POW/MIA Bracelets...

[Guest C-21 Pilot]

I've had one now for about 3 years, and see them all over the military. If you have one or are planning on buying one, please submit the name and brief history of the hero.

Here's the history and background of Cpl John C. Keiper - who's name is engraved on my silver bracelet.

*************************************************

Name: Keiper, John Charles

Rank: Corporal/E-4

Branch: United States Marine Corps

Unit: HAMS 16, MAG 16

Date of Birth: 18 September 1945

Home of Record: Renovo, Pennsylvania

Date of Loss: 15 November 1966

Country of Loss: South Vietnam

Loss Coordinates: 162535N 1074619E (ZD150045)

Status: Missing In Action

Category*: 3 - Doubtful Knowledge

Aircraft: U6A, Serial No. 541723

Other Personnel Involved in Incident: Harry M. Ravenna (missing)

Bio: "Chuck" Keiper was born in Pittston, Pennsylvania. He graduated

from St. Joseph's High School in Renovo, Pennsylvania, and was a

member of St. Joseph's Church. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in

March 1963, and was sent to Vietnam in 1966.

Synopsis of Incident:

Capt. Ravenna was assigned to the 138th Aviation Company, 224th U.S. Army Security Agency Battalion (Aviation), U.S. Army Security Agency Group, Vietnam. All missions of this agency were highly classified during the war, and secret cover designations (Radio Research Units) were used instead of the actual unit designations on station lists and reports. The 138th was based at Da Nang.

Cpl. Keiper was assigned to Heavy Attack Maintance Squadron 16, Marine Air Group 16, in Dong Ha, where he assisted in the maintenance of aircraft temporarily based there. His role on this mission is unclear from public record.

On 15 November 1966, Capt. Ravenna (pilot) and Cpl. Keiper (passenger) were flying a U6A aircraft on a routine mission from Dong Ha to Da Nang. Ravenna filed a Visual Flight Rules (VFR) flight plan, but ran into poor weather conditions. He radioed Dong Ha and requested radar guidance. At 1430 hours, he passed into Da Nang airfield radio control and radioed, "Lonely Ranger 723, heading 125, 3000 feet, estimating Da Nang at 40, request radar. Presently on instruments."

Having trouble bringing him onto radar screen, Da Nang instructed Ravenna to activate his transponder. This did not improve radar contact, so they asked his location, which he gave as 45 nautical miles from Dong Ha. Da Nang instructed him to recontact Dong Ha, believing he was out of Da Nang range and still in that of Dong Ha. Ravenna acknowledged the transmission, and radio contact was broken and never resumed.

Ravenna and Keiper were last believed to be in South Vietnam about halfway between Da Nang and the city of Hue. Later investigation concluded that on his present course, had it been followed, Ravenna's aircraft would have impacted with the side of a mountain in that vicinity. The hostile threat in the area prevented an extensive search, and all efforts to discover the fate of Ravenna and Keiper have failed.

Keiper and Ravenna are among nearly 2,500 Americans who did not return from the war in Vietnam. Today, thousands of reports have been received by the U.S. Government that indicate that men are alive still, held in captivity in Southeast Asia. Thus far, official policy is to state that "conclusive proof" is not yet available. Detractors state that proof is in hand, but the will to act on that proof does not exist. As long as even ONE American is alive, held against his will, we must do everything in our power to achieve his release.

[HerkNav]

I've been wearing the bracelet bearing Capt Raymond's name for almost 5 years now.

RAYMOND, PAUL DARWIN

Name: Paul Darwin Raymond

Rank/Branch: O2/US Air Force

Unit: 557th Tactical Fighter Squadron

Date of Birth: 10 January 1943

Home City of Record: Deposit NY

Date of Loss: 05 September 1967

Country of Loss: North Vietnam

Loss Coordinates: 171100N 1065400E (YE021007)

Status (in 1973): Missing in Action

Category: 2

Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: F4C

Other Personnel in Incident: Donald W. Downing; on another F4C nearby:

Thomas P. Hanson; Carl D. Miller (all missing)

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 March 1991 from one or more of the

following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with

POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews. Updated by the P.O.W.

NETWORK.

