I am remembering... many years ago in the late 1969's
and early 1970's, being stationed on the Island of Okinawa, while my love,
flew missions based out of Thailand... He was on a mission for two weeks
at a time, then back for two weeks then gone again, in an unending cycle.
he was young and strong an handsome, with flashing back eyes and coal black
hair. He was very oblivious to his good looks, and was a dedicated
Air Force T/Sgt. who flew missions in Laos, Cambodia, and places we were
not supposed to be. he was so dedicated to his missions that he often
gave up his two weeks R& R to Okinawa, and he of course could not divulge
his missions to me! we enjoyed our time together, never knowing that
we did not, 'have all our lives ahead of us, and all the time in the world!'...
He was married, way back in NY, his wife wanted a divorce... I was unhappily
married and planning on a divorce when I returned to the states.
it was not a time when you made too many long range plans, but we made
them! At the same time knowing that anything could happen, we saw
it all around us! but of course, in our minds, it could never happen
to us! he loved his job and friends so much, he opted just one more
tour there, hoping the war would soon be over and all his friends could
come home! I understood... I loved him, and knew he loved what the
was doing! I had to return to the states in 1971, leaving my "Knight in
Shining Armor" to his battles for one more year!
It was only a few months later that i received the
news... his C-130 Aircraft had been shot down on 18 june, 1972 over Laos!
There had been 3 survivors of a crew of 12 recovered, and they had seen
other parachutists far off in the distance. T/Sgt Richard M. Cole, flight
engineer was reported missing in action. Not to me, but to his wife
who had already initiated Divorce action several years before, but had
to wait until he returned. He was carried in an MIA status until
15 June 1973, when his status was administratively changed to KIA.
There were lies after lies by the the US government
concerning his case, and of course, I as not being listed as next of kin,
could do nothing. On October 6, 1993... the supposed remains of T/Sgt Richard
Cole and 8 other crewmen, were supposedly repatriated in a handful of bone
fragments with two identified teeth of Captain Mark Danielson, were discovered
in a place not even remotely near the original coordinates of the crash
site. There was NO DNA testing, and the co-mingled remains were given
a group burial at Arlington on November 17, 1994. Amazingly enough,
following the crash in 1972, Mark Danielson had been tracked electronically
for at least 48 hours! so how could have HIS teeth been found with
the supposed remains of the others at a site said to be the supposed crash
site.
The 3 crewmen rescued from this incident all reported
that there were several parachutists, beepers--- which could have allowed
for and certainly did not DENY the possibility of other survivors, otherwise
the other 12 men would have been declared dead, NOT missing, at the time
of the incident.
There is more... much, much, more...but suffice it to say, this was enough
to keep me searching for answers for almost 28 years now!; I was not the next of kin, so could not officially fight! Richard's wife chose not to! His parents have died since he went MIA,and his sister is missing... it is only I that now continues the search for the truth... and finding and joining OJC was a godsend for me! I shall never
stop searching, and give thanks for all those like Gunny, and Ted Guy, and Bill Bell, Jason and all the others, who also
will not give up the search!
Blessings to you all, and to those un-named who continue to search!
By Beverly Haire
