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.He 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 the 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.
On June 29, 1972, the Vietnam New 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 Doug
Dang District, Cao Bang Province,
and 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 Airforce on June 24, 1972 in Phu Yen District,
Nghia Lo Province military.
Charles Allen Jackson was idenified by name as captured
and 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.
I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to keep
pushing this issue inside the Beltway.
The need to get specific answers is more important not than
ever before.
If still alive, some MIAs are now in their 70's..
They don't have much time left.
We have to demand the answers from the bureaucrats and keep
standing on their neck (figuratively speaking)
until they get the message that
THEY work for US and that we are serious about getting
these long overdue responses.
Diplomatic consideration aside...We can no longer allow
questionable protocols established by pseudo-aristocratic
armchair strategists, to determine or influence the
fate of the men who were in the trenches while the diplomats
were sharing sherry and canapes and talking about "Their Plans"for the Future of SE Asia.