Text File

Over water Frederick L. Holmes (1793)

On December 30, 1971, Lieutenant Commander Holmes and his co-pilot, Lieutenant Burton, were the lead A-6 aircraft in a strike mission over North Vietnam. Their aircraft was observed to take a direct hit from a surface to air missile. Lieutenant Burton was wounded, blown clear of the aircraft and his parachute deployed successfully. Another aircraft on the scene reported seeing two good chutes deploy, but this report was later viewed as not confirmed. A search and rescue aircraft then reported both pilots in sight and in the water off Hon Nieu Island. Lieutenant Burton was rescued by U.S. forces. SAR forces located a pilot's ejection seat and life raft possibly belonging to Lieutenant Commander Holmes but were unable to locate either him or his chute in an area with a large number of North Vietnamese sampans.

A Radio Hanoi broadcast referenced this incident, one of several U.S. aircraft losses on the same date in the southern part of North Vietnam. While some pilots were reported captured alive, Lieutenant Commander Holmes' name was not identified among those captured. One returning POW recognized Lieutenant Commander Holmes' name but no returning POWs ever reported him alive in the northern Vietnamese prison system.

In April 1975 Lieutenant Commander Holmes case was submitted for a casualty review at the request of his next of kin. He was declared dead/body not recovered.

South Vietnam James F. Worth (1810)

See Vessey 135 Discrepancy Cases for case summary.

South Vietnam Wayne L. Bolte Anthony R. Giannangeli Charles A. Lewis Henry M. Serex Robin F. Gatwood (1811)

On April 2, 1972, an EB-66 from Korat Air Base, Thailand, was on an electronic countermeasure mission over North Vietnam. At approximately 0850 hours an F-105 pilot in the area observed a surface to air missile fired from the vicinity of the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Vietnam which hit the EB-66, code name Bat 21. The EB-66 was then seen to be trailing flames from both wings and crash into Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam. No one was seen to eject from the aircraft but a single beeper was heard.

Later, voice contact was established with Lieutenant Colonel Iceal E. Hambleton, the lone survivor, and he was rescued 12 days later. He had no information that any other crewmen had survived. He described how the surface to air missile struck below and behind the navigator in the area of the aircraft's forward compartment. He saw Major Bolte after the hit but did not know if he was able to eject. All other crewmen were declared missing in action.

After the loss of the RB-66, a Vietnam People's Army unit reported three missiles had been fired and "struck" a target. Orange parachutes were reported. On April 2, 1972, Vietnamese radio reported that the People's Army had fired missiles and hit a B-52 in the Vinh Linh Special Zone area and other aircraft had fled. Another report from Hanoi in English on April 5th reported the aircraft had burst into flames and exploded.

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

South Vietnam Ronald P. Paschall Byron K. Kulland John W. Frink (1812)

On April 2, 1972, a UH-1H helicopter from the 1st Signal Brigade with four men on-board was on a direct combat support mission near Quang Tri City, Quang Tri Province. While searching for the crew of a downed U.S. Air Force aircraft, the helicopter was hit by hostile small arms fire and crashed. An airborne SAR mission failed to locate any survivors and the crew was declared missing in action.

In April 1972, a former People's Army of Vietnam sergeant reported the downing of a helicopter on April 1, 1972, which crashed near an anti-aircraft gun position in the vicinity of this loss incident. The crew was believed to have been killed in the crash. In another report, a former People's Army soldier reported sighting an American POW in April 1972 who was being escorted by nurses near the Ben Hai River in Quang Tri Province. The American was captured from an aircraft shot down by People's Army forces.

In March 1973, surviving crewman Jose M. Astorga was repatriated alive during Operation Homecoming. He reported that hostile fire hit their helicopter's fuel cell which exploded, engulfing their helicopter in flames. He believed all other crewmen died in the ensuing fire and crash, and neither he nor any other returning POWs had any knowledge that any other crewmen survived into captivity. After Operation Homecoming, the other crewmen were declared killed in action, body not recovered based on a presumptive finding of death.

South Vietnam Douglas L. Neil Allen D. Christiansen Edward W. Williams Larry A. Zich (1814)

On April 3, 1972, CW2 Zich and three other servicemen were on board a UH1H helicopter on an in-country flight in the area of Quang Tri City, Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam. The aircraft never returned from its mission and there were no initial reports of the aircraft's possible crash site. They were initially declared missing in action.

In July 1974 U.S. intelligence received hearsay information on a helicopter crash site and dead crew which might have correlated to this incident;however, this incident was approximately 20 kilometers from the suspect area of loss. In January 1980 another report was received about the explosion of a helicopter and the location of remains associated with its crew but it could not be specifically correlated to this loss incident.

