Operation Just Cause ...for as long as it takes
by Marilyn Grote
Although this month is a time for joy, peace, love and everything that makes the Christmas Season so wonderful. It also is a time for us to remember that we need to keep on working for the full accountability of the POW/MIA(s) because there are too many families who wait this season and every Christian season for the return of their loved one.
This month the POW/MIA of the Month Column is for all the POW/MIA(s) who on December 24, and December 25 many years ago, in a country so far away, became part of that list that is still way to long. They took on the USG status of being a POW/MIA. I cannot even imagine how these men, how their families face the Holiday season year after year with so much sadness and loss involved. There is no closure for these families, no answers, no return of their loved ones. To these POW/MIA(s) and their families we dedicate this column.
MIA Charles R. Brownlee, USAF, Alamosa, CO. Date of Loss: 12/24/1968
MIA Charles D. King, USAF, Muscatine, IA. Date of Loss: 12/25/1968
On Christmas Eve, 1968 Charles R. Brownlee's F105D aircraft was show down over Laos. Brownlee successfully ejected from his plane and landed safely on the ground.
On Christmas Day, Doug King volunteered to be aboard an HH3E to rescue Major Brownlee. The helicopter located the pilot, believed to be dead by the, and King was lowered 100 feet into the jungle to the ground. Once on the ground, King freed Brownlee from his parachute, secured him to the rescue device and dragged him to a point near the hovering helicopter.
Suddenly enemy soldiers closed in and began firing. King radioed that he was under fire and for the helicopter to pull away. Brownlee was secured to the hoist cable, but King had not yet secured himself to the cable. When the helicopter pulled away, the hoist line snagged in a tree and broke, dropping King and Brownlee about 10 feet to the ground.
No news surfaced about King or Brownlee until February 1986, when a Lao refugee came to the United States and reported that he had witnessed King's capture, and watched as he was taken away in a truck. The refugee's sotry matched most details of King's loss incident. Less clear were the details of Brownlee's fate.
During the period they were maintained Missing in Action, Charles R. Brownlee was promoted to the rank of Colonel, and Charles D. King to the rank of Chief Master Sergeant.
MIA Joseph Christiano, USAF, Rochester NY. Date of Loss 12/24/1965
MIA William K. Colwell, USAF, Glencove, NY. Date of Loss 12/24/1965
MIA Debbus K, Eilers, USAF, Cedar Rapids IA. Date of Loss 12/24, 1965
MIA Arden K. Hassenger, USAF, Lebanon OR. Date of Loss 12/24/1965
MIA Derrell B. Jeffords, USAF, Phoenix AZ. Date of Loss 12/24/1965
MIA Larry C. Thornton, USAF, Idaho Falls ID. Date of Loss 12/24/1965
REMARKS: MAYDAY HEARD - SEARCH NEG - J
SYNOPSIS: On December 24, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson announced a weeklong bombing halt on North Vietnam. That same day, an AC47D "Spooky" gunship was shot down during an armed reconnaissance flight just south of the city of Ban Bac in Saravane Province, Laos. Planes in the area of the loss of the plane heard mayday signals, but were unable to establish contact with the crew.
Puff's "flare kicker" illuminated the target, then the pilot used a mark on the window to his left as a gun sight and circled slowly as three multi-barrel 7-62mm machine guns fired 18,000 rounds per minute from the door and two windows in the port side of the passenger compartment. The aircraft was called "Puff" after a popular song of the day, and because it resembled a dragon overhead with flames billowing from its guns. Men on the ground welcomed the presence of Puff and the later Spooky version, which was essentially the same as the Puff, because of its ability to concentrate a heavy dose of defensive fire in a surgically determined area. These aircraft were extremely successful defending positions in South Vietnam, but proved unable to survive against the anti-aircraft defenses in Laos.
MIA William R. Finn, USAF, Metairie, LA, Date of Loss 12/24/1971
MIA Timothy M. Tucker, USAF, LAS Animos, CO, Date of Loss 12/24/1971
1Lt. Timothy M. Tucker was the pilot and 1LT. William R. Finn the co-pilot of an OV10 Bronco assigned a mission over Laos on Christmas Eve, 1971. Their mission took them over Attopeu Province, the extreme southeast providence of Laos.
As a Point about 12 miles south of the city of Attopeu, the Bronco was lost and Tucker and Finn became Missing in Action. Upon subsequent evaluation of their cases, it was thought doubtful that the enemy knew either of their fates.
