Recently I was out surfing the net and I stumbled across a site with the 2 graphics you see above. I read the story about a man who is missing and what the author of the site is doing about trying to have him brought home or at least find out what happened to him. I have heard that there were men still in 'Nam but it was never quite real to me, but in reading that man's story all of a sudden he became more than real. He acquired a family and friends. He became more than just a nameless , faceless serviceman. I followed the links to a site where YOU can adopt a serviceman. They tell you what to do to help bring our boys home.
Now let me introduce you to my POWs.
Name: Donald Gene Carr
Rank/Branch: O3/US Army Special Forces
Unit: Mobile Launch Team 3, Task Force 1 Advisory Group, assigned to USARV TAG TF1AEN TSH
Date of Birth: 10 December 1938 (East Chicago IN)
Home City of Record: San Antonio TX
Date of Loss: 06 July 1971
Country of Loss: Laos
Loss Coordinates: 144700N 1071700E (YB460352)
Status (in 1973): Missing In Action Category: 4
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: OV10A
Other Personnel In Incident: Daniel W. Thomas (missing)
REMARKS:
SYNOPSIS: In 1971, MACV-SOG's Command and Control North, Central and South were redesignated as Task Force Advisory Elements 1, 2 and 3, respectively. These titular changes had little initial impact on actual activities. Their missions were still quite sensitive and highly classified. Each task force was composed of 244 Special Forces and 780 indigenous commandos, and their reconnaissance teams remained actively engaged in cross-border intelligence collection and interdiction operations. The USARV TAG (Training Advisory Group) supported the USARV Special Missions Advisory Group and was composed of U.S. Army Special Forces and MACV advisors. SMAG formed at Nha Trang from former personnel from B-53, the MACV Rcondo School cadre, CCN and CCS to train the South Vietnamese Special Missions Force teams drawn from LLDB and Ranger units.
On July 6, 1971, U.S. Army Capt. Donald G. "Butch" Carr was aboard an Air Force OV10A Bronco aircraft flown by U.S. Air Force Lt. Daniel W. Thomas when the aircraft disappeared 15 miles inside Laos west of Ben Het.
The aircraft had been on a visual reconnaissance mission over central Laos when it was lost. Thomas' plane was detailed out of the 23rd Tactical Aerial Surveillance Squadron and bore the tail number of 67-14634.
The Bronco was among the aircraft most feared by the Viet Cong and NVA forces, because whenever the Bronco appeared overhead, an air strike seemed certain to follow. Although the glassed-in cabin could become uncomfortably warm, it provided splendid visibility. The two-man crew had armor protection and could use machine guns and bombs to attack, as well as rockets to mark targets for fighter bombers. This versatility enabled the plane to fly armed reconnaissance missions, in addition to serving as vehicle for forward air controllers.
At 1530 hours, Thomas radioed to the Army support facility that he was in his target area, but that he was unable to observe because of weather conditions. This was his last known radio contact. Thomas and Carr were due to depart the area at 1700 hours, and should have radioed then. Search efforts were conducted through July 10, with no results.
A ground reconnaissance team later reported hearing an impact or explosion at 1600 hours on July 6 in their vicinity, but they did not report seeing the aircraft.
A source reported that in early July 1971, he had seen an American POW in that area. The source learned from a guard that the POW was a pilot of an OV10 that had been downed a week prior. This information was thought to possibly correlate to either Carr or Thomas.
Carr and Thomas became two of nearly 600 Americans who disappeared in Laos during the Vietnam War. Although Pathet Lao leaders stressed that they held "tens of tens" of American prisoners, no American held in Laos was ever released. In America's haste to leave Southeast Asia, it abandoned some of its finest men. Since the end of the war, thousands of reports have been received indicating that hundreds of Americans are still held captive.