REMARKS:

SYNOPSIS: The Phantom, used by Air Force, Marine and Navy air wings, served a

multitude of functions including fighter-bomber and interceptor, photo and

electronic surveillance. The two man aircraft was extremely fast (Mach 2), and

had a long range (900 - 2300 miles, depending on stores and mission type). The

F4 was also extremely maneuverable and handled well at low and high altitudes.

Most pilots considered it one of the "hottest" planes around.

1Lt. Paul D. Raymond and Maj. Carl D. Miller were F4 pilots who were sent on a

combat mission over Quang Binh Province, North Vietnam on September 5, 1967.

Raymond's bombardier/navigator on the flight was Capt. Donald W. Downing, while

Miller's was 1Lt. Thomas P. Hanson.

Both aircraft crashed on their missions near the coast of Vietnam. Raymond and

Downing went down about 10 miles north of the city of Vinh Linh, while Miller

and Hanson went down about 20 miles north of Vinh Linh. All four were classified

Missing in Action, and it is believed the Vietnamese could account for them,

alive or dead.

591 American Prisoners of War were released in 1973, but nearly 2500 were not.

Thousands of reports have been received by the U.S. Government that indicate

hundreds of Americans are still alive and held captive in Southeast Asia, yet

the government seems unable or unwilling to successfully achieve their release.

Policy statements indicate that "conclusive proof" is not available, but when it

is, the government will act. Detractors state that proof is in hand, but the

will to act does not exist.

Whether the four airmen missing on September 5, 1967 survived to be captured is

not known. Whether they are among those believed to be still alive today is

uncertain. What cannot be questioned, however, is that America has a moral and

legal obligation to secure the freedom of those who may still be illegally held

by the communist governments of Southeast Asia. It's time we brought our men

home.

During the period they were maintained missing, Miller was promoted to the rank

of Colonel, Downing to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, Hanson to the rank of

Major and Raymond to the rank of Captain.

Paul D. Raymond graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1965.

God speed to Captain Raymond and his family

Matt

[Guest ShortThrow]

Where do people get these?

[HerkNav]

Here is one of the many sites you can order them from...

http://www.pownetwork.org/hoi.htm

Just do a googe or yahoo search for POW bracelets and you'll find some good stuff

Cheers,

Matt

[M2]

I used to wear one in college back in the mid-to-late 80's, and for a while when I was a Lt; but it's been a long time since. Here is who I had:

ROBERTSON, JOHN LEIGHTON

Name: John Leighton Robertson

Rank/Branch: O4/USAF pilot

Unit: Ubon, Thailand 555th TFS

Date of Birth: 11 October 1930

Home City of Record: Seattle WA

Date of Loss: 16 September 1966

Country of Loss: North Vietnam

Loss Coordinates: 211157N 1062558E (XJ487447)

Status (in 1973): Missing In Action

Category: 2

Acft/Vehicle/Ground: F4C

Other Personnel In Incident: Hubert E. Buchanan (released POW)

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 October 1990 from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews. Update by the P.O.W. NETWORK March 1997

REMARKS: IN INTERROG PO60 TOLD SUBJ DIED

SYNOPSIS: Maj. John L. Robertson was a highly valued member of the Inspector General's team that checked combat readiness of the nation's air bases when he wrote a 28-page letter requesting Vietnam service. When his request was

granted and he was assigned to Ubon Air Base, Thailand, he was so elated that he did cartwheels and back flips around the family pool.

On September 16, 1966, a four-plane squadron headed from Ubon for a railroad bridge in the Red River Delta. Robertson's plane was in the number three position designated "Moonglow 3", and his systems operator on the flight was 1Lt. Hubert E. Buchanan. The squadron came under heavy fire, Robertson's plane was hit and went down. Buchanan successfully ejected, and was taken prisoner.

John Robertson's fate is unknown. When he was released in 1973, Buchanan supplied more information about the events of September 16, 1966. During his descent after ejection, Buchanan could not see above his parachute (the

back-seater ejects first) to verify that Robertson had also ejected. He saw a large fire about one half mile away, but could not say with certainty that it was the plane or jettisoned fuel that was burning.

Buchanan later reported that because the Vietnamese did not display any strong reaction to the lies he told them regarding his mission, he presumed that they were only hearing one (his) story. Further, another returned prisoner, Maj. Douglas B. Peterson, was shown Robertson's ID card during an interrogation session.

John L. Robertson was promoted to the rank of Colonel during the period he was maintained Missing in Action. Hubert E. Buchanan was promoted to the rank of Captain during his captivity.

