F-111.net
The website dedicated to all variants of the F-111
F-111 Combat Losses The F-111 served in a number of
combat operations during its time in service. There have been 13 combat related losses with
18 crew members killed of which 10 whose remains have never been found.
The
following descriptions of F-111 Combat losses are drawn from a myriad of
sources. The Library of Congress has
copies of many original messages and reports that provide contemporaneous
accounts of the events surrounding each loss and subsequent Joint Task Force –
Full Accountability (JTF-FA) research site visits and crash site
excavations. They can be found at www.loc.gov and by searching using either a crew members name,
the tail number of the aircraft or the MIA/POW REFNO. Other information comes from the
Vietnam Memorial wall website and the archives of Arlington National
Cemetery. There are many other resources
available on the internet that contain details not presented here, including a
great deal of conjecture and speculation that has developed over the years as
people have tried to determine an explanation for the many cases of “unknown”
aircraft and crew member losses. The
narratives presented here attempt to stick to documented facts based on
official documents.
Operation COMBAT LANCER, 1968; Vietnam,
South East Asia, In 1967
the 428th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Nellis AFB, NV began
operational tests of F-111A aircraft in a program named Harvest Reaper. The USAF decided to send six aircraft to Takhli
RTAFB, Thailand as part of that testing and to provide critically needed radar
bombing capabilities in bad weather. This was Operation Combat Lancer. Although the aircraft showed promise, continued issues and the loss of
three aircraft after only 55 missions caused the aircraft to be withdrawn and
returned to Nellis AFB to continue its development.
Aircraft
losses:
Mar 28, 68. 66-0022, Omaha 77, Maj. Henry Elmer MacCann, Capt. Dennis Lee Graham, 1107.
Mar 30, 68. 66-0017, Hotrod 76, Maj. Alexander
A Marquardt, Capt.
Joseph V Hodges, Rescued.
Apr 22, 68
66-0024, Tailbone 78, Lt. Cmdr. David Lee Cooley (USN), Lt. Col. Edwin David Palmgren, 1139
28 Mar 68, 66-0022. Omaha 77. Lt Col H E MacCann, Capt DL Graham.
Mission
Target: Chanh Hoa (also reported as Banh Hoa) Truck park
Weapons
Load: 12 M117C 750lbs bombs plus 1 x AIM-9 Sidewinder.
According to the official report of Combat
Lancer operations, the flight left Takhli RTAFB at 0403 local time and
proceeded normally until a point west of Mu Ghai Pass on the border between Laos
and North Vietnam at about 1000 feet AGL. There it was observed to orbit for about 20 minutes and then turn
west. The presumption was that they
suffered a radio problem and were not able to contact Alley. Cat ABCCC for
permission to enter North Vietnam and then turned southwest to return to base
or reach a suitable divert base. Invert
radio at Nakhom Phenom (NKP) in Eastern Thailand was tracking the flight and
observed it to cross back into Thailand and head southwest. The last radar contact with Omaha 77 was at about
0530 local on a heading of 190 degrees at a distance of 15 miles from TACAN
Channel 89 at NKP. Subsequent to this, the flight could not be
contacted by radio. The flight was
declared overdue at 0730 and a SAR effort begun but no crash site was found and
the crew was declared MIA. No crash site
has ever been located despite several air and ground searches by the Joint Task
Force-Full Accounting and the cause of the loss has never been determined. The
MIA/POW database lists the crash site as the target area, but all investigative
efforts have suggested that it went down in Thailand. Maj. MacCann’s status was changed from MIA
with a presumptive finding of death 1978. He had been promoted to Lt. Col during the period he was MIA. His name can be found on the Vietnam War
Memorial on Panel 46E. Line 57. Capt,
Graham’s status was changed from MIA to KIA in 1974. His name can be found on Panel 46E, Line 54.
30 Mar 68, 66-0017, Hotrod 76, Maj AA Alexander, Capt JV Hodges.
This aircraft crashed in Thailand enroute to a combat mission to
North Vietnam. Its two-man crew escaped injury when they ejected in the cockpit
module.