There were no reports from returning U.S. POWs that CW2 Zich or other crewmen had been seen alive in captivity. After the end of hostilities all were declared dead/body not recovered.

North Vietnam Thomas E. Dunlop (1816)

See Vessey 135 Discrepancy Cases for case summary.

South Vietnam Howard B. Lull Richard S. Schott (1819)

On April 7, 1972, Sergeant First Class Lull was one of seven Americans from Advisory Team 47 and one French national present at An Loc City, Binh Long Province, when forces of the South Vietnamese Army's 9th Regiment, 5th Infantry Division, were attacked and overrun by tank led forces of the Vietnam People's Army. Both Sergeant Lull and Colonel Schott were initially reported missing in action. The French national with the Americans was released shortly after capture. He was able to confirm captivity of those Americans with him but was unable to establish the fate of Sergeant Lull and Lt. Colonel Schott.

Returning U.S. POWs repatriated in February 1973 reported that Lieutenant Colonel Schott was last seen on April 7th and in circumstances where he appeared to be dead. Sergeant First Class Lull was believed captured on April 8th.

In February 1973, a member of the South Vietnamese Army captured on April 9th and repatriated in February 1973 reported that Sergeant Lull evaded capture and reached a South Vietnamese Army post approximately 13 kilometers to the south of where his team was overrun. There he was reportedly killed in a Viet Cong ambush. The former commander of the South Vietnamese Army's 9th Infantry Regiment stated that both Colonel Schott and Sergeant Lull died in their bunker.

In December 1988, U.S. intelligence personnel interviewed two former South Vietnamese Army personnel who participated in the lifting of the siege of An Loc. They described having been present when An Loc was retaken and the bodies of those killed were collected and buried in a mass grave. They stated that the bodies included the partially decomposed bodies of two Americans, a Lieutenant Colonel and a non-commissioned officer, possibly a Sergeant First Class.

During the post hostilities review of the cases of those carried as missing in action, Sergeant Lull and Colonel Schott were declared dead/body not recovered. Neither individual was seen alive in captivity by other U.S. POWs captured at An Loc.

South Vietnam Bruce C. Walker Larry W. Potts (1820)

See Vessey 135 Discrepancy Cases for case summary.

Laos Scott D. Ketchie (1824)

On the evening of April 9, 1972, First Lieutenant Ketchie was the Navigator in an A-6A which took off from the U.S.S. Coral Sea for a strike mission over lines and communications and supply points in the area of Tchepone, Savannakhet Province. After his second run against a target of five trucks, he departed the target area and was at an altitude of 12,000 feet when his aircraft was hit in its aft section by hostile anti-aircraft fire. His aircraft caught on fire and began to spin. The pilot directed Lieutenant Ketchie to eject. The pilot ejected but neither saw nor had contact with Lieutenant Ketchie from the time of the eject order and up to the time the aircraft crashed. The crash site was in the Steel Tiger east operational area east-northeast of Tchepone and near Vietnam's Demilitarized Zone.

The pilot, Major Smith, landed approximately 40 yards from the crash site of their aircraft and remained in place for four days until rescued. He never was able to establish any contact with Lieutenant Ketchie. One U.S. search aircraft overhead in contact with the surviving pilot "thought" he saw two parachutes on the ground but this was not confirmed by any other source. Maj. Smith was able to hear the sound of people in the area and coordinated air strikes on them. On one occasion, a BLU-52 canister of gas was dropped on the area by search and rescue forces and Major Smith was himself gassed. Search and rescue forces searched the area for Lieutenant Ketchie but were unable to locate any evidence of him through the time the pilot was rescued.

On April 9, 1972, a Vietnam People's Army unit reported having hit an aircraft, the pilot had parachuted out, and search teams had been sent to capture the pilot. On April 10, 1972, a unit reported it had downed an aircraft and the pilot had been killed. A second aircraft was also reported shot down and the unit said it heard an aircraft was shot down on March 30th. Another report on April 10th stated a pilot had been captured. These reports were believed to possibly be associated with Lieutenant Ketchie's loss incident and were placed in his file.

Lieutenant Ketchie was initially reported missing in action. Returning U.S. POWs had no information on his precise fate. After Operation Homecoming he was declared dead/body not recovered, based on a presumptive finding of death.

South Vietnam Robert W. Brownlee, Jr. (1834)

On April 24, 1972, Lieutenant Colonel Brownlee was with Advisory Team 22 together with the South Vietnamese Army's 47th Regiment at a base designated Dak To II in Kontum Province. The position came under heavy hostile attack and Colonel Brownlee withdrew from Dak To II together with Captain Charles W. Creen and a South Vietnamese Army interpreter, Sergeant Cao Ky Chi. Fording the nearby Poko River, both Captain Creen and Sergeant Chi were swept downstream and temporarily separated from Colonel Brownlee who reached the south bank of the Poko River and began climbing a hill.