Some of you might remember back in July 1991 Robertson, along with AF Major Albro Lundy and USN LT Larry Stevens, were the three MIA's "identified" in a photo that was reportedly "snuck" out of Vietnam...

Turned out it was a doctored version of the photo at bottom, which appeared in a 1989 Khmer-language edition of the magazine Soviet Life. It is a photo of three Soviet farmers during the Stalin era celebrating a record harvest.

I also got to have lunch with one of Robertson's daughters, Shelby Robertson-Quest, when Ross Perot testified before the Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs back in 1992.

Anyhow, glad to see they are making a comeback...I might just dig mine out (I also have one in silver, also for Robertson). By the way, I know the USAF outlawed the yellow LiveStrong bracelets, but as far as I know these are still legal, right?

Cheers! M2

[GBock]

I've been wearing mine since my freshman year in college (ERAU - NQND!), 1998. Eery thing is his date of loss is 11 Sep.

HELWIG, ROGER DANNY

Name: Roger Danny Helwig

Rank/Branch: O3/US Air Force

Unit:

Date of Birth: 17 May 1943

Home City of Record: Colorado Springs CO

Date of Loss: 11 September 1969

Country of Loss: Laos

Loss Coordinates: 163920N 1062250E (XD472415)

Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered

Category: 2

Acft/Vehicle/Ground: F4D

Refno: 1488

Other Personnel in Incident: Roger H. Stearns (remains returned)

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 01 April 1991 from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews. Updated by the P.O.W. NETWORK 1998.

REMARKS:

SYNOPSIS: When North Vietnam began to increase their military strength in South Vietnam, NVA and Viet Cong troops again intruded on neutral Laos for sanctuary, as the Viet Minh had done during the war with the French some years before. The border road, termed the "Ho Chi Minh Trail" was used for transporting weapons, supplies and troops. Hundreds of American pilots were shot down trying to stop this communist traffic to South Vietnam. Fortunately, search and rescue teams in Vietnam were extremely successful and the recovery rate was high.

Still there were nearly 600 who were not rescued, including Stearns and Helwig. Many were alive on the ground and in radio contact with search and rescue and other planes; some were known to have been captured. Hanoi's communist allies in Laos, the Pathet Lao, publicly spoke of American prisoners they held, but when peace agreements were negotiated, Laos was not included, and not a single American was released that had been held in Laos.

One of the aircraft used the Trail was the F4 Phantom, used by Air Force, Marine and Navy air wings. The Phantom served a multitude of functions including fighter-bomber and interceptor, photo and electronic surveillance. The two-man aircraft was extremely fast (Mach 2), and had a long range (900 - 2300 miles, depending on stores and mission type). The F4 was also extremely maneuverable and handled well at low and high altitudes. Most pilots considered it one of the "hottest" planes around.

Capt. Roger D. Helwig and Capt. Roger H. Stearns are both listed as pilots by the Department of Defense. They comprised the aircrew of an F4D fighter/bomber sent on a combat mission over Laos on September 11, 1969. During the mission, the aircraft was shot down about 5 miles southeast of Sepone in Savannakhet Province. This location is about 10 miles west of the Vietnam border a few miles south of the Demilitarized Zone. It is on the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

The fates of Helwig and Stearns are not known, but circumstances surrounding the crash of the aircraft indicated to the Air Force that both died in the crash, and that the enemy probably knew their fate.

On May 22, 1990, the Vietnamese, having denied knowledge of Helwig and Stearns for many years, "discovered" and returned to U.S. control the remains of Roger H. Stearns. The fate of Helwig remains unclear.

Were it not for the thousands of reports concerning Americans still held captive in Southeast Asia, the Helwig family might be able to close this tragic chapter of their lives. But as long as Americans are alive, being held captive, one of them could be Helwig. No one realloy knew the Vietnamese had control of Stearns' body. Helwig could have fallen into the hands of either the Lao or Vietnamese. It's time we brought all our men home.

[Scooter14]

oneagleswings,

Thanks for that link. Great site. I had a bracelet I got in ROTC that I broke many years ago in a hockey game. I still remember the name, Frawley, William D., and sure enough, his bio is on the site. I'm printing the form as we speak to order my replacement.

