POW Bracelet

[HuggyU2]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/04/04/bond-between-strangers-vietnam-pow-bracelet-to-unite-pair-after-decades/

I still relish the one I wear.

[Jughead]

I still relish the one I wear.

I feel the same. Unfortunately, mine is for a KIA service member, so no chance of such a meeting. We can still hope for a return & positive ID of remains.

Maj Whitt, you are not forgotten!

[M2]

Col John L. Robertson

On 16 September 1966, Major John L. "Robbie" Robertson, pilot; and then 1st Lt. Hugh E. Buchanan, weapons systems operator; comprised the crew of the #3 aircraft (tail # 63-7643) in a flight of 4, call sign "Moonglow 3." This was Major Robertson's 29th day in Southeast Asia and 1st Lt. Buchanan's 17th mission. The flight departed Ubon Airfield, Thailand at 1500 hours to conduct an armed reconnaissance mission against the Dap Cau Railroad and Highway Bridge located approximately 17 miles southeast of Kep MiG base, between the major cities of Hanoi and Haiphong, North Vietnam. Shortly after the flight departed Ubon Airfield, one of the Phantom's developed fuel problems and was forced to return to base. The rest of the flight continued with their mission.

At 1540 hours, Moonglow flight was nearing their target when they were engaged in aerial combat by a flight of 4 MiG-17s. The Phantom's jettisoned their external armament before engaging the enemy fighters. As the dogfight progressed, Roscoe Epperson, a good friend of Major Robertson's who was flying an air cover for another mission, recognized Robbie Robertson's voice over the radio and listened to the transmissions of the air battle. He heard Major Robertson state, "This is Moonglow 3, I see the MiGs. I am engaging MiGs!" He heard the entire battle from sighting the enemy aircraft through the dogfight. He also heard his friend report, "I am hit, and I'm heading for the water!" In the chaos of battle, no parachutes were seen and no emergency radio beepers were heard. Because of the location being deep within enemy held territory, no search and rescue (SAR) operation was possible. At the time of loss both Robbie Robertson and Hugh Buchanan were listed Missing in Action.

Met one of his daughters (Deborah Robertson Bardsley) years ago at a Senate Select Committee on POW-MIA Affairs, she was very active in the POW/MIA community back in the early 1990s. Unfortunately, she passed away a few years later from influenza-pneumonia never knowing what happened to her father.

You may also remember back in 1990 this photo appeared in the press with the claims it was Robertson (left) with Air Force Major Albro Lundy, Jr. (center) and Navy Lieutenant Larry Stevens (right)...

Turned out to be a doctored photo of Russian migrant farmers (source).

Like Jughead, at this point most like all we can hope for is the ID and return of his remains. I've actually been to the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (now Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency) lab on Hickam, the work that organization is doing is impressive, but they can only focus on the remains that have been found or handed over which hasn't happened in Robertson's case. Until then, all we can do is hope...

Cheers! M2

[MooseAg03]

I grew up wearing my 2nd cousin's red POW/MIA bracelet, Maj Curtis 'Dan' Miller. He was an AC-130 pilot in the 16th SOS and was shot down on 29 Mar 1972. When I was just beginning pilot training in 2008, I received a call from my grandmother telling me that the government had identified his remains. The family was skeptical at first, because the JPRC has been known to be eager to close out MIA cases. They elected to have an independent lab verify the DNA analysis. Finally on 29 Mar 2010, 38 years to the day he was lost over Laos, Dan was laid to rest at the national cemetery in Ft. Worth. I remember it made national news and his funeral procession was over a mile long. It meant a lot to the family, his widow, and his mother to have such a heartfelt homecoming. His wife Sue told me the story of how the Air Force had a Colonel escort her to Hawaii and the lab showed her all of the work they did to identify his remains. There they had his entire service dress uniform made up, and placed his remains in the casket and sealed it. She said he was flown home on American Airlines and when they arrived in DFW, the entire ramp shut down while they held a ceremony and transported Dan to the funeral home.

I traveled to Ft Worth for the funeral, and was amazed that the 16th SOS had quite a large showing and provided an airplane for the flyover. Now I wear a black KIA bracelet with Dan's name on it since he has finally been brought home.

http://www.wfaa.com/story/local/2015/03/08/13559954/