After successfully evading, Sergeant Chi related that he had reached the south bank of the Poko River and heard People's Army of Vietnam troops call out in Vietnamese to halt. He observed South Vietnamese Army soldier approximately 100 meters away raise their hands but had no personal knowledge of the fate of Colonel Brownlee.

South Vietnamese personnel repatriated during Operation Homecoming provided several hearsay accounts during 1973-1974 in an effort by the Defense Attache Office, Saigon, to learn Colonel Brownlee's fate. These accounts, all attributed to different South Vietnamese Army prisoner sources, stated that Colonel Brownlee had committed suicide prior to capture. None of these accounts could be verified.

One returning U.S. POW, Captain Reeder, knew Colonel Brownlee had been at Dak To II and knew him to be the senior district advisor but had no knowledge of his fate. Captain Reeder had also heard an account traced to a 42nd Regiment doctor that Colonel Brownlee was dead, but Captain Reeder did not find the source to be reliable.

No returning U.S. POW was able to provide any information on Colonel Brownlee's precise fate. In November 1978 he was declared dead/body not recovered, based on a presumptive finding of death.

In May 1985, the Joint Casualty Resolution Center received a report that a worker in the Dak To area had found human remains there. This report was replaced in Colonel Brownlee's file.

North Vietnam Joseph W. McDonald (1842)

On May 3, 1972, Lieutenant McDonald and Captain David Williams were the crewmen in the second A-6A aircraft in a flight of two on a mission over Dong Hoi, Quang Binh Province. Their last transmission was that they expected to be over water in two minutes. This was after they had already finished attacking their target. Their IFF beacon transponder was located well out to sea after an extensive search. The search was terminated on May 5, 1972. There was no sighting of either the aircraft or crew. Both individuals were initially declared missing. Both were declared dead/body not recovered, after Operation Homecoming.

In June 1989 Vietnam repatriated the remains which were approved as those of David Williams.

A U.S. team in Vietnam located archival documents reporting the shoot down of a U.S. aircraft on May 3, 1972 in which the "air pirates were torn apart." This incident is the only aircraft loss in the area on that date.

North Vietnam Dennis E. Wilkinson Jeffrey L. Harris (1848)

On May 10, 1972, Harris and Wilkinson were the crewmen of an F-4E en route to Yen Bai Airfield. They were engaged by hostile MIG aircraft. Eye witnesses reported their aircraft wing and left fuel tank was hit by cannon fire, and they did not acknowledge radio transmissions to them. After being hit their aircraft made no evasive maneuver, went into a steep dive and twenty seconds later impacted in an area of rolling hills.

They were initially reported missing in action and both were declared dead/body not recovered, in May 1973. Neither was reported by U.S. returning POWs to have been alive in the northern Vietnamese prison system. Wilkinson's remains were repatriated in August 1978.

North Vietnam 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. His aircraft suddenly exploded while approximately 500 feet above the grown. His aircraft crashed tail first and then there was an all consuming explosion. There were no chutes or beepers.

Lieutenant Bancroft was initially reported missing and his status was changed to killed in action, body not recovered, on November 21, 1970. Returning U.S. POWs did not report him alive with other U.S. POWs in the northern Vietnamese prison system.

South Vietnam Rodney L. Strowbridge Robert J. Williams (1855)

On May 11, 1972, Captains Strowbridge and Williams were the crew in an AH-1G helicopter, one in a flight of three providing air operations support to South Vietnamese Army forces heavily engaged by hostile units in the siege of An Loc town, Binh Long Province, now renamed Song Be Province. Their helicopter was hit in the tail boom and the boom was immediately severed, possibly by a surface to air missile. Their helicopter went into a flat spin and crashed but no one saw the actual crash. Heavy anti-aircraft fire precluded a search of the crash site area.

Both airmen were declared missing in action. One returnee stated he heard the name Robert J. Williams in the POW communications system but Captain Williams was not seen or reported alive by any returning POW. After Operation Homecoming the two crewmen were declared killed in action, body not recovered, based on a presumptive finding of death.

In September 1974, the Joint Casualty Resolution Center reported a crash site associated with a 1972 aircraft downing. The remains of a pilot were reportedly buried nearby. In 1983 and 1984, JCRC received further reporting about aircraft wreckage associated with remains in the area of their crash. In July 1987, a source reported dog-tag information associated with Robert J. Williams and reported his remains were in Bo Trach District, Quang Binh Province. In May 1991, another source previously incarcerated at the Tong Le Chan reeducation camp provided dog tag information with the name Robert Williams and asserted his remains were in Song Be Province.