FRAWLEY, WILLIAM DAVID

Name: William David Frawley

Rank/Branch: O3/US Navy

Unit: Fighter Squadron 143, USS RANGER (CVA-61)

Date of Birth: 14 November 1938

Home City of Record: Brockton MA

Loss Date: 01 March 1966

Country of Loss: North Vietnam/Over Water

Loss Coordinates: 200700N 1062500E (XH480248)

Status (in 1973): Body Not Recovered

Category: 5

Acft/Vehicle/Ground: F4B

Refno: 0260

Description is lengthy, but it's all right here.

[Guest illini52]

BENNETT, THOMAS WARING, JR.

Name: Thomas Waring "Buddy" Bennett, Jr.

Rank/Branch: O3/USAF, co-pilot

Unit: 22nd Bomber Wing, Utapao Airfield, Thailand

Date of Birth: 22 December 1942

Home City of Record: Natchez MS

Date of Loss: 22 December 1972

Country of Loss: North Vietnam

Loss Coordinates: 212500N 1062500E (WJ866264)

Status (in 1973): Missing In Action

Category: 2

Acft/Vehicle/Ground: B52D

http://www.pownetwork.org/bios/b/b195.htm

[Vandal]

I have been wearing Lt. Carroll's daily for the past two years both in and out of uniform.

CARROLL, PATRICK HENRY

Name: Patrick Henry Carroll

Rank/Branch: O2/US Air Force

Unit: Commando Sabre Operations, 31st Tactical Fighter Wing, Tuy Hoa Airbase, South Vietnam

Date of Birth: 12 December 1942

Home City of Record: Allen Park MI [Family states Berkley, MI]

Date of Loss: 02 November 1969

Country of Loss: Laos

Loss Coordinates: 144500N 1071700E (YB218846)

Status (in 1973): Missing In Action

Category: 2

Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: F100F

Refno: 1510

Other Personnel In Incident: Lawrence W. Whitford (missing)

SYNOPSIS: When North Vietnam began to increase their military strength in South Vietnam, NVA and Viet Cong troops again intruded on neutral Laos for sanctuary, as the Viet Minh had done during the war with the French some years before. The border road, termed the "Ho Chi Minh Trail" was used for

transporting weapons, supplies and troops. Hundreds of American pilots were shot down trying to stop this communist traffic to South Vietnam. Fortunately, search and rescue teams in Vietnam were extremely successfuland the recovery rate was high. Still there were nearly 600 who were not rescued. Many of them went down along the Ho Chi Minh Trail and the passes through the border mountains between Laos and Vietnam. Many were alive on the ground and in radio contact with search and rescue and other planes; some were known to have been

captured. Hanoi's communist allies in Laos, the Pathet Lao, publicly spoke of American prisoners they held, but when peace agreements were negotiated, Laos was not included, and not a single American was released that had been

held in Laos. On November 2, 1969, LtCol. Lawrence W. Whitford, Jr., pilot, and 1Lt. Patrick H. Carroll, navigator, departed Tuy Hoa Airbase located on the coast of central South Vietnam on a "Misty" Forward Air Control (FAC) mission over

the Ho Chi Minh Trail in central Laos. Whitford radioed that he was running out of fuel in Attapeu Province, about

20 miles east of the city of Muong May. He had a scheduled refueling, but never appeared. Searches did not reveal any sign of the aircraft crash or the crew. Several months later, a damaged plane thought to be the plane flown by

Carroll and Whitford was found in the area with no bodies inside and nothing to indicate that the crew had perished in the crash. Both Whitford and Carroll were declared Missing in Action.

Carroll and Whitford went down in an area heavily infiltrated by enemy forces. In Whitford's case, there is certain indication that the enemy knows what happened to him. As pilot, he would have ejected second. In Carroll's case, it is highly suspected that the Lao or the Vietnamese know his fate. Whitford and Carroll are two of the nearly 600 Americans who disappeared in

Laos, never to return. Although Pathet Lao leaders stressed that they held "tens of tens" of American prisoners in Laos, not one man held in Laos was ever released - or negotiated for.

Patrick Carroll attended the Air Force Academy, graduated from the University of Colorado and had just begun a promising career in the military. Larry Whitford was a senior officer with a distinguished record. The country they proudly served abandoned them in their haste to leave an unpopular war.