In seeming disregard for the Americans either held or having been murdered by the Pathet Lao, by 1989, the U.S. and the Lao have devised a working plan for the U.S. to provide Laos with humanitarian and economic aid leading toward ultimate full diplomatic and trade relations while Laos allows the excavation of military crash sites at sporadic intervals. In America's haste to return to Southeast Asia, we are again abandoning our men. What must Carr and Thomas, should they be among those said to be still alive, be thinking of us?
Name: Hugh Michael Fanning
Rank/Branch: O3/US Marine Corps Unit: 1st Marine Air Wing, Da Nang
Date of Birth: 12 July 1941 (Washington DC)
Home City of Record: Ft. Worth TX
Date of Loss: 31 October 1967
Country of Loss: North Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 205000N 1061200E (XJ248040)
Status (in 1973): Missing In Action Category: 2
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: A6A
Other Personnel in Incident: Stephen Kott (remains returned)
Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 October 1990 from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews.
REMARKS:
SYNOPSIS: Hugh M. Fanning was born in Washington D.C. July 12, 1941. He lived in New York, where his parents later made their home, and attended college and lived in Dallas, Texas, before he joined the Marine Corps. His wife and children lived in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma when he went to Vietnam as a Marine pilot with the First Marine Air Wing based at Da Nang, South Vietnam. Fanning flew the A6A Intruder, an all-weather, low-altitude attack plane.
On October 31, 1967, Capt. Fanning and bombardier/navigator Capt. Stephen J. Kott were sent on a mission over North Vietnam as number two in a flight of two aircraft on a night electronics support mission. Their radio code name was "Oatmeal." At about 1:50 a.m., Fanning indicated he was approaching the target. At 2:02 a.m., the leader observed a bright orange flash in the vicinity of the target area and in the estimated position of Fanning's aircraft which he estimated to be about 15 miles east of Hanoi at an altitude of 100-500 feet.
It was believed that Fanning and Kott could have survived the crash of the aircraft, and the two were classified Missing in Action. The U.S. believed that the Vietnamese could account for them.
Several reports surfaced concerning the crash of Fanning's and Kott's plane in the ensuing years, including one account that Kott was killed in the crash, but Fanning was captured and taken away by jeep. The accuracy of these reports is uncertain.
In August, 1984, remains were returned by the Vietnamese proported to be those of Fanning and Kott. Mrs. Fanning was glad the years of waiting had finally ended. Her casualty assistance officer assured her that existing dental records of her husband's matched those of the remains, an important means of identification. Moreover, he assured her that her husband had not been wounded in the skull, the focus of a recurring dream that had plagued her for years. The remains were buried with full military honors in Oklahoma City.
It was not until 10 months later, when she was first allowed access to her husband's forensic file, that Mrs. Fanning learned that there had been NO skull and NO teeth in the remains proported to be Hugh Fanning. Mrs. Fanning arranged for the remains to be exhumed and examined independently. The examiner concluded that the alleged remains of Hugh Fanning could not have been scientifically identified as his ... or anyone else's.
The Kott family has accepted the positive identification of the remains said to be those of Stephen Jay Kott. He has been buried with full military honors.
Whether Hugh Fanning died on October 31, 1967 in the crash of his plane or was taken prisoner is not known. It can only be known with certainty when proof is obtained of his death, or Major Fanning himself is brought home alive. Meanwhile, Mrs. Fanning says, "My husband may be dead. However, until positive proof is given to me, I must entertain the possibility that he may be alive. Regardless of my husband's chances, I do believe that live Americans still remain in Southeast Asia. I will continue to search for the truth."
Hugh Michael Fanning and Stephen Jay Kott were promoted to the rank of Major during the period they were maintained missing.
Dr Eleanor Ardel Vietti is one of the few civilians who is not reported to have died. Eleanor is one of three females to come up missing in South Vietnam, all three women are civilians and believed to have died in captivity but no remains have been returned. Eleanor is the only woman POW whom nothing has been officially reported on since 1973. She is also the only female POW whom no one saw in captivity although she is definitely known to have been taken alive. All other female POWs either returned or are known to have died in captivity. If still alive, she, at 70 years of age, has spent more than half her life as a POW.