South Vietnam Larry K. Morrow (1868)

See Vessey 135 Discrepancy Cases for case summary.

South Vietnam Larry J. Newman Stanley L. Lohrke Richard E. Nyhot Leon A. Hunt Jacob A. Mercer Donald H. Klinke Richard M. Cole Mark A. Danielson Gerald F. Ayers Robert H. Harrison Robert A. Wilson Paul F. Gilbert (1879)

On June 16, 1972, a C-130 escorted by three F-4 was over the A Shau Valley, Thua Thien Province. On its second orbit over the target it was hit by a shoulder fired SA-7 surface to air missile in the number three engine, a small explosion occurred and the right wing separated from the aircraft. There were another explosion and three crewmen were blown clear of the aircraft. The aircraft, in flames and with the right wing and probably the tail missing, crashed, exploded and burned on impact in the A Luoi area. The three crewmen blown from the aircraft -- Captain Gordon Bocher, Staff Sergeant William Patterson and Second Lieutenant Robert Reid -- were rescued. A SAR effort over the area failed to locate any other survivors.

At the time of this loss, a Vietnam People's Army unit reported engaging a U.S. B-52 over Quang Binh Province, the air crew parachuted out, and all were captured. DIA believed this might correlate to the AC-130 lost on June 18, 1972 because there were no B-52 aircraft lost on that date.

Early in 1973, the Air Force member of the Army Attache Exploitation Team in Laos (Project 5800-09-5) obtained information from a People's Army soldier in Laos concerning the shoot down of an AC-130 in the A Luoi area. The aircraft had been shot down by the 36th Anti-Aircraft Battalion, Binh Tram 42. The burned remains of six crewmen were reportedly found at the crash site. In June 1973 the Defense Attache Office in Saigon reported information from a source about a C-130 crash at A Luoi in which all on board were killed in the crash. Both reports were believed by DIA as possibly associated with this loss incident and the reports were placed in the files of the crewmen.

Since 1984, information has been received about a C-130 crash believed correlated with this incident and has included assertions that three crewmen were reportedly captured. Other reports have referred to the recover of remains and there have been repeated references to dog tag information associated with crewman Jacob E. Mercer. In 1991 the Defense Intelligence Agency described such reports as associated with Vietnamese intelligence service operations.

North Vietnam James L. McCarty (1882)

On June 24, 1972, First Lieutenants McCarty and Charles A. Jackson were the crew of an F-4D which was engaged by six MIGs over Nghia Lo Province and shot down by an air to air missile. Lieutenant Jackson was captured on the ground. The second aircraft in their flight with another two man crew, Grant and Beekman, was also attacked by MIGs and shot down over Vinh Phu Province. The crews of both aircraft were declared missing in action.

There were conflicting reports of contact with the crew of this aircraft. It was later concluded that the reference to contact with those in incident 1882 was incorrect and in fact referred to contact on the ground with the aircrew of those in incident 1881. First Lieutenant Jackson was captured, taught English to Vietnamese prison system cadre in late 1972, and upon his release from captivity during Operation Homecoming stated he did not believe that Lieutenant McCarty had been able to eject from their aircraft.

Following the shoot down, a People's Army of Vietnam unit radioed that its MIG-21 aircraft had downed two aircraft. U.S. intelligence analysts later concluded that this report correctly pertained to the shoot down of those involved in incident 1882 on June 24th and the two crewmen from case 1882 also shot down on June 24th and captured on June 25th. On June 29, 1972, the Vietnam News Agency reported First Lieutenant Jackson had been captured alive in Nghia Lo Province.

Lt. McCarty was not confirmed alive in captivity. After Operation Homecoming he was declared killed in action, body not recovered.

In December 1990, a joint U.S./Vietnamese team conducted a search of the crash site and recovered a data plate confirmed to be from one of the F-4D's jet engines associated with this loss incident. In the spring of 1991, a U.S. resident turned over a bone fragment and dog tag type information said to come from a resident of Vietnam and pertaining to three purported MIAs said to be associated with an incident on Dong Dang District, Cao Bang Province, an area bordering the People's Republic of China. One of the names was James L. McCarty. A July 5, 1991 DIA analysis concluded the report was not true and "...part of a Vietnamese government managed intelligence operation..."

In November 1991, a joint U.S./Vietnamese investigation gained access to an apparent archival document describing the shoot down of a U.S. aircraft by the People's Air Force on June 24, 1972 in Phu Yen District, Nghia Lo Province. Charles Allen Jackson was identified by name as captured and partial body parts were also found. Material evidence of the air loss was recovered and turned over to Nghia Lo Province military. Lieutenant Jackson escaped from custody that night but was recaptured in the morning.