MIA Paul V. Jackson, III, USAF, Hampton, VA. Date of Loss 12/24/1972
Other Personnel in Incident: Capt. Charles F. Riess (released POW)
Skip Jackson was Raven Two One and stationed at Long Tieng. On December 24, 1972, Christmas Eve, Skip Jackson found substantial stacks of NVA supplies under trees on the PDJ and requested tactical air to destroy those supplies.
Four Air Force A-7 aircraft (SLAM Flight) responded. Capt. Chuck Riess was a member of that flight-flying SLAM Zero Four. The site under attack possessed both 12.7 and 14.5 weapons and the enemy had no reluctance to use them. After briefing the fighters and marking the target th e Raven sequentially cleared each of the fighters 'in hot', to release bombs on the supplies below. A-7's were a particular delight to FACs because they could put bombs on target with extraordinarily destructive accuracy. During SLAM Zero Four's pass the FAC abruptly pulled into an almost vertical climb and right into the A-7's flight path. Don't know why. The A-7 maneuvered violently to avoid collision with the FAC. The O-1's left wing strut was clipped, the left wing parted. The A-7 became uncontrol lable. Riess punched out. Another FAC, "Raven 20", piloted by Chuck Hines, arrived on-scene from Twenty Alternate a few minutes later. Both aircraft were visible on the ground, the A-7 still burning and Riess already in enemy hands. Riess had landed almost at the front door of an underground NVA Regimental Artillery command post. After what must have been a spectacular descent with only one wing attached to the airplane, the O-1 came to rest on the ground sitting upright on its main and tail gear.
Hines reported that Skip Jackson was dead, based on what he had personally observed from a very low altitude visual check of the crash scene. Returning the evening of 24 DEC 72, he debriefed, reported the facts and strongly recommended an immediate KIA status report for Jackson. The MIA to KIA status change evident in the record reflects administrative processing errors at the clerical level -- and in no way reflects any lingering doubt that Skip was deceased upon impact with the ground.
Charles F. Riess was captured immediately upon landing after ejecting from his A-7. The U.S. carried him as missing, even though it was known he was marched barefoot to Hanoi, and was held in Hanoi with other American POWs. The Vietnamese kept Riess and several others captured by the Vietnamese in Laos completely separated from other American POWs until shortly before repatriation. In the spring of 1973, when 591 Americans were freed, Riess' release came as a complete and very welcome surprise. Riess had not been held in Laos.
KIA Albro L. Lundy, USAF, Sherman Oaks, CA. Date of Loss 12/24, 1970
On December 24 1970, Major Albro Lundy, Junior volunteered for a medical evacuation escort Mission in Laos in the Northeast corner of the extremely heavily defended Ban Ban Valley, one of the most important supply/storage areas supporting heavy enemy truck traffic. AAA accordingly defended it up to and including 37MM. In addition it is estimated there were hundreds of enemy troops in the area and the danger of small arms and automatic weapons fire was definitely present. The purpose of the med evac mission was to remove friendly troops who had been wounded in the action in the immediate area. Although two other A1E flights had refused to work in this area on December 24, Major Lundy volunteered his flight to fly CAP for the Air America helicopters making the pickup of the casualties. Three Air America Helicopters, two Raven forward air controllers, an Air America C-7A, and another A1E were flying on the mission.
During the flight, Major Lundy reported there were mechanical problems with his aircraft. He radioed "I've got a rough engine... it's backfiring." He radioed to the other members of the flight "I've got to get out now." Immediately thereafter, the other members of the flight saw the seat rocket fire followed by a normal chute deployment.
One pilot followed the descending chute, noticing that there was at least part of a harness, and that the leg straps were dangling, but there was no one in the chute although an Air America crew member reported that Major Lundy was in the chute when it first opened. The chute was watched until it impacted the ground in the area of approximately 4.5 kilometers east of Ban Hai, Xiangkhoang Province, Laos. The air crews heard no radio calls or beacon signals, and the aircraft impacted and burned just seconds after the seat rocket fired. Aircraft circled the impact area for 30 minutes following the crash, and found no sign of a survivor. Ground teams attempted to enter the crash site area later that day, but were driven away by hostile fire. Casualties were taken.
According to the Air Force, Major Lundy was "probably out of the aircraft at the time", and resolution of this incident was "probable" because the incident occurred within five kilometers of a settlement and the terrain allowed reasonable access and enemy personnel were known to be close.