They crew thought they had landed in Laos and began to escape and evade. They believed that they were under enemy fire
when the M61 ammunition in the wreck 'cooked off’. They were found later in
Thailand, only a short distance from the module and
were picked up by helicopter. The wreckage was recovered and taken to Takhli
RTAFB. Initial suspicion was that the crash
was caused by a tube of sealant left in the aircraft from manufacture lodging
in the control linkage, but subsequent Investigation revealed that the cause of
the crash was a structural failure of an actuating valve in the stabilator
system. Fleet wide inspections showed 42 other aircraft with the same defect.
Apr 22, 1968, 66-0024, Tailbone 78, Lt Cmdr DL Cooley (USN),Lt Col ED Palmgren.
Mission
Target: Mi Le Highway Ferry
Weapons
Load: 12 M117R 750lbs bombs plus one AIM-9B Sidewinder.
Tailbone 78 departed Takhli at 1904 local time. Their last radio contact was with Alleycat ABCC at 1959 local time when
the aircraft was handed off to Water Boy ABCC and cleared to attack the
target. At that time it was about 10
miles from the target and still in Laotian airspace. There was no post-strike radio call and the
aircraft and crew were declared missing. After a four day search effort with no results, the crew was declared
MIA. Lt. Cmdr “Spade” Cooley (USN) was
promoted to Commander (O-5 rank) while in MIA status but his status was changed
to KIA in Jan, 1978. His name can be
found on the Vietnam Memorial Wall on panel 51E / Line29. Lt Col “Lucky” Palmgren was promoted to Col
while in MIA status and his status changed to KIA in Jul, 1973. His name can be found on the Vietnam Memorial
Wall on panel 51E / Line 29.
In 1992 a
crash site was located near the target coordinates for Tailbone 78 based on
analysis of North Vietnamese records. During two site visits a JTF-FA team received
testimony from a number of local residents and former members of the local militia
who claimed to have shot down an F-111 in 1968.
Excavation of the site turned up aircraft parts that were associated
with an F111. Based on witness
statements and the material recovered, the JTF-FA report concluded that the
site could be associated with Tailbone 78, but no remains were located and
nothing was recovered that might help determine the definitive identification
of the wreckage nor the cause of the crash.
Operation LINEBACKER I and II
1972-73 - Vietnam, South East Asia,
In 1972,
in the face of North Vietnamese invasion of South Vietnam, the US returned to
bombing the North in an attempt to slow the movement of supplies and troop
reinforcements. The 474th TFW
with its F-111A aircraft were deployed again to Takhli RTAFB in September to
provide night, bad weather strike capabilities. Linebacker I turned into Linebacker II in late December when, in light
of the refusal of the North Vietnamese to honestly negotiate the end of the
war, President Nixon unleashed an all-out bombing campaign (including the use
of B-52s against targets in North Vietnam) of targets previously spared from attack
by very stringent rules of engagement. This effort resulted in the signing of the Paris Peace Accords in
January, 1973 and the return of all Prisoners of War. The F-111A's flew over 4000 missions and
proved its capabilities.
Sep 28, 1972. 67-0078, Ranger 23, Maj William Clare Coltman
(Bill), 1 Lt Robert Arthur Brett Jr
(Lefty), 1929.
Oct 16, 1972, 67-0066, Coach 33, Capt James Allen Hockridge
(Jim), 1 Lt Allen Upton Graham (Al), 1939. 1948.
Dec 18, 1972, 67-0099, Snug 40, Lt Col Ronald Jack Ward (Ron), Maj James Richard McElvain
(Jim). 1952.
Dec 22, 1972, 67-0068, Jackal 33, Capt Robert David Sponeybarger
(Bob), 1 Lt William Wallace Wilson
(Bill), 1966.
Sep 28, 1972, 67-0078, Ranger 23, Maj WC Coltman,1Lt RA Brett Jr.
Maj
Coltman (a Combat Lancer veteran) and Lt Brettdisappeared
while on a strike mission against the Yen Son Military Storage Facility located
SE of Yen Bai in Route Package V. Ranger 23 departed Takhli RTAFB at 2015
and the last radio contact was at 2141. The last radar contact occurred at 2145 as the aircraft approached the
Laotian border. At that time the pilot was deviating from his programmed
track to avoid thunderstorms. No further radio or radar contact was made
with Ranger 23, and at approximately 0115 (local) the aircraft was declared missing
when the time of fuel exhaustion was reached and a search initiated.