North Vietnam Frank C. Green, Jr. (1895)

On July 10, 1972, an A-4F piloted by Commander Green was the lead aircraft in a flight of two on an armed reconnaissance mission over Thanh Hoa Province. Commander Green "rolled in on his assigned target and his wingman saw his aircraft crash into the ground and erupt into a large fire. Diving under overhead flare illumination, the wingman located the crash site with a large sustained fire on the ground. There was no evidence that anyone had survived the crash. Commander Green was declared missing in action.

During Operation Homecoming, a returning U.S. POW stated he was told by a guard that the guard had Commander Green. However, Commander Green was not observed in captivity by any U.S. POWs. In October 1978, Commander Green was declared killed in action, body not recovered, based on a presumptive finding of death.

In November 1985, Vietnam provided the U.S. side with information on Commander Green but did not provide any remains.

South Vietnam Francis W. Townsend (1908)

On August 13, 1972, First Lieutenant Townsend and Captain William A. Gauntt were the crewmen on an RF-4C aircraft which crashed northwest of the city of Dong Ha, Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam. Captain Gauntt was captured by People's Army of Vietnam forces, taken to North Vietnam and repatriated during Operation Homecoming.

During his post-release debriefing, Captain Gauntt reported hearing an indication that Lieutenant Townsend ejected from the aircraft. SAR forces also reported an electronic beacon signal for fifteen minutes from an area where Lieutenant Townsend is believed to have probably landed. North Vietnam three times reported shoot downs in this area, on one occasion identifying the aircraft as an RF-4C and stating that one pilot was captured at a location which is within three miles of the known crash site.

In January 1975 a former People's Army of Vietnam soldier reported seeing a wounded American in captivity circa July 1972 and suffering from head and thigh wounds, eight kilometers east of the aircraft crash site. Because Captain Gauntt was not wounded, this was tentatively correlated to Lieutenant Townsend.

Lieutenant Townsend was not reported by repatriated Americans as alive in the North Vietnamese prison system. He was initially declared mission in action and was declared dead/body not recovered, in August 1979.

North Vietnam John R. Pitzen Orland J. Pender (1910)

On August 17, 1972, Commander Pitzen and Lieutenant Pender were the crew in an F-4J from the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk providing protection against MIG aircraft for a flight of A-6 aircraft over Kep Air Field. During their mission and while last known in the area of the town of Uong Bi, Quang Ninh Province, the A-6 reported that four surface to air missile had been fired. Commander Pitzen's aircraft disappeared from radar at 1910 hours at about the time of an explosion at an altitude of 11,000 feet. There was no further trace of either crewman or their aircraft.

Returning U.S. POWs had no information on their precise fate. After Operation Homecoming they were declared killed in action, body not recovered, based on a presumptive finding of death.

During 1983 the Joint Casualty Resolution Center received reports about the wartime crash of an aircraft in the area where Captain Pitzen and Lieutenant Pender were lost. In December 1991, a joint U.S./Vietnamese team in Vietnam visited the crash site area. Witnesses stated that the site was associated with a 1972 shoot down of a U.S. aircraft by a surface to air missile. Human remains and one skeleton were found after the crash. The remains were turned over to a local team but were later stolen.

North Vietnam Harry S. Mossman Roderick B. Lester (1912)

On August 20, 1972, Lieutenant Mossman and Lieutenant Lester were the crew on board an A-6A on a night low level armed reconnaissance mission in the area of Route 183 and near the coastal town of Cam Pha, east-northeast of the major port of Hai Phong. Their last radio transmission was "Let's get the hell out of here." This message was believed to refer to the crew aborting its flight plan because of heavy hostile fire and did not indicate they were ejecting from their aircraft at that time. Another aircrew in the vicinity later reported observing a flash under the thunderstorms and overcast in the vicinity of the A-6A's flight path. The aircrew was soon determined to be missing, and a search mission discovered an oil slick approximately 12 miles from the last plot and below ceiling flash. The crew's last radar fix was over the Gulf of Tonkin after exiting over the North Vietnam coast and in an area east of Hai Phong. Electronic search failed to locate any evidence of the missing crew.

During Operation Homecoming, a returning POW reporting observing a heavily bandaged and seriously injured person brought into Hoa Lo prison after the loss incident of this aircrew. There was evidence of the individual at Hoa Lo from September 1972 onward and it was speculated that the wounded individual might be one of the missing airmen from this incident. Available records fail to disclose the identity of the wounded person.