Major Lundy was declared category 1 MIA originally, and then two days later Major Lundy was declared "dead- body not recovered" on December 26, 1970. The Lundy family was told, in both the telegram and official condolence letter, that Major Lundy did not leave the aircraft and that he "died instantly as a result of the aircraft crash."
In July of 1991, a photo surfaced showing three men believed to be American Prisoners of War in captivity. The Lundy family positively identified one of the men in the photo as Albro Lundy Junior. The other two men, Navy Lt. Larry Stevens and Air Force Col. John Leighton Robertson, were also identified by their family members. The photo, accompanied by three sets of fingerprints and palm prints said to be those of the three men was inscribed with a date (May 25 1990), and a cryptic set of initials. Families found it incredible that no fingerprint records could be found to check against those sent back with the photo. In Major Lundy's case, this required the loss or destruction of multiple sets of fingerprints known to once have been on file with the Air Force, the FBI, the State Department, and his college ROTC.
KIA Vernie H. Powers, Army, Baltimore, MD. Date of Loss 12/24/1967
PFC Vernie H. Powers was a member of Company C, 3rd Battalion, 12th Infantry. On December 24, 1967, Powers was an acting squad leader in an element of a platoon-sized patrol on a mission to establish an ambush in Kontum Province, South Vietnam.
During movement to the ambush site, about 20 miles west-southwest of Dak To, Powers' squad made contact with the enemy and PFC Powers was wounded by a gunshot above the eye. Witnesses, who included the platoon medic, reported that PFC Powers bled heavily from the mouth and nose, and despite the medic's efforts, he apparently died.
Because of increasing enemy fire, the platoon withdrew from the area, leaving Powers, whom they believed to be dead, behind. The platoon called for air strikes and artillery on their former position for about one hour. When elements of the platoon returned after the artillery and air strikes, PFC Powers' body could not be found during a thorough search.
Witnesses believed that Powers was dead before air strikes were called in on his position. Whether the Vietnamese found him dead or wounded is not known.
MIa dWIGHT g. RICKMAN, USMC, Joplin, MO. Date of Loss 12/25/72
REMARKS: BURIED AT CRASH W/VIET OBSERVER
Marine 1LT Dwight G. Rickman was a Bird Dog pilot assigned to SU1, 1 ANGLICO. On Christmas Day, 1972, Rickman and his Vietnamese observer were flying visual reconnaissance in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam, when their aircraft was shot down about five miles east of the city of Dong Ha.
Intelligence reports indicate that Rickman and the observer were killed either in the crash of the aircraft or shortly afterward, and were buried at the crash site by persons unknown. No remains have ever been recovered.
MIA Terry T. Kooce, USAF, San Antonia, TX. Date of Loss 12/25/1967
On December 25, 1967, Capt. Terry T. Koonce was the pilot of a T28 on a mission in Laos. Koonce was a relatively experienced pilot, having graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1961 and gone into flight training following graduation. The Christmas Day mission took Koonce over Khammouane Province, Laos near the Ban Karai pass.
Koonce was at the city of Ban Som Peng when his aircraft was hit by enemy fire and crashed. Whether Koonce was able to bail out of the aircraft is unclear, but he was declared Missing in Action. He is one of nearly 600 Americans lost in Laos during the Vietnam war.
MIA RUBEN BAILON, CIV, DATE OF LOSS 12/25/1965
SYNOPSIS: Ruben Bailon was a Merchant Marine seaman aboard the ship SS Express {EMPRESS} Baltimore. On Christmas Day, he and the second officer, Stephen O'Laughlin went to the harbor town of Qui Nhon, South Vietnam, to arrange for a flight to Saigon to find and assist the return of the ship's captain, who had been sick. They stayed in a cheap hotel.
The hotel owner reported seeing the two in the hotel bar the next day, but neither boarded their planes that day. They simply disappeared. The two had about $300 between them.
On May 26, 1968, a Vietnamese being interrogated in Binh Dinh Province identified O'Laughlin's photo, stating he had seen Steve and two other American POWs in a Viet Cong jungle camp near Da Nang, where he himself had been held several months. The Vietnamese stated he saw Steve last in early May 1968, before his own escape. Steve's family was not notified of the report until 1972. A rallier later identified Bailon's photograph as a prisoner he had seen. CIA analysis could find no reason for the identification as no other U.S. POWs had reported being held with Bailon or O'Laughlin.
In June 1973, remains were recovered from a grave in Phu Yen Province, which were identified in December 1976 as those of Stephen O'Laughlin. It is reported that he was captured in a Saigon hospital. No one is looking for Steve any longer.