On 29 September, after Ranger 23's loss had been
officially announced by the US, Radio Hanoi reported that their forces had shot
down an F-111 in Yen Bai Province. No elaborative narrative or
photography was produced to substantiate this claim. After an extensive photographic and visual
search of large parts of Laos and North Vietnam with no clues or information
developed, the loss was officially reported as in the vicinity of Yen Bai
which is west of Hanoi and both Maj Coltman and Lt Brett were declared
MIA. The status was changed to KIA in
for Major Coltman in 1978 and for Lt Brett and 1979. In their interim, Maj Coltman was promoted to
Lt Col and then Col and Lt Brett was promoted to Captain. Their names can be found on the Vietnam War
Memorial wall on panel W1 / Line 82.
In 1998 the JTF-FA identified and investigated a crash
site in North east Laos that seemed to contain F-111 debris. Three more field missions were conducted and
in 2000 human remains were recovered from the site and transferred to the US
for forensic identification. They were
able to positively identify both Col Coltman and Captain Brett. Their remains were returned to their families
and both were interred in Section 60 at Arlington Cemetery in 2002.
Oct 16, 1972, 67-0066, Coach 33, Capt JA. Hockridge, 1Lt AU Graham.
Coach 33 departed
Takhli RTAFB at 2252 local time for a strike against the Dai Loi Railroad
Bridge on the northwest rail line in Route Pack 5. They carried a weapons load of four Mk-84
2000 pound bombs. These were the
preferred weapon for attacking targets such as railroad bridges, but required a
climb to approximately 1000 feet for release to ensure the aircraft escaped the
blast. This increased the aircraft’s
vulnerability to ground defence weapons. The last radar contact occurred at 2339 while Coach 33 was approximately
50 nautical miles from the Laos/NVN boarder. They were scheduled to begin descent to TFR attitude approximately 5
minutes later. At 0007, Coach 27, another F-111 striking a different target in the same
general area heard Coach 33 in in what seemed to be a normal contact an unknown
agency. Nothing more was heard from
Coach 33 and they were declared missing at 0153. Shortly after this, an infrared-equipped RF-4
was launched to fly the planned profile in an attempt to locate a crash
site. Nothing was found from this or
other SAR efforts that would provide clues to the disappearance.
On October 17th, after the loss
had been reported by the US, Hanoi released a report claiming that they had
shot down and F-111 in the vicinity of the target on the night of October 16th
and provided photos of the ID cards of both Hockridge and Graham as well as photographs
and motion picture film of wreckage purported to be of their aircraft. They reported that both pilots had been
killed in the crash. The status of both
pilots remained as MIA until in 1977 the NVN government returned remains of several
US pilots killed in from crash incidents. Based on forensic tests, both Capt Hockridge and Lt. Graham were
positively identified and their status changed to KIA. Graham had been promoted to Captain during
this period in MIA status. A JTF-FA site
visit was conducted in 1995 to the reported location of the crash site, but no
aircraft wreckage or other material was found although the testimony of local
citizens seemed to correlate it with the crash of Coach 33. Captain Upton was interred in Arlington
National Cemetery in Section 11 and Capt. Graham was buried at the Maple Hill
Cemetery in Phillips County, Arkansas. Their names can be found on the Vietnam
Memorial Wall on panel W1, line 82.
Nov 07, 1972, 67-0063, Whaler 57, Maj RM Brown, Maj RD Morrissey.
The target for Whaler 57 was the Lon Son Highway
Ferry/Ford complex on Route 101B. This was
located on the east coast in Route Pack 1, about 9 miles north of the DMZ. They departed Takhli RTAFB at 0219 local
time. The last radar contact was by
Invert GCI at 0258 and the last radio contact was with Moonbeam ABCCC at 0306,
which was approximately 7 minutes before the established time on target, when
Major Brown reported the mission progressing normally. When no further contact the aircraft and crew
could be made they were reported missing and a search effort initiated
but no information was developed to indicate the fate of the aircraft or the
crew. In 1977 the status of both men was
changed from MIA to KIA. In the
intervening time both were promoted to Lt Col.
