen to fire and there was an apparently normal parachute deployment. One Air America pilot reported someone was in the parachute when it first opened but that could not be confirmed by others. However, at an altitude of 1000 feet the parachute harness was found to be empty and the leg straps dangling with no one in the harness. A helicopter followed the parachute to the ground and confirmed it to be empty.

Major Lundy's aircraft exploded on impact and burned with its ordnance detonating. There was no radio, beeper, or beacon from him. Ground forces attempted to enter the crash site that day but were driven off by hostile fire in the area. Major Lundy was declared killed in action, body not recovered, in December 1970.

Over the past two years there have been over 20 reports asserting Major Lundy was alive and held at various locations in different countries to include Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and with no location specified. No hard evidence has surfaced that Major Lundy survived his downing and was alive after that point. A photograph allegedly depicting Major Lundy with two other purported POWs alive in Cambodia in 1990 was determined by DIA to be a hoax.

Laos Park G. Bunker
(1686)

On December 30, 1970, Captain Bunker was the pilot of an O-1 aircraft on a visual reconnaissance mission over Xieng Khouang Province. His aircraft was hit by hostile ground fire and crashed. Captain Bunker contacted his forward air controller and advised he was on the ground approximately five kilometers west of a lake and did not know the location of his observer. His last radio transmission was "I'm hit at least five times, for all practical purposes I am dead." Beeper signals continued for approximately three minutes after his last transmission before going silent.

Airborne search and rescue forces arrived and located a body face down approximately 10 meters from Captain Bunker's aircraft. It appeared to be the body of Captain Bunker and had suffered a head wound with the body riddled with wounds from the waist up. Heavy hostile ground fire drove off the SAR force. In December 1970 Captain Bunker was declared killed in action, body not recovered.

In 1972, the Army Attache Office's Exploitation Team (Project 5310- 03-E) reported information from a source about a December 1971 crash site in Xieng Khouang Province. The source reported a charred body and arm were at the crash site. This report was placed in Captain Bunker's file due to the proximity of his crash site to the crash site reported by the source. In 1975, the Exploitation Team forwarded information from a source describing wreckage and two skeletons in this same area. Another source described having been told by the Pathet Lao that one American and one Thai were killed. The remains were still lying on the ground in July 1974.

In 1982, the Joint Casualty Resolution Center forward information from sources about the crash of U.S. aircraft in Xieng Khouang Province during either 1968 or 1969. These reports were also placed in Captain Bunker's file due to the coincidence in crash site. The last report received in 1988 offered hearsay information about a shoot down in 1968 or 1969 in which an American and a Hmong had died and were buried nearby.

Over water Donald M. Cramer
(1689)

On January 5, 1971, Chief Warrant Officer Cramer and Specialist Fourth Class Ronnie V. Rogers departed from the Hue/Phu Bai Air Field to conduct a test of CWO Cramer's AH-1G Cobra helicopter aircraft armament system. He had been cleared to test his weapons in a free fire zone south southeast of Fire Support Base Normandy. He was last reported in a coastal area of Thua Thien Province approximately 20 kilometers east of the air field. Flying weather at the time was judged to be poor and there was no radio communications with him after takeoff. He did not return from the weapon's system test and both crewmen were declared missing.

On January 8, 1971, the body of Specialist Rogers were located on the beach in the general area where the AH-1G was last known to be operating. An autopsy determined the cause of his death was due to drowning.

Returning U.S. POWs had no information about the fate of CW2 Cramer. In June 1973 he was declared dead/body not recovered, based on a presumptive finding of death.

South Vietnam John T. Strawn
Rodney D. Osborne
Harold L. Algaard
Richard J. Hentz
Michael W. Marker
(1715)

On March 4, 1971, a JU-21A with a crew of five departed South Vietnam on an intelligence gathering mission in the area of the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Vietnam. Contact was lost with the aircraft, it did not return from its mission, and the crew was initially declared missing. A search effort to locate the missing aircraft and crew failed to locate them along its known flight path and the aircrew was declared missing.

On March 4, 1971, a People's Army of Vietnam unit in the area of the Demilitarized Zone radioed it had launched one of its surface to air missiles and had shot down an unidentified aircraft it had been tracking. It also reported that the aircraft had crashed and the five crewmen on board were dead. U.S. intelligence analysis of the North Vietnamese reports about the aircraft's flight path and crash location indicated the aircraft crashed approximately two miles inside the DMZ in Quang Tri Province. Further analysis indicated the aircraft was shot down after the JU-21A's last radio transmission. Based on the flight path and circumstances of the North Vietnamese report, it was correlated to the loss of this air crew and its aircraft.