Name: Eleanor Ardel Vietti
Rank/Branch: Civilian - Surgeon
Unit: Christian & Missionary Alliance
Date of Birth: 05 November 1927 (Ft. Worth TX)
Home City: Houston TX
Date of Loss: 30 May 1962
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 123250N 1075927E (ZU250888)
Status (in 1973): Prisoner of War Category: 1
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: Ground
Other Personnel in Incident: Rev. Archie E. Mitchell; Daniel A. Gerber (both captured)
REMARKS: TAKEN FROM LEPROSARIUM SYNOPSIS:
Ardel Vietti was a twin and was born on November 5, 1927 in Ft. Worth, Texas. Her father was a geologist and provided Ardel, her sister and brother with a comfortable youth, as well as the experience of living in South America for several years.
Ardel attended Rice Institute, Nyack Missionary College (one summer), and attended medical school at the University of Texas. Following her residency, she applied for foreign service with C&MA and was certified for appointment to the Ban Me Thuot Leprosarium in Vietnam.
The Ban Me Thuot Leprosarium was located in dense jungle terrain in Darlac Province, South Vietnam, near the provincial capitol of Ban Me Thuot. The Leprosarium was jointly financed by The Christian and Missionary Alliance, the Mennonite Central Committee and American Leprosy Missions, Inc. There were 56 Alliance church groups in the areas outlying Ban Me Thuot in 1962.
The Leprosarium had a staff of nine, including Rev. Archie Mitchell, the administrative officer; Dr. Ardel Vietti, a surgeon, Daniel A. Gerber, and nurses, Misses Craig, Deets, Kingsbury and Wilting. There were two others on staff; also, the Mitchell's four children lived at the Leprosarium.
Late afternoon on Wednesday, May 30, 1962, a group of about 12 armed Viet Cong entered the Leprosarium compound and abducted Dan Gerber, Dr. Vietti and Rev. Mitchell. The nurses were sternly lectured on their betrayal of the Vietnamese people and assured that they deserved immediate death, but were not molested or abducted. Mrs. Mitchell and her four children were not harmed. The VC ransacked all the buildings for anything they could use - linens, medicines, clothing and surgical instruments. About 10:00 p.m., the Viet Cong finally left, taking their three prisoners with them.
When the three were captured, the U.S. pledged all of its resources in order to see that everything possible was done to get them back safely in 1962. At the time, U.S. and South Vietnamese intelligence discovered their probable location, but were never able to rescue the three. Reports have continued to surface on them through the years since 1962. Some of the members of their families believe them to be still alive. Now, 25 years later, Gerber, Vietti and Mitchell are still missing. They were not military personnel, nor were they engaged in highly paid jobs relating to the war. They were just there to help sick Vietnamese people. Although the U.S. has given the Vietnamese information on Gerber, Vietti and Mitchell, the Vietnamese deny any knowledge of them.
Name: John Terence McDonnell
Rank/Branch: O3/US Army
Unit: A Battery, 4th Battalion, 77th Artillery, 101st Airborne Division
Date of Birth: 14 December 1940
Home City of Record: Ft. Worth TX
Date of Loss: 06 March 1969
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 161346N 1075822E (ZC177968)
Status (in 1973): Missing in Action Category: 2
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: AH1G
Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing)
Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 May 1990 from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews.
REMARKS:
SYNOPSIS: Capt. John T. McDonnell was the aircraft commander of an AH1G helicopter from A Battery, 4th Battalion, 77th Artillery, 101st Airborne Division operating in Thua Tien Province, South Vietnam. On March 6, McDonnell's aircraft was the flight leader in a flight on two aircraft on a combat mission.