In 1991
documents and artifacts related to the loss of Whaler 57 were examined by
JTF-FA researchers working at the Quang Bihn Provincial Museum. These included a military identification card
for Maj Brown and reports that they had been shot down by Vietnamese
forces. In 1992 a site team visited a
reported crash site in Quang Bihn Province and based on the location and type
of wreckage examined, tentatively identified it as the site of the crash of
Whaler 57. Later that same year a US research team at the Central Army Museum
in Hanoi found wartime photographs and documents relating to the “7/11/1972”
shoot down of an American F-111 in Quang Bihn Province. An aircraft data plate was found with the
material that bore the serial number of 66-0063.
In 1995,
a joint US Vietnamese team investigated the site in Quang Bihn and recovered
fragments of wreckage that they determined were associated with an F-111 and which
provided evidence that the ejection module was still attached to the aircraft
at the time of the crash. They also
recovered a single bone fragment which was sent to the Central Identification
Laboratory in Hawaii for testing. Forensic science technology at the time did not permit identification of
the sample available. By 2011 the
technology had improved and the sample was tested again and positively
identified as belonging to Maj Brown.
Although no remains of Maj Morrissey were identified, the evidence of
the severity of the crash and that the escape module was still attached to the
aircraft at the time of the crash led them to conclude that he also died at this
location.
In 2011,
the remains of Lt Col Robert M Brown were interred in Section H of Arlington
National Cemetery. His name, along with
that of Lt Col Robert D Morrissey can be found on the Vietnam Memorial Wall on
Panel W1, line 90.
Nov 21, 1972, 67-0092, Burger 54, Capt. DD Stafford, Capt CJ Caffarelli.
Burger 54
was a night mission against Co Giang Trans-shipment Point on Route 101, about
8.5 miles northwest of Quang Khe, NVN. Their exit route after the attack was to be east over the Gulf of
Tonkin. They departed Takhli RTAFB at
0152 local time and with a scheduled time over target of 0252. The last known radio contact with Burger 54
was at 0245 while they were still over Laos.
When the crew did not initiate the post-attack radio calls, a search was
started and at 0522 local when their fuel would have been exhausted, the
aircraft and crew were declared missing.
On November 23, a Radio Hanoi broadcast reported that early morning of
November 21st, militia forces in the Bo Tranch District of Quang
Bihn Province shot down and F-111 aircraft that then crashed in the water about
3 kilometres off shore. They reported
neither any ejection nor any information on the fate of the crew. Over the next few days, wreckage later
identified as from an F-111 washed up on the beaches north of Danang, SVN which
is south of the reported location of the crash. This was later identified as being from 67-0092 and provided evidence
that the ejection module was still in the aircraft at the time of the crash and
that the impact with the water was violent.
Based on
this information, both Captain Stafford and Captain Caffarelli were reported as
KIA as of the date of the loss. Their
names are listed on the Vietnam Memorial Wall on Panel W1, lines 91
(Caffarelli) and 92 (Stafford).
In 1989,
a JTF-FA team visited Hai Trach Village to interview a witness who claimed to
have observed the crash of an F-111 in this time frame. He put the crash site about 1500 meters NW of
the village. He reported that he did not
see any crew members eject from the aircraft, but reported that the aircraft
wreckage including a parachute was recovered from the water. The witness did not observe or hear anything
about the remains of the pilots or any personal effects associated with the
incident. Nothing more definitive has
been learned despite several searches of NVN records and museum artifacts.
Dec 18, 1972, 67-0099, Snug 40, Lt Col RJ Ward, Maj JR McElvain.
Snug 40
was a mission targeted against the Hanoi International Radio complex with a
scheduled time on target of 2053. The
crew made a radio call at 2054 reporting “off target”. At 2100, it was reported that the crew told
Moonbeam ABCCC that they were “feet wet”, which was their planned exit route
from the target, however subsequent analysis of the taped communications did
not clearly determine whether they were actually over the water or were just
stating their intention to get there.
Nothing more was heard from the crew and they were declared missing and
a search effort launched both over land and over water. There was nothing found to indicate the
location of the aircraft or the crew, but based on the information available,
it was concluded that the aircraft had crashed into the sea.
