This page is dedicated to all the men and women who fight for our freedom...
"Greater love has no one than this,
My Very Special Hero is:
that one lay down his life for his friends."
John 15:13
(New American Standard Version)
This is the story of one man, forgotten by our government, but
not by me! This is the story of one man who went to fight for our
country when I was but an infant. Did he have a child to miss him?
If he did, he now has grandchildren he has never met. This is the
story of one man who needs our help, yours and mine, to bring
him home. This is the story of one man, but it could be the story
of many like him. Men left behind in a foriegn land. Men still
wondering if they will ever make it home. Men astonished that
the country whose freedom they fought to defend could just
abandon them. This is a story more of us need to know. The
story of my adopted hero.
John Henry Ralph Brooks
Rank/Branch: E4/US Army
HIS STORY:
Unit: 129th Aviation Company, 268th Aviation Battalion, 17th Aviation Group
Date of Birth: 08 April 1949 (Lewiston ME)
Home City of Record: Bryant Pond ME
Date of Loss: 13 May 1969
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 135615N 1084752E (BR621418)
Status (in 1973): Missing In Action
Category: 2
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: UH1H
Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing)
On May 13, 1969 (6 days before my 3rd birthday,) SP4 John H.R. Brooks was the crew chief aboard one of three helicopters assigned the task of inserting Republic of Korea
soldiers into Binh Dinh Province, South Vietnam. While approaching the landing zone (LZ), the three aircraft came under enemy fire, and during the insertion, Brooks' aircraft was hit, spun in the air and crashed. Three of the 9 Koreans aboard the aircraft survived, evaded capture and were able to link up with Korean and American units the next day. One evadee
reported that one Korean was killed in the helicopter and the American
who was firing the machine gun on the left side of the helicopter was also
killed. After the helicopter crashed, he saw the same American pinned under the
helicopter. (This should be the door gunner.) The next day the bodies of all the other American crewmen except Brooks were found. Equipment thought to belong to Brooks was discovered near the burned helicopter. There was no sign of Brooks.
Members of the crash site team agreed that while at the crash site a
Korean soldier who had been in the helicopter reported that he had seen one
American and two Koreans running down the hill from the crash site. No U.S.
bodies were found down the hill; all of them were found at the top of the hill where
the crash occurred. Crew members of the other aircraft reported seeing whom they felt was
Brooks exit the aircraft after it crashed and burned, yet there was now
no sign of him.
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NOW WHAT?
Certainly the possibility exists that Brooks was captured. He is
one of nearly 2500 Americans who remain prisoner, missing or unaccounted for
from the American involvement in Indochina. Since the war ended, thousands of reports have been received by the U.S. Government regarding Americans missing in Southeast Asia. Many
authorities now believe that there are hundreds of them still alive, held against their
will. One of them could be John Brooks. What are we doing to bring these men
home?
The need to get specific answers is more important now than ever before. If still alive, some MIAs are now in their 70s...They don't have much time left. It is time we demand answers. The first thing we need to do is write to those we have elected to govern this country. Want to send a message now? The links below will take you to an email form. (If your browser does not support forms, use the email link.)
 | The President president@whitehouse.gov The Vice President vice.president@whitehouse.gov The First Lady first.lady@whitehouse.gov |
and for all Senator's and Congressman's addresses, go here:
If you would like to see what some others are doing in addition to writing their congressmen, senators and the Whitehouse, here you will find a list of over 400 MIA and POW sites.
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Do you? Would you like to help? Go here to adopt your own MIA/POW:
{The Kitchen}{The Front Parlor}{The Schoolroom}
{The Dining Room}{The Garden}{The Library}
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This
POW/MIA Ring
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This Operation Just Cause Web Ring site is owned by |
This page was created on November 29, 1997.
The flag background is my original design, (© 1997),
Most graphics from Ron Fleischer, thanks Ron!
please do not use without my permission. Thankyou.
please do not use it without permission.
Thankyou.