Following the loss, the Vietnam News Agency reported that a U.S. aircraft had been downed in Quang Binh Province killing many of the men on board. This report was believed also associated with this air loss. In addition, U.S. intelligence obtained a wire photo disseminated by the Vietnam News Agency showing aircraft wreckage in Quang Tri Province on March 4, 1971. U.S. analysis in conjunction with the aircraft's manufacturer determined the wreckage was of a U-21 and probably related to the wreckage of the missing flight. Unidentified notes in the files indicate this photograph may not have been provided to the next of kin because it wasn't asked for and because of indecision about how to declassify a 21 year old wirephoto. After the Vietnamese reports of their shoot down of an aircraft and the death of its crew, the U.S. Army declared the crew had been killed in action, body not recovered.

In late June and early July 1992, a joint U.S./Vietnamese team visited the area of the reported JU-21A crash site in Gio Linh District. Witnesses were interviewed who claimed to have visited the crash site during the war and reported seeing 4-5 remains at the site. The remains were reportedly placed in a nearby bomb crater and covered. Aircraft wreckage was located at the crash site as well as items of personal equipment. There were differences in first hand and hearsay accounts of the locations of the bodies but the sum of the information was that the individuals had died and their remains buried in the area.

Laos Randolph J. Ard
Sheldon J. Burnett
(1719)

On March 7, 1971, Warrant Officer Ard and Lieutenant Colonel Burnett were with two other U.S. soldiers on an H-58 ostensively on a transport mission over South Vietnam. The aircraft was hit by hostile machine gun fire while at an altitude of 250-300 feet and crashed three kilometers from Ban Houay San Airfield, Savannakhet Province, Laos. After action reports indicate the aircraft was attempting to recover U.S. wounded in Laos when it was hit by groundfire.

The two Army crew members who escaped the crash site reported that prior to leaving the site, Warrant Officer Ard had both legs broken, several bullet wounds and possibly a crushed hip. Lieutenant Colonel Burnett was bleeding from the head, neck, arms and was speaking incoherently. The site was taking incoming 155mm artillery fire, shrapnel from exploding rounds was hitting the aircraft after it crash landed, there was incoming rocket fire onto their position and People's Army of Vietnam forces were approaching their crashed aircraft.

On March 18, 1971, South Vietnamese Army forces recaptured the area and were unable to locate any sign of the two U.S. officers. They reported the entire area showed clear evidence of the extremely heavy fighting which had taken place in the area which was within the Operation Lamson 719 area of tactical operations. North Vietnamese prisoners later interviewed in South Vietnam reported sightings of U.S. POWs being escorted north along the Ho Chi Minh Trail but none could be correlated to these two missing officers.

Neither officer was ever reported alive in the northern Vietnamese prison system. Both individuals were reported missing and in May 1979 were declared dead/body not recovered.

South Vietnam Clive G. Jeffs
(1723)

See Vessey 135 Discrepancy Cases for case summary.

Laos Barton S. Creed
(1724)

On March 13, 1971, Lieutenant Creed was leading a flight of A-7E aircraft on a strike mission in Tchepone District of southern Savannakhet Province, Laos, along road segment 99B. Pulling out of a strafing run on a truck his aircraft was hit in the mid- section by hostile ground fire and Lieutenant Creed ejected. A forward air controller saw a parachute deploy and soon established radio contact with Lieutenant Creed on the ground from whom he learned Creed had a broken arm, broken leg and was losing consciousness. Creed last reported that "they are here" and his radio beeper went silent twenty seconds later. The FAC, receiving small arms fire from the ground, heard no further transmission from Lieutenant Creed. Four SAR attempts were unsuccessful and SAR personnel observed someone had moved Lieutenant Creed's parachute to a new location. U.S. forces were aware this was a common practice by hostile forces attempting to lure search and rescue forces into a trap.

Lieutenant Creed was initially reported missing and later declared dead/body not recovered. He was not seen alive in the northern Vietnamese prison system. One returning POW reported being shown the identity card of someone with a one syllable name which had "EE" in the name and which may have been the ID card of Lieutenant Creed.

Full Accounting has recommended the site for excavation.