A radio
report was monitored from a SAM battalion in the Haiphong area making reference
to the shoot down of an unidentified US aircraft at approximately 2100 local
time. The only other US aircraft lost in
the area was a B-52, but that occurred earlier in the evening, so this report
appears to correlate to Snub 40.
In the 1990s,
JTF-FA search teams visited several Vietnamese museums and archives looking for
information on this loss. They found
several references to shooting down an F-111 on this date, with speculation
that it had crashed at sea off shore from the Thai Bihn Province, south of
Haiphong but nothing more definitive was found. No information had been
recorded that suggested that it had crashed on land. Interviews with potential witnesses in the
area reiterated that an F-111 had been shot down, but had crashed at sea and no
wreckage or remains were found. No
attempt was made by the local villagers go out to the site due to the presence
of US Navy off shore and a belief that the waters had been mined by the
US. The JTF-FA conclusion was that these
reports correlated to the loss of Snub 40 and they reluctantly declared that
the remains Lt Col Ward and Maj Ward were unrecoverable.
Lt Col
Ward was promoted to Col and Maj McElvain was promoted to Lt Col while they
were in MIA status, but that status was terminated in 1978 when a presumptive
finding of death was made for both men by the USAF. Their names can be found on the Vietnam
Memorial Wall on panel W1, lines 95 (Ward) and 94 (McElvain).
Dec 22, 1972, 67-0068, Jackal 33, (Sometimes spelled
Jackel). Capt RD Sponeybarger, Lt WW Wilson.
Jackal 33
was on a mission to attack port facilities in the Hanoi area with a load of 12
Mk-82 bombs. Following the strike they
were hit by enemy fire. They had to shut
down the right engine but were trying to get out of the area when the aircraft
lost hydraulic pressure and the flight controls no longer responded.They ejected and landed approximately 17
miles west of Hanoi. Moonbeam ABCCC
heard the emergency beacon at 2212 local time.
The capsule landed on an incline and they were said to have had trouble
getting out, but both were unhurt. They
decided to split up to improve their chances of escaping and evading until a
rescue attempt could be made. Unfortunately, Sponeybarger was captured on Dec
24th and became a POW. Wilson
continued to evade capture until after several days of delay due to weather, a
rescue attempt was made on the 27th.
As the rescue helicopter neared Wilson, he was blown off his feet by the
downwash and ground fire wounded the helicopter co-pilot and damaged the
aircraft. The rescue effort was
aborted. After two more days of evading
capture, Wilson was captured while attempting to reach some supplies that had
been dropped to him, and he also became a POW.
Both Sponeybarger and Wilson were released from captivity in March, 1973
and returned to US custody on the last of the evacuation flights for former
POWs from Hanoi. (For more details of these rescue attempts, See “The Non-Rescue of
Jackel 33 during Linebacker II” by Darrel Whitcomb in the Winter, 2018 issue of
Air Power History magazine and The Shoot Down,
Evasion, Attempted Rescue and Capture of Jackel-33B by Jon Couch. )
For
several years following the end of the air war in Vietnam, reports circulated
that there was an F-111 escape capsule stored at the Moscow Aviation
Institute. An investigation by the FBI in
1993 concluded that it was most likely the capsule from Jackal 33 and had been
disassembled for technical analysis.
After the termination of Linebacker
II, the F-111A's continued to fly combat missions into Laos and Cambodia. Two additional aircraft were lost during this
period.
Mar 14,
1973, 67-0072. During take-off
roll at Takhli RTAFB, Thailand, a pin in the main landing gear failed and the aircraft
slid off the runway and caught fire. The
crew escaped and were uninjured but the aircraft was destroyed when the bombs
cooked off in the fire.
Jun 16,
1973, 67-0111.
The
aircraft crashed in Cambodia following a mid-air collision with 67-0094. The crew ejected successfully and were
rescued. 67-0094 lost approximately 5
feet of its wing but landed safely at Udorn RTAFB, Thailand.
1986 – Operation EL DORADO CANYON, Libya.
In
response to Libyan backed terrorist activity against US Military personnel in
Europe, an attack on several military sites in Libya was conducted by the USN
and USAF. The USAF flights had to fly a
long diversionary route due to the denial of overflight permission by some
European countries. The USN launched from aircraft carriers in the
Mediterranean.