During a firing pass, McDonnell's aircraft was observed receiving enemy ground fire. The aircraft disappeared into an overcast and crashed into a mountain side. The area was searched, but McDonnell could not be located. His pilot, Lt. Ronald Greenfield, was found and medically evacuated. Lt. Greenfield could recall nothing from the point of impact to the following morning.
During the search, McDonnell's helmet was found with no trace of blood along with pieces of equipment. It appeared that McDonnell's seatbelt had been unlocked and that he had left the aircraft on his own power. During the search effort, numerous deserted enemy positions were located indicating that Capt. McDonnell might have been captured. The search continued for three weeks without success.
McDonnell was not a green soldier. On a previous tour of Vietnam then-2LT. McDonnell was attached as an artillery expert to Detachment A324, 5th Special Forces Group. It was at this time, on May 25, 1965, that he was awarded the Army Commendation Medal with "V" device for Heroism. At that time McDonnell was an advisor to South Vietnamese paramilitary forces at Thanh Dien Forest, Republic of Vietnam. A fellow team member had been killed by a sniper, another had been wounded. A third was missing. McDonnell's tactical advice and bravery enabled the team to successfully complete their search for the missing team member in the face of intense enemy fire.
There is every reason to suspect that McDonnell may have been captured. His fate following is a matter for speculation. Returned POWs would say that those who resisted most strongly were the most tortured and deprived. To a man, those 591 Americans who returned home at the end of the war cooperated at some point, in some way, with their captors. They all agree it is not a matter of whether a man can be broken -- but only how long it will take.
Only a few were known to hold out to the end...and unfortunately, for them, it was the end. A few were known to have been literally tortured or starved to death for their resolute refusal to cooperate. McDonnell's training and background may put him in that category. We may never know for sure.
Nearly 2500 Americans were lost in Southeast Asia during our military involvement there. Since the war in Southeast Asia ended in 1973, thousands of reports of Americans still in captivity have been received by the U.S. Government. The official policy is that no conclusive proof has been obtained that is current enough to act upon. Detractors of this policy say conclusive proof is in hand, but that the willingness or ability to rescue these prisoners does not exist.
McDonnell, if one of those hundreds said to be still alive and in captivity, must be wondering, "Where ARE you, America?" Where are we, America, when the life of even one American is not worth the effort of recovery? When the next war comes, and it is our sons lost, will we then care enough to do everything we can to bring our prisoners home?
MY CHALLANGE TO YOU:
If each business or family in America adopted just ONE man and the entire staff or family sent just one letter from each person to their congressman and representative , Congress would be inundated by letters and they would be reminded that they work for us and we want our servicemen back or at least their remains or knowledge of their fate.
Please let your boss know about this adoption site Operation: Just Cause. and encourage him or her to have your business adopt a serviceman. Please, we could reach thousands of people this way and maybe then the families of the missing servicemen could stop wondering.
......
......
If by the mere force of numbers a majority should deprive a minority of any clearly written constitutional right, it might, in any moral point of view, justify revolution -
-Lincoln, First Inaugural Address, 1861
U.S. Air Force Seeks Families Of Korean War Unaccounted For; Any Lead Family Members Can Give Will Be Welcomed
SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 2, 1998--"The Forgotten War" may no longer be forgotten. California Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jay Vargas announced today that the U.S. Department of Defense and four military services are mounting an intense public outreach effort to locate family members of servicemen who remain unaccounted for from the Korean War.
According to Tom Perry, chief of the U.S. Air Force Missing Persons Branch, "We have begun to open some doors in North Korea, and we need to reestablish contact with the families of our unaccounted-for servicemen."
As a result of two negotiated agreements, the U.S. has conducted four joint operations inside North Korea during 1996 and 1997 to seek answers and to locate and recover the remains of U.S. servicemen lost during the Korean War.