Were it not for the thousands of reports concerning Americans still held captive in Southeast Asia, the Whitford and Carroll families might be able to close this tragic chapter of their lives. But as long as Americans are alive, being held captive, one of them could be Carroll or Whitford. It's time we brought these men home.

[ 09. November 2006, 02:26: Message edited by: Vandal905 ]

[Chuck17]

STANDERWICK, ROBERT LAUREN, SR.

(family states military records incorrect - middle name "LAURIN")

Name: Robert Lauren Standerwick, Sr.

Rank/Branch: O5/USAF

Unit: 25th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Ubon Airfield, Thailand

Date of Birth: 23 June 1930

Home City of Record: Mankato, KS (family in NE, MO, CA, CO)

Date of Loss: 03 February 1971

Country of Loss: Laos

Loss Coordinates: 171700N 1061030E (XE230120 or XD258926)

Status (in 1973): Missing In Action

Category: 2

Acft/Vehicle/Ground: F4D

Refno: 1698

Source: Compiled from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S.

Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families,

published sources, interviews. Updated by the P.O.W. NETWORK in 2000.

Other Personnel in Incident: Norbert A. Gotner (Released POW)

Chuck

[LRU-6.9]

BADLEY, JAMES LINDSAY

Name: James Lindsay Badley

Rank/Branch: United States Air Force/O2/Pilot

Unit:

Date of Birth: 16 April 1942

Home City of Record: Hermiston OR

Date of Loss: 27 March 1968

Country of Loss: North Vietnam

Loss Coordinates: 171954 North 1061214 East

Status (in 1973): Killed in Action/Body Not Recovered

Category: 2

Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: F4D

Missions:

Other Personnel in Incident: Whitteker,James

Refno: 1105

Source: Compiled by P.O.W. NETWORK from one or more of the following: raw

data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA

families, published sources, interviews and CACCF = Combined Action

Combat Casualty File.

REMARKS:

James Badley was a two year Air Force Veteran. CACCF notes the plane

crashed.

No further information available at this time.

=======================

03/04/02

Richard L. Whitteker was the aircraft commander on Jim's last mission. Jim

traded into the flight with Whitteker and that story is documented in a book

about Badley's life called "Angels Unknown" by Lynda Twyman Paffrath.

website: www.AngelsUnknown.net

Lynda Twyman Paffrath

[Guest ShortThrow]

Stafford, Ronald Dean

Name: Ronald Dean Stafford

Rank/Branch: O3/USAF

DOB: 03 January 1943

Home City of Record: Oxford NE

Date of Loss: 21 November 1972

Country of Loss: South Vietnam

Loss Coordinates: 162442N 1075155E

Status: KIA/Not recovered

Aircraft: F111A

On November 21, 1972, an F111A flown by Captain Ronald D. Stafford and Captain Charles J. Caffarelli went down about halfway between Hue and Da Nang in South Vietnam. Both the pilot and backseater were thought to have died in the crash into the South China Sea, but no remains were ever found.

As reports continue to be received by the U.S. Government build a strong case for belief that hundreds of these missing Americans are still alive and in captivity, one must wonder if their retention provides yet another David and Goliath story for Vietnamese propaganda. The F111 missions were hazardous and the pilots who flew them were brave and skilled. Fourteen Americans remain missing the F111 aircrafts downed in Southeast Asia. If any of them are among those said to be still missing, what must they be thinking of us?

[CHS17]

A fellow Cyclone alum.

HERRICK, JAMES WAYNE JR.

Name: James Wayne Herrick, Jr.

Rank/Branch: 1LT/U S Air Force

Unit: 602nd Special Operations Squadron, NKP

Date of Birth: 28 October 1944

Home City of Record: Panora IA

Date of Loss: 27 October 1969

Country of Loss: Laos

Loss Coordinates: 193100N 1035000E (UG796608)

Status (in 1973): Missing In Action

Category: 3

Acft/Vehicle/Ground: A1H

REFNO: 1506

Other Personnel In Incident: none missing

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project from one or more of the

following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with

POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews. Updated by the P.O.W.

NETWORK.

REMARKS:

SYNOPSIS: Jim Herrick was born on a farm in Guthrie Co. Iowa, the oldest son

of the Herricks. He had paralytic polio at the age of 7, but by the summer

of his 8th year was completely recovered with no trace of paralysis. He had

a normal, active youth.