Apr 15, 1986, F-111F 70-2389. Karma 52,Maj Fernando Ribas-Dominici, Capt Pau l Lorence.
Karma 52, from the 48th TFW, RAF
Lakenheath, UK was targeted against the Bab al-Azizia barracks with 4 GBU-10
2000 pound laser guided bombs. As the
force exited the area after the strike other aircraft reported seeing an
aircraft on fire crash into the Gulf of Sidra.
After the remainder of the aircraft rendezvoused after the attack, it became
apparent that Karma 52 was missing. When
there were no reports of the aircraft having landed at another airfield, the
loss was acknowledged and Ribas-Dominici and Lorence declared MIA. Ribas-Dominici was promoted to Maj while in
this status. In 1988 Lybia offered to
return the body of Capt Lorence and did so through Pope John Paul. When the remains were received, an autopsy
revealed that they were actually that of Ribas-Dominici and that he had died
due to drowning. He was subsequently
interred in the Cemetery Sand Andres in Utuado, Puerto Rica. The body of Capt
Lorence is still unrecovered.
1991 Operation DESERT SHIELD, DESERT STORM In response to the invasion of Kuwait by Iraqi
forces in 1990, a major air attack on Iraq was launched. The EF-111 was used to provide electronic
warfare capability to shield US attack aircraft from Iraqi air and ground
defence forces.
Feb 13, 1991, EF-111A 66-0023, Ratchet 75, Capt. Douglas L. Bradt, Capt. Paul R. Eichenlaub
On 13 February 1991, Ratchet 75 from the 42nd
ECS, 20th TFW, crashed into terrain near the Saudi Arabia / Iraq border while manoeuvring
to evade a perceived enemy aircraft threat. The crew was killed but their
bodies were recovered. Capt Bradt is buried at the Fort Sam Huston National
Cemetery in San Antonio, TX and Capt Eichenlaub was interred at the Benton
County Memorial Park in Rogers, AR.
The above was created by David de Botton & Rick Sine
The mission of Joint Task Force-Full Accounting (JTF-FA) is to achieve the fullest possible accounting of Americans still unaccounted-for as a result of the war in Southeast Asia. JTF-FA operations include case investigations, archival research, an Oral History Program, and remains recovery operations. The task force was created in response to Presidential, Congressional and public interest, as well as increased opportunities for case resolution. The opportunities included an increased willingness by the governments of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia to share information they have regarding unaccounted-for Americans, as well as increased access to files, records and witnesses in their countries.The task force grew out of the previously established Joint Casualty Resolution Center, an organization that began spearheading U.S. Government accounting efforts in 1973. As cooperation on the part of the Southeast Asian nations and opportunities for issue resolution increased, the Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command, established Joint Task Force-Full Accounting on Jan. 23, 1992.JTF-FA is comprised of approximately 160 investigators, analysts, linguists, and other specialists representing all four military services and Department of Defense civilian employees. The task force's operations are supported by casualty resolution specialists, archeologists and anthropologists from the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii (CILHI); representatives of the Defense POW/MIA Office; and augmentees from U.S. Pacific Command component commands. JTF-FA is headquartered at Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii, with three detachments located in Bangkok, Thailand; Hanoi, Vietnam; and Vientiane, Laos. The detachment in Thailand also supports operations in Cambodia.As of 1975, there were approximately 1,500 Americans unaccounted for in Vietnam, more than 500 in Laos, and about 80 in Cambodia. Another 425 were lost over water off the Vietnamese coast.Not since the release of 591 American prisoners of war during "Operation Homecoming" in 1973 has an American -- whose fate was unknown to the U.S. -- returned alive from Southeast Asia. Over the years, however, numerous first-hand reports have surfaced concerning Americans alleged to be alive in Southeast Asia. Intelligence organizations have resolved most of those reports through correlation with accounted-for personnel; others have proven to be fabrications. Support of Defense Intelligence Agency investigation and resolution of these live sightings is JTF-FA's first priority. Although the U.S. Government has thus been unable to obtain definitive evidence that Americans are still being