In the late 1970s the two missing airmen were declared dead/body not recovered, based on a presumptive finding of death. Other U.S. POWs who returned from North Vietnam were unable to provide any information on the precise fate of the two airmen.

In late 1989, a photograph was provided the Defense Intelligence Agency by the parents of Lieutenant Lester who were told the wounded individual in the photograph was a possible candidate for Lieutenant Lester. DIA confirmed the individual in the photograph was Major Lawrence R. Bailey, lost in Laos in 1961 and repatriated alive in August 1962.

South Vietnam William J. Crockett Lee M. Tigner (1913)

On August 22, 1972, Major Tigner and First Lieutenant Crockett were the crew in an F-4H, one in a flight of four on a combat mission over Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam. Their aircraft was hit by hostile ground fire in the right wing and the wing separated from the aircraft. It rolled and within two to five seconds after being hit had crashed into the ground at a speed of 450 knots, skipped, and came to rest in the river at Quang Tri City, Quang Tri Province. No one was seen to eject from the aircraft before it crashed and there were no electronic beepers heard. Both crewmen were declared killed in action, body not recovered.

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.

In July 1974 the U.S. Army's 500th Military Intelligence Group forwarded information from the South Vietnamese Army reporting information that a U.S. jet aircraft had crashed during the war approximately two kilometers west of Quang Tri City. Remains of an American, clothing and boots were observed in the wreckage. This report was believed to possibly correlate to this loss incident. The site was searched on July 26, 1974, and human remains were recovered. The area was revisited on November 6, 1974, and more artifacts, human teeth, and aircraft parts were recovered.

Laos Richard W. Herold (1917) William C. Wood, Jr. Robert R. Greenwood (1918)

On September 2, 1972, Captain Herold and a Lao forward observer departed Vientiane, Laos, in an O-1F to conduct visual reconnaissance and provide forward air control in support of two F- 4E aircraft striking hostile artillery positions in Xieng Khouang Province. In one of the F-4 aircraft was Captain Wood and Major Greenwood. While in the target area, an F-4 crew lost sight of Captain Herold's aircraft but later observed a large fireball in the area where Captain Wood's aircraft was last seen and aircraft wreckage appeared to be falling to the ground in pieces. One fully deployed parachute was also seen and a second unidentified object was also observed falling at the same rate of speed. The parachute and second object were not observed all the way to the ground. Other debris was seen in the air and possibly two ejection seats associated with the F-4 crew. After the incident, there was no contact with Captain Herold. His aircraft's wreckage was located on the ground but there was no evidence of any survivors but two parachutes were located approximately one mile apart.

Those on the scene concluded that Captain Herold's aircraft had collided with the F-4. The F-4's wreckage was located approximately four kilometers from the O-1 wreckage and there were fresh trails leading to a nearby parachute. Both F-4 crewmen were declared missing. One initial report of one blond haired American alive on the ground was found to be incorrect when the "blond haired" individual turned out to be an Lao wearing a light colored hat.

On September 26, 1972, the Pathet Lao's news service reported than an F-4 had been shot down on September 1st over the Plain of Jars and it was believed by U.S. intelligence analysts that this referred to the loss of Captain Wood's aircraft.

Captain Herold was declared missing in action. Returning U.S. POWs had no information on the three airmen involved in these two related incidents. In January 1973 Captain Herold was declared killed in action, body not recovered, based on a presumptive finding of death. Captain Wood was also declared killed in action, body not recovered, in August 1979.

In 1987 U.S. investigators located wreckage of the crash sites and a propeller possibly associated with Captain Herold's aircraft. Other wreckage appeared correlated to an F-4.

Over water Donald L. Gerstel (1920)

On September 8, 1972, Lieutenant Commander Gerstel was the pilot of an A-7B and flight leader of a flight of two aircraft from the U.S.S. Midway on a night surveillance mission against merchant shipping in the area of the island of Hon Nieu of the coast of central Vietnam. Commander Gerstel's IFF identification equipment was not functioning and his wingman's IFF marker was being used to monitor the flight as it was being vectored toward a North Vietnamese boat anchorage at Hon Hieu.

Commander Gerstel descended into the target area through severe turbulence and lighting in order to determine the cloud base. During this maneuver his aircraft was struck by lighting and he radioed that he was "Ok" and there was "just a lot of sparks." This was the last contact with him in an area between the islands of Hon Nieu and Hon Mat, approximately ten kilometers of the coast of Vietnam along the boundary of Nghe An and Ha Tinh Provinces.

Commander Gerstel was declared missing. An extensive search of the ocean and island failed to disclose any sign of either him or his aircraft. Returning U.S. POWs had no information on his precise fate. In November 1978 he was declared killed in action, body not recovered, based on a presumptive finding of death.