In school at Iowa State College, Jim was in the Air Force ROTC, and went to

flight school following college. He volunteered for overseas duty and was

sent to Southeast Asia in May 1969.

On October 27, 1969, Jim was flying an A1H aircraft on a reconnaissance

mission when his plane went down in Xiangkhouang Province, Laos. His last

known location was one mile north-northwest of Ban Khang Pha Nien and 19

miles north-northeast of Xieng Khouang. This is near the famed Plaine des

Jarres region of Laos.

In the prisoner of war release following the signing of the Paris Peace

agreements, no prisoners held by the Lao were released. Only those prisoners

held by the Vietnamese were freed. Jim Herrick, along with nearly 600 other

Americans, disappeared in Laos and were left behind, forgotten.

Thousands of reports of Americans held in captivity have been received by

the United States Government. Many sources have been polygraphed and

indicate no deception, yet the government states there is no "proof"

Americans are being held. Yet, the reports persist, and increase in number

as the years pass.

As the years pass, what must those men be thinking of us?

James W. Herrick was promoted to the rank of Captain during the period he

was maintained Missing in Action. He was presumptively declared killed in

action 21 November 1977, based on no new information to prove he was alive.

[Guest street]

I received my bracelet as a birthday gift earlier this year. Here's his info:

The story is long but fascinating. Many believe he was shipped off to the USSR and may even still be alive.

Name: James Kelly Patterson

Rank/Branch: Lieutenant Commander/US Navy

Unit: Attack Squadron 35,

USS ENTERPRISE (CVAN-65)

Date of Birth: 14 July 1940 (Long Beach, CA)

Home of Record: Long Beach, Los Angeles, CA

Date of Loss: 19 May 1967

Country of Loss: North Vietnam

Loss Coordinates: 204537N 1052539E (WH445955)

Click coordinates to view maps

Status in 1973: Prisoner of War

Category: 2

Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: A6A "Intruder"

Other Personnel in Incident: Eugene McDaniel (released POW)

REMARKS: PROB CAPTURED WITH BROKEN LEG

SYNOPSIS: With the addition of the Grumman A6A Intruder to its inventory, the Naval Air Wing had the finest two-man, all-weather, low-altitude attack/bombing aircraft in the world. It displayed great versatility and lived up to the expectations of those who pushed for its development after the Korean War. At the time it was the only operational aircraft that had a self-contained all-weather bombing capacity including a moving target indicator mode. In this role it usually carried a bomb load of 14,000 pounds and was used rather extensively in the monsoon season not only in South Vietnam, but in Laos and over the heavily defended areas of North Vietnam. The Intruder was credited with successfully completing some of the most difficult single-plane strikes in the war, and its' air crews were among the most talented and most courageous to serve the United States.

On 19 May 1967, Lt. Cmdr. Eugene "Red" McDaniel, pilot, and then Lt. James "Kelly" Patterson, bombardier/navigator, launched from the deck for the USS Enterprise in an A6A, call sign "Raygun 502." They were on a deep strike mission to attack a NVA truck repair facility located in the Van Dien District of down town Hanoi, North Vietnam. This area was commonly referred to by US pilots as "Little Detroit." The weather conditions included scattered clouds and visibility of 10 miles.

At 1112 hours, as the Intruder flew deep over enemy held territory, it was struck by a surface-to-air missile (SAM) forcing Lt. Cmdr. McDaniel and Lt. Patterson to eject. Both men landed roughly a mile apart in a U-shaped valley containing villages and numerous truck-passable roads, and nearly a mile from the wreckage of their aircraft. A short time later, squadron mates Nick Carpenter and Richard Slaasted crossed over the burning wreckage and had no difficulty in visually locating the downed crew in an area approximately 30 miles southwest of Hanoi and 11 miles southeast of Hao Binh, Hao Binh Province, North Vietnam.