detained against their will in Southeast Asia, the information available precludes ruling out that possibility. Therefore, actions to investigate live-sighting reports have and will continue to receive the highest priority.Archival research is conducted by JTF-FA analysts to determine if any of the materials contained in host-nation files can be correlated to unaccounted-for Americans. Another aspect of JTF-FA's responsibility is investigating incident-of-loss sites. JTF-FA investigators and linguists examine areas determined to be the position unaccounted-for Americans were known to be lost or last known to be alive. They also interview local villagers and provincial officials to determine if witnesses are available to support the investigation.The Oral History Program was established to identify and interview higher-ranking individuals who may possess information related to specific cases. Often these individuals provide names of other individuals who have knowledge of incidents involving Americans. Information obtained through this program has sometimes led investigators to unresolved crash or burial sites.Task force specialists also locate and examine crash sites. Many of the unaccounted-for Americans were pilots or other aircrew members who were lost when their aircraft crashed or was shot down. These excavations are much like archeological digs; their aim is to recover remains and material evidence, which could help confirm the fate of the aircraft occupants. If a site investigation, witness interview, or crash site survey results in the discovery of remains or material evidence associated with a loss, a recovery operation will be conducted by JTF-FA and CILHI casualty resolution and other operations specialists. The remains are then transported to CILHI, located at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, where they undergo forensic examination. Positive identification of the remains through anthropological and pathological analysis are made whenever possible.Currently, JTF-FA conducts 11 Joint Field Activities annually in Southeast Asia, five each in Vietnam and Laos, and one in Cambodia. Depending on the requirements, team composition can range from 30 to almost 120 personnel. Counting deployment and redeployment time, each Joint Field Activity lasts approximately 35 days.Since its inception in 1992, Joint Task Force-Full Accounting has conducted more than 3,206 case investigations and 549 recovery operations, which have led to the repatriation of more than 501 sets of remains believed to be unaccounted-for Americans. JTF-FA investigators and analysts have also answered countless questions about what happened to many of those whose fate was previously unknown. Many questions remain, some of which may never be fully answered, but Joint Task Force-Full Accounting is resolved to continue the investigation and recovery efforts until the fullest possible accounting is achieved.
Footnotes:
Missing Persons Supplementary Report 18 Apr 1968
(sourced via Mr Doug Loeffler FOIA request).
MSG 99312
(sourced via Mr Doug Loeffler FOIA request).
474th Tactical Fighter Wing COMBAT LANCER VOL 1 Official History, courtesy of Steven Hyre.
MSG 290624Z MAR 68 FBIS OKINAWA - Transcript Hanoi VNA International Service in English 0618 GMT
(sourced via Mr Doug Loeffler FOIA request).
Peter Davies (19xx), "F-111 Success in Action", XXXX
Information relayed first-hand from Mr Doug Loeffler, who has visited the crash site twice during the 1990's and discussed the matter with propertied witnesses through an interpreter.
Via Mr Don Logan from 474th TFWg Roadrunner Reunion.
Malcolm McConnell and Theodore G. Schweitzer III (1995), "Inside Hanoi's Secret Archives", Simon & Schuster, New York, ISBN: 0-671-87118-8, pg 298.
See above JTF-FA Internet article extract.
Honolulu Star article...
Tom Clancy and Gen C Honer (Ret) (19xx), "Every Man A Tiger", xxxxx
##001 MSG/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON/022051ZDEC92/SUBJ: LIFE SUPPORT WRECKAGE ANALYSIS, REFNOS 1107 and 1139
(sourced via Mr Doug Loeffler FOIA request).
##002 MSG/CJTFFA DET ONE/221206ZJUL92/SUBJ:
(sourced via Mr Doug Loeffler FOIA request).
##003 Casualty Report. LOC POW/MIA Reel #173 pg 1348. (sourced via Mr Doug Loeffler FOIA request).
##004 ??
##005 LOC POW/MIA Reel #173. (sourced via Mr Doug Loeffler FOIA request).
##006 JTF-FA Biographic/Site Report as of 21 April 1995. LOC POW/MIA Reel #376 pg 67-89. (sourced via Mr Doug Loeffler FOIA request).
## FBI file 95A-HQ-1045752 18 June 1993. (sourced via Mr Doug Loeffler FOIA request).