Over water Verne G. Donelly Kenneth R. Buell (1924)

On September 17, 1972, Commander Donelly and Lieutenant Commander Buell were the crew in an A-6A on a planned air strike in northern North Vietnam. The last contact with them was at 0150 hours local time. Seven minutes later, other airmen in the area observed an explosion along Commander Donelly's aircraft's flight path in Hai Hung Province, south of the port city of Hai Phong, Hai Phong Province. The two crewmen were declared missing in action.

On September 17, 1972, Radio Hanoi reported that its forces in Hai Hung downed an A-6 aircraft. In a separate report, a North Vietnamese unit radioed to Hai Phong that it had captured one pilot on the morning of September 17, 1972. In a third report, North Vietnam reported its forces in Hai Phong and other areas had shot down hostile aircraft during the period 15-17 September. Due to the similarity in date of loss and loss location, these reports were believed to possibly correlate to those involved in this loss incident.

Returning U.S. POWs had no information on the precise fate of this aircrew. After Operation Homecoming they were declared dead/body not recovered, based on a presumptive finding of death.

Laos Roger W. Carroll Dwight D. Cook (1926)

On September 21, 1972, Carroll and Cook were the crew on-board an F-4D on a combat operation over the Plain of Jars area of Xieng Khouang Province, Laos. A forward air controller operating with them observed them crash, apparently after being hit by hostile antiaircraft fire. He saw no parachutes prior to or after their aircraft impacted and heard no beepers. Both airmen were declared missing in action.

First Lieutenant Cook's blood chit was reportedly recovered from the crash site and sent to the Joint Personnel Recovery Center on November 11, 1972 and there were human remains reportedly seen at the crash site at the time the blood chit was recovered.

American POWs returning during Operation Homecoming were unable to provide information on their precise fate. They were later declared killed in action, body not recovered, based on a presumptive finding of death.

In 1983, the Joint Casualty Resolution Center (JCRC) received hearsay information of a crash site in the area of this loss incident. In 1986 JCRC interviewed another source in Thailand who reported having been at a crash site in Laos at the location of this loss incident. The aircraft was scattered over a wide area. The source reported seeing bones at the site and these were left in place. JCRC received more reports in 1987 and 1988 describing a crash site with human remains and artifacts. All these reports were believed to correlate to this loss incident.

South Vietnam Daniel Borah (1927)

See Vessey 135 Discrepancy Cases for case summary.

North Vietnam Robert D. Anderson (1934)

On October 6, 1972, Lieutenant Colonel Anderson, pilot, and his weapons systems officer, First Lieutenant Latella, were the crew of an F-4E, one in a flight of four aircraft on a mission over North Vietnam. A surface-to-air missile explosion in their area led to a decision to depart the area. Contact with the aircraft was lost and later reestablished with both crew members who were descending in their parachutes. Lieutenant Latella was injured but Colonel Anderson was not and reported no hostile ground forces below him.

On October 6, 1972, a Hanoi news release claimed six aircraft were shot down on October 6th and a number of airmen were captured. There were no names given but one of the areas mentioned correlated to this aircraft downing, in fact, the only aircraft lost over North Vietnam on October 6th.

Lieutenant Latella was captured and repatriated during Operation Homecoming. He reported being captured immediately after landing and had no contact with Colonel Anderson after the pilot began the ejection sequence to bail out of their crippled aircraft.

Colonel Anderson was initially declared missing in action and was not accounted for during Operation Homecoming. Returning POWs were unable to confirm him alive in the northern Vietnamese prison system. He was later declared dead/body not recovered.

A U.S. field team in Vietnam on December 10, 1990, investigated this loss incident in Van Luong Village, Tam Thanh District. Witnesses reported an aircraft shoot down in the area in late 1972, the capture of one of the crew, and the sighting of human remains in wreckage at the crash site. The U.S. team recovered artifacts reportedly recovered from the crash site which, if valid, would indicate that at least one person was in the aircraft when it crashed. The case remains under investigation.

Laos John L. Carroll (1944)

On November 7, 1972, Major Carroll was a member of Detachment 1, 56th Special Operations Wing, Udorn Air Base, Thailand, flying over Laos in an 0-1 using the call sign Raven 20. His aircraft was hit by hostile ground fire and crashed on a grass covered ridge in Xieng Khouang Province. He radioed he survived the landing, was receiving hostile small arms fire, and would stay by the aircraft. This was the last transmission from him.