Both men immediately established radio contact with the crew of another Intruder reporting they were injured - Red McDaniel damaged his back upon landing and Kelly Patterson had sustained a badly broken left leg. The next morning the same Intruder aircrew who first located the burning wreckage and both Red McDaniel and Kelly Patterson alive on the ground, again found Lt. Patterson without difficulty. They not only spoke with him over his survival radio, but they saw him alive and free. On the morning of the third day, Nick Carpenter returned to the area of loss in the backseat of an Air Force F4 to pinpoint the downed bombardier/navigator's position for Air Force rescue personnel, and again, they found Kelly Patterson in the same location. And as in previous flights, they were able to see him and talk with him before dropping a Fulton Extraction kit for him to use during a planned extraction. That night and before dawn two other F4 aircrews located him. Unfortunately, they learned during that radio contact that the Vietnamese captured the extraction equipment before Lt. Patterson could reach it. During the day of 22 May - his fourth day on the ground deep in enemy territory - all efforts to locate Kelly Patterson by Navy and Air Force personnel proved fruitless. All rescue efforts were terminated at that time based on the firm belief he had been captured, and accordingly, James Kelly Patterson was listed as a Prisoner of War.

Lt. Cmdr. McDaniel was captured early the morning of 20 May. He was transported by his captors to Hanoi where he remained imprisoned until his repatriation on 4 March 1973. While a Prisoner of War, Red McDaniel was told in 1967 by a prison guard, known as Onizz, that his bombardier/navigator had recovered from his injury and was well. Other POWs who returned during Operation Homecoming saw evidence that Lt. Patterson was also a prisoner of the North Vietnamese. Dewey Smith saw an interrogation questionnaire with Kelly Patterson's name written on the top of it in the fall of 1967 and Ronald Mastin believes he saw a photo of Kelly Patterson's ID card in a Vietnamese newspaper during the same year. Further, Bobby Jo Keesee reported seeing Kelly Patterson's name scratched into a cell wall in a prison camp near the Chinese border known to the POWs as "Briarpatch."

During a meeting in Hanoi, from 13-16 November 1985, the Vietnamese turned over Lt. Patterson's ID card and Geneva Convention card in good condition to a Joint Casualty Resolution Center (JCRC) delegation. These documents were among the first 19 pieces of material evidence provided by the Vietnamese government to our government on any missing Americans. Later, to lend credence to one of their reports regarding the fate of Kelly Patterson, the Vietnamese attached a photocopy of his Geneva Convention card to it; however, the card they copied was a phony since the information contained in it did not match the data on the real card now in his family's possession.

In December 1990, in an attempt to satisfy questions asked about the fate of Kelly Patterson, the Vietnamese brought before US investigators four "witnesses" who claimed to have been militiamen involved in the search for the Intruder's crew. They claimed they found and captured the Fulton gear; then found the injured lieutenant, shot him and buried him on the spot. They claimed they killed him in spite of standing orders to capture, not kill, Americans. When asked what happened to his body, they said it disappeared because it was: 1) bombed by US planes; 2) eaten by wild animals; and/or 3) washed away by a nearby stream. The Vietnamese claimed grave site was pointed out by these witnesses on a ridgeline about midway down its three-mile length running south from the top of Nui Doi Thoi, the highest mountain in the area, and miles away from the U-shaped valley. This site was thoroughly excavated by a joint US/Vietnamese field team in May 1992. The results of that excavation found no trace of remains. In fact, it proved conclusively that the soil strata itself in this location had never been disturbed by man.

In early 1992, the Patterson family obtained a photograph of Kelly Patterson's aircraft exploding on impact with the ground. They provided that photo to US investigators who had satellite imagery experts examine it in the fall of 1993. Those experts positively matched terrain features shown in the photo with those in satellite map imagery of the area of loss. By doing so, they pinpointed the actual crash site at "WH401844" - in Ky Son District, Hao Binh Province, roughly 7 miles south-southwest of the official loss location and 2 ¼ miles west of the Vietnamese ridgeline grave site. When the photo is oriented to the map, the trail of smoke left by the Intruder shows it was traveling northward along its planned flight path. Likewise, within a mile of the wreckage, several hamlets and roads are plainly visible into the many truck accessible areas. The ridgeline running south from Nui Doi Thoi is a major terrain feature that marks the border between Kim Boi District to the east and Ky Son District to the west. The four witnesses came from a village miles east of the ridgeline. Since the crash site was on the west side of that ridgeline, that same ridgeline blocked their view making it impossible for those villagers to witness any part of the Intruder shootdown/crash. There were no roads or trails traversing Nui Doi Thoi from the villages on the east side to those on the west. Likewise, there was not communication between the villages on either side of the mountain making it impractical for those witnesses to have participated in the search which the communists immediately initiated for the downed Intruder aircrew or the recovery the Fulton gear.

