They belong Walking On or Planted In
American Soil--nothing less!!
Created on Sat Sep 14 00:26:28 1996
Last modified on Mon Feb 21 14:47:13 2000
The Petition to Re-Open the Baron-52 case
The following is a Petition to reopen the Baron 52 case, together with a brief synopsis of the case provided by Our Forgotten Brothers POW/MIA, Inc.. We hope that you will print out the following petition and synopsis and get as many people as possible to sign it and return it to:
Our Forgotten Brothers POW/MIA, Inc.
% Sharon R. Barnett
7025 Horton
Overland Park, KS 66204

This petition is being circulated in order to reopen the "BARON 52" Case. It is being circulated nationwide in suburbs and cities and worldwide on the Internet. Due to the illness of one of the family members of the crew of the BARON 52, this petition was conceived. It is my belief that our Government is responsible for this family members' failing health. The total sham of the Government's method of "resolving" the BARON 52 Case is an OUTRAGE!
We are all familiar with the incident surrounding the remains that were interred in the Tomb of the Unknowns. The Department of Defense refused to identify those remains as belonging to Lt. Michael Blassie despite having his flight suit, a one man raft and a seat cushion the type of which was gear known only to the type of aircraft that Blassie flew.
Yet in the BARON 52 Case, 23 bone fragments where stature, race, or gender could not be determined accounted for 8 men, in spite of overwhelming evidence that 4 of the crew members had successfully bailed out of the crippled aircraft.
I am asking individuals and organizations to help in circulating this petition. Please do not be misunderstood that there is feeling that the BARON 52 case is any more important and/or compelling than other cases.
I am asking that you make copies of this petition and pass it on to your friends, enemies, strangers, etc. I would like to see ALL states represented. If it is impossible for you to make copies because of lack of funding, please contact me. I will do my best to help.
It is all right to put the scenario on your own letterhead. It is not the intent of this organization or myself to gain publicity.
The target date and target person to which completed petitions will be delivered has yet to be determined.
Some of you that have been involved in petitions in the past are probably getting a headache. Can I promise this petition will be successful? No, all I can say is that we have to try. I have to try. I am asking for your help.
If you have any concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Thank you for your support.
Keep the Faith,
Sharon R. Barnett
Please send all completed petitions to:
Our Forgotten Brothers
% Sharon R. Barnett
7025 Horton
Overland Park, Kansas 66204
913-432-3059

Baron 52 Scenario
4 FEBRUARY 1973
(EIGHT DAYS AFTER THE PEACE ACCORDS WERE SIGNED)
BARON 52 crew ordered to conduct a sanitized surveillance mission over the "Ho Chi Minh Trail" - Laos
05 FEB 73
0125 Hours: Enemy fire reported
0130 Hours: "Ops Normal" or "All Clear" received from BARON 52
0140 Hours: Radar contact lost
0600 Hours: Search & Rescue report negative results
0824 Hours: NSA Listening Posts report an intercepted North Vietnamese communication reporting that a unit operating in Southern Laos had captured four "air pirates" shortly after the loss of the BARON 52.
Baron 52 is the only aircraft shot down that day.
07 FEB 73
Wreckage of Baron 52 located.
09 FEB 73
Search team investigates wreckage. Team found 3 bodies of front-end crew.
Search team found NO parachutes, NO vests, NO electronic gear (all belonging to back-end crew). NO emergency "kick out" door was found at the site and NO remains of the back-end crew was found.
17 FEB 73
NSA listening post intercepts a message, "The people involved in the South Laotian campaign have shot down one aircraft and captured pilots." No other aircraft was in that area.
1983
Dr. Roger Shields, former head of POW/MIA Affairs for the Department of Defense told Colonel and Mrs. Matejov (parents of one of the back-end crew) that four men from the EC-47Q (Baron 52) were among the "Known Live Captured Americans."
9 FEB 1994
Mr. Garold Huey of Air Force Mortuary Affairs comes to Florida to present families of Sergeants Cressman and Matejov with the results of an excavation allegedly performed at the crash site of the BARON 52. Fate of ALL crew members determined.
1. No remains were found belonging to three members of Baron 52.
2. Twenty Three (23) bone fragments that Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii could not be proven to be of human origin.
3. Fragments of a tooth allegedly belonging to Peter Cressman.
4. Matejov and Cressman families denied access to the 23 bone fragments because Department of Defense considered the fragments to be the co-mingled remains of ALL eight crew members.
5. Matejov and Cressman families advised that the group "burial" of the 23 bone fragments, the tooth fragment and a dog tag would take place despite objections of these two families.
27 MARCH 96
Burial of the forestated takes place at Arlington National Cemetery. Matejov and Cressman families attend to show respect to the three crew members known to have perished in the crash.
21 JUNE 96
Patrick Cressman denied access to brother Peter Cressman's case folder in Washington D.C. on the basis that the "case has been resolved."
TODAY
Evelyn Cressman, mother of Peter Cressman has passed away. The rest of the Cressman family as well as the Matejov family continue the fight to find out what really happened to their loved ones. The evidence that these crew members were alive in 1973 is overwhelming. The evidence that the back-end crew perished is non existent.
FOR THE COMPLETE WRITTEN STATEMENT OF PATRICK J. CRESSMAN GIVEN BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL SECURITY, MILITARY PERSONNEL SUBCOMMITTEE ON JUNE 28, 1995, PLEASE PROVIDE A WRITTEN REQUEST TO:
Our Forgotten Brothers
% Sharon R. Barnett
7025 Horton
Overland Park, Kansas 66204