An aircraft searching for him received intense hostile small arms fire from the area of his crash site. The pilot saw 6-7 enemy soldiers within 100 feet of Major Carroll. Later, a SAR aircrew came within twenty feet of the crash site and found a body under the aircraft's wing and with a massive head wound. From all appearances he was dead and the body appeared to be that of Major Carroll. Hostile forces within fifty feet of the downed O-1 opened up on the SAR aircraft and it was forced to withdraw. Based on this evidence, in November 1972, Major Carroll was declared killed in action, body not recovered.

North Vietnam Robert D. Morrissey Robert M. Brown (1945)

In the early morning hours of November 7, 1972, Majors Morrissey and Brown took off in a camouflaged F-111 from Takhli Air Base, Thailand, for a mission against the Luat Son highway ferry in North Vietnam. The last contact with the aircraft was at 0306 hours and an attempt to establish contact with them at 0400 hours was unsuccessful. A search effort was launched and continued until November 20th without locating any evidence of the crew or the aircraft.

On November 8, 1972, the Vietnam News Agency reported that according to the Reuters News Service, an F-111 was downed in Nghe An Province and two airmen were missing. Another report on that date stated this was the third F-111 lost over North Vietnam and the F-111 was downed over Nghe An at 0400 hours.

On November 9, 1972, a People's Army of Vietnam unit reported the shoot down of an F-111 which was said to have been downed in Nghe An Province but actually had crashed in Quang Binh Province. Another report transmitting information about the reported downing of an F-4 on November 7th stated the pilot had been captured and they were to "conceal the accomplishment." This F-4 related report was placed in the files of these two missing airmen. A further report on November 14th stated a special team was being sent to recover the F-111A in Quang Binh and oversee movement of its hulk.

Both airmen were initially reported missing. 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. Major Brown's name was recently the subject of a dog tag type report which reached DIA.

In January 1992 U.S. investigators in Vietnam reviewed a People's Army report of air defense operations in Military Region 4. One item dated November 7, 1972, listed the shoot down of a low flying F-111 downed by the 359th Company, Quang Binh forces, with two (crewmen) killed. In July 1992 U.S. investigators in Le Thuy District, Quang Binh located an F-111 strut used as a fence post, part of one ton of aircraft wreckage in the possession of a local resident near the crash site associated with this incident. The suspected crash site was near a mountain peak on a 45 degree slope.

A photo of Major Brown's identity card was located in the Quang Binh Provincial museum together with an F-111A data plate. The material referred to a "Major Robert" as "dead" in an F-111A shoot down over Quang Binh Province.

In October 1992 Major Brown's son visited Moscow and was told by Russian officials of KGB officials who apparently had knowledge of an F-111 transfer to the USSR in November 1972.

Laos Donald C. Breuer (1947)

On November 20, 1972, Captain Breuer and Captain Anderson were the crew on-board an F-4J, one in a flight of two aircraft on a combat operation over Savannakhet Province, Laos. Their aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire and crashed 35 kilometers southeast of Tchepone and 300 meters from Route 90. This is in an area southwest of the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Vietnam. Captain Anderson parachuted safely from the aircraft, was located by search and rescue forces, and was recovered. He stated he didn't see Captain Breuer parachute from their damaged aircraft and did not hear a beeper from him. Captain Breuer was declared missing in action.

After the crash, a North Vietnamese Army unit reported on November 20th that a pilot had landed but there was no mention of the specific type of aircraft involved and the pilot's nationality was not given. The report was associated with an incident occurring in the general area of the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Vietnam. An intelligence comment on this report indicated a tentative correlation of the report to this loss incident based on it being the only reported aircraft loss at this point in time.

On April 28, 1972, Pathet Lao radio news service reported three U.S. aircraft were hit in Saravane Province on November 18th and 19th. Pilots were killed in two F-4 and one T-28 air incident. This report was placed in the files of these individuals because of the country of loss and date of incident.

Returning U.S. POWs during Operation Homecoming early in 1973 had no information on Captain Breuer's fate. After Operation Homecoming Captain Breuer was declared killed in action, body not recovered, based on a presumptive finding of death.

In April 1973, a North Vietnamese soldier from Binh Tram 41, 473rd Transportation Division, Group 559, reported having seen an American F-4 hit by antiaircraft fire and crash near the village of Ban Dong, Savannakhet Province, east of the border with Thua Thien Province, South Vietnam and in the area in which his division was operating. This is in an area west of the DMZ and in the general area of Highway 9. He reported seeing two parachutes. One airman landed and was rescued. Later, he observed a body of an American airman which had been stripped nude and was told the other airman had died. The area of the sighting was correlated to this loss incident.

This loss incident crash site was visited by a joint U.S./Lao team in Muong Nong District, Savannakhet Province, during 28 October-1 November 1992. The team recovered artifacts said to have belonged to the pilot who was rescued. There was no specific information on the fate of the second crewman.