In 1991, Yuri Pankov, a respected Russian investigative reporter, researched the premise of American Prisoners of War being transferred from Southeast Asia to the Soviet Union. In an article published in the highly regarded Moscow newspaper Kommersant, he wrote that a US "second pilot" shot down over North Vietnam on 19 May 1967 was taken overland through China to Saryshagansk, in the then Soviet republic of Kazakhstan, in the fall of 1967. Kelly Patterson is the only American lost on that date whose case matches Mr. Pankov's criteria and who's fate has not been resolved. Further, Kelly Patterson was an expert is his aircraft's state-of-the-art electronics used to defeat Vietnam's Russian-made missile defense system, and Saryshagansk was where the Soviet missile research facility was located. The knowledge of weapons systems possessed by Lt. Patterson was exactly the type of information the Soviets desperately wanted, and the North Vietnamese would have been more than willing to barter him to their ally in payment/exchange for the Soviets' continued support.

In February 1997, a professor from Almaofta, Kolamesk, Kazakhstan reported in a foreign publication that he personally possessed information about Lt. Patterson. This report originated in Hong Kong and carried in the media for only one day. In it the professor said that Kelly Patterson went from Almaofta to Saryshagansk, then added: "I have proof that James Kelly Patterson by name and two other Americans were working in a secret arms camp at Lake Balash, Saryshagansk." The Foreign Broadcasting Information Service (FBIS) is a CIA sponsored group that monitors broadcasts from all over the world. Their documentation of this report was made available to Kelly Patterson's family. After receiving this report, Lt. Patterson's brother wrote to 63 professors in the former USSR asking if any of them had information about him. He received 3 responses. In October 1997, his brother traveled to Kazakhstan to pursue these new leads. The trip was funded by classmates of Kelly Patterson's from Annapolis who believe as strongly as his family does that Kelly is alive and there is every reality he is in the former Soviet Union today. While in Kazakhstan, his brother made an appeal over the radio for anyone who knew or had information about him to please call in. The original broadcast said that an American was in Kazakhstan looking for his brother who had been shot down in Vietnam. Within a short time, a woman from Lugansk, Ukraine, called the station and told the radio correspondent she knew a Patterson in Priozersk in the 60's, that he had given her a teddybear and that she would never forget his face. The entire program was tape recorded including the woman's call. A week later when the lady was questioned for more details about Kelly Patterson, she changed her story claiming she had been mistaken, that the man she knew was a Soviet Officer who was a graduate of an advanced radio/engineering academy in Kiev in 1963. Patterson is listed in a book of common and uncommon Soviet names. In checking further, the investigators found no record of a Patterson, or a variation of that name, attending or graduating that academy from 1960 to 1964. Likewise, there is no record of a Patterson having been a Soviet Officer assigned to Priozersk in the 1960s. Kelly's brother did not know why she changed her story, but he firmly believes someone coerced her into doing so. Who that someone is and why it was done could not be established.

Since the end of the Vietnam War well over 21,000 reports of American prisoners, missing and otherwise unaccounted for have been received by our government. Many of these reports document LIVE American Prisoners of War remaining captive throughout Southeast Asia TODAY.

Other reports document American POWs being transferred to other communist countries in payment for their support during the war. Pilots and aircrews in Vietnam and Laos were called upon to fly in many dangerous circumstances, and each was prepared to be wounded, killed or captured. It probably never occurred to them that they could be abandoned by the country so proudly served

James Kelly Patterson, who was shot down on Ho Chi Minh's birthday, graduated from Annapolis in 1963

[Insubordinate & Churlish]

I wore, until today, a bracelet for SSgt. Matt Maupin. He was from my hometown of Cincinnati, OH. Matt was one of four POW/MIA in the Iraq War. He was captured on April 9th of 2004. Today they found his remains.

CNN Article

Cincinnati News Outlet Article

God rest his soul.

Edited March 31, 2008 by Port Dog

[Cinjo61]

I too have a POW bracelet for Capt. Paul Raymond. I am 58 years old and I have received this bracelet when I was a child. I have always hoped someday he would return home alive so I could send him this bracelet and let him know a little girl and now a grown woman he has never known has always thought of him and prayed for him to return home. 

Anyway just wanted to share. 

Cindy L. In North Carolina