PETITION TO REOPEN THE BARON 52 CASE
WHEREAS, on February 9, 1973 a search team found 3 bodies on the EC-47Q, but no evidence of remains of the back-end crew, and,
WHEREAS, no parachutes, vests, or electronic gear belonging to the back end crew was found during the search in 1973, and,
WHEREAS, the emergency exit "kick-out" door was not found at the site during the search in 1973, and,
WHEREAS, at least one, possibly more, intercepted North Vietnamese communication(s) was reported on February 5, 1973, stating that a unit operating in southern Laos had captured four "air pirates" shortly after the loss of the Baron 52, in the same general area, and,
WHEREAS, a possible report, apparently still classified, specifically referred to at least twice by independent sources of a "friendly" Lao road watcher who saw the four "clean shaven and in their flight suits," being led away under NVA guard, and,
WHEREAS, one Security Service airman has reported, to date without confirmation, that he attended a briefing a day or two after the loss of BARON 52 in which he recalls the briefing officer stating that the commander of the ED-47Q had radioed that the "back enders" were out and had good parachutes, and,
WHEREAS, the fuselage of the aircraft had melted down into about an 18" - 24" crawl space after impact, which would be an engineering impossibility if the large electronic consoles were still in place providing structural support, and
WHEREAS, the back-end crew had ample time (15 minutes from reported AA fire to last contact) to throw the equipment and themselves out of the air craft, and,
WHEREAS, another NSA radio listening post intercepted enemy communication on February 17, 1973, stating, "The people involved in the South Laotian campaign have shot down one aircraft and captured the air pirates," and,
WHEREAS, no other aircraft were lost in that area during the same period of time, and,
WHEREAS, Doctor Roger Shields, former head of POW/MIA Affairs for the Department of Defense, in 1983 Colonel and Mrs. Matejov, the parents of one of the back-end crew members, that the four men from the EC-47Q were among the Known Live Captured Americans, and
WHEREAS, all crew members were declared dead in 1973, 17 days after the shoot down. They were "Identified" and "Accounted for," based upon a single piece of one tooth, and
WHEREAS, the coffin buried at Arlington National Cemetery contains absolutely NO identifiable remains (the tooth fragment was not buried), but rather 23 pieces of material in which the Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii admits it cannot discern if said material is of human origin.
NOW WHEREFORE, we the undersigned citizens of the Unites States of America, petition that the case of the BARON 52 be re-opened based upon the preponderance of the evidence indicating the live capture of these men, and
NOW WHEREFORE, we the undersigned citizens of the Unites States of America, petition that the case of the BARON 52 be re-opened based upon the overwhelming lack of compelling evidence collected since 1973 that could possibly sustain a finding of collective death.
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Click here to go to a case synopsis of Baron 52 This is important information.
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