In the four operations, the remains of what are believed to be seven American soldiers have been recovered. One has already been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Perry added, "As we're able to obtain additional circumstance of loss information or recover remains from North Korea, we'll need to inform the families. Unfortunately, in some cases nearly 45 years have elapsed since the Air Force has had contact with many of our families. We need to know who the primary next-of-kin is to aid in future identifications. We'd welcome any lead family members can give us."
Family members of any unaccounted-for Korea-era servicemen are asked to provide their name, address and relationship of their loved one as soon as possible to the appropriate service casualty office.
Air Force families can call toll-free, 800/531-5501, or write by electronic mail via the Internet (POW-MIA@HQ.AFPC.AF.MIL). The U.S. Army's toll-free number is 800-892-2490. The U.S. Navy's number is 800/443-9298 and the U.S. Marine Corps' number is 800/847-1597. Coast Guard families can call the telephone number for the U.S. Navy.
Each of the services has compiled a partial list of Korean War family contacts, but with more than 8,100 unaccounted-for servicemen from the war (including more than 900 Air Force servicemen), the task is extremely difficult considering the time elapsed since the cease-fire in Korea.
"We've been using the Internet and any other technology we could acquire," Perry said. "But we believe the most effective way to find these families is by word-of-mouth through veterans, family, active duty and retired military organizations. That's why we're pushing hard to 'get the word out' in many different ways. We hope our ongoing efforts in North Korea will result in bringing closure to families who have sacrificed so much for so long."
I've been aware of this for some time. In fact, stuff came through to me from Washington," said Citrus Heights resident Clifford Meyer who served in combat during the Korean War with the 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division.
Meyer, chapter president of River City Chosin Few, Korean War Veterans, said that the remains recovered are sent to the Central Identification Laboratory (CIL) in Hawaii for identification. "It's a long drawn out process, but if they can locate the families they can probably get some of their dental records and that would help the CIL identify the remains."
Responding to the DOD announcement, Meyer said, "I think it's a great thing It's something that should have been done years ago by our government."
One of Meyer's comrades in the Bay Area had a similar reaction to the news from the Pentagon. "Any light focused on MIAs and KIAs (Killed In Action) continues to emphasize the importance of bringing closure to the Korean War. I support the Air Force in their efforts," said San Jose resident Frank Broz, a U.S. Navy Korean War veteran, retired Union School District history teacher and the former command master chief of Readiness Command 20 at Treasure Island in San Francisco.
In addition to Hawaii's Punch Bowl and the California Korean War Veterans Remembrance Memorial (which will list the names of 2,495 California Korean War veterans who never returned), scheduled for dedication in 1998 at San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery near the town of Santa Nella, families of Korean War veterans may immortalize their loved ones in a less-traditional manner through the California Veterans Memorial Registry, a permanent record of all California veterans past and present, including those who served during the Korea War era.
Using a touch screen, visitors will be able to access information about California veterans and the manner in which they served. Each California veteran, including those of the Korean conflict, is entitled to the basic information of name, branch and rank of service.
The California Veterans Memorial (CVM), which will include the registry, is currently under construction on the grounds of the state Capitol in Sacramento and is scheduled for dedication in May. For more information, call 800/808-2862 or write to the CVM at 1227 O St., Room 304, Sacramento, Calif., 95814.
Note to Editors: This release and previous press releases are available via fax by News On Demand at 800/356-8440.
CONTACT: CDVA
Steve Dakota, 916/653-2561 dakotasj@cdva.ca.gov http://www.ns.net/cadva/
LINKS:
The "God, they have forgotton me." banner within the heading banner was created by : Ron Fleischer
Email :
The President and Vice President
Graphics "Daddy's Little Girl and "Our Nations Disgrace" created by: Doc
Please join the yellow ribbon campaign.
I'm proud to be an American. Where at least I know I'm free And I won't forget the men who died to give that right to me. And I'll gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today. Oh there ain't no doubt I love this land. God bless the USA.
Return to the Glade