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The
F-111 has served in a number of combat operations during the past thirty-five
years. In that time, there have been 13 losses, only one of which
being a confirmed shoot-down. The remainder of the losses were
mid-air collisions, flight into terrain, or unknown. There are 13 aircrew
who remain missing, presumed killed in action.
Viet
Nam, South East Asia, Operation COMBAT LANCER, 1968
-
F-111A
66-0022 28 Mar 68
(three days after COMBAT LANCER operations started).
Crew: Maj. Henry Elmer (Hank) McCann
and Capt. Dennis Lee Graham (PWSO).
Callsign: OMAHA 77.
POW/MIA Reference#: REFNO 1107-0-01 / 1107-0-02.
Mission Target: Chanh Hoa (also reported as Banh
Hoa) Truck park at N17 32 11, E106 29 12.
Weapons Load: 2 x BRU-3A/As of 6 x M117C 750lbs bombs
(12 total) plus 1 x AIM-9 Sidewinder.
TF-30 engines: P3 S/N P658816 and P658823. (1)
Flight Plan: Takhli-Udorn-Nakhon Phanom-N17 50 E105
40-Target (N17 32 11 E106 29 12) -Water-Danang-Takhli (1)
Took
off from Takhli at 0403 local, 2103Z 27 Mar 68 (one report stated
0503 local--suspect this is Viet Nam time, and Thailand is one time
zone further west), HF check-in to "BRIGHAM" CRC at Nakhon
Phanom RTAFB at 0545 local 1000’ AGL 50 nm west of "INVERT".
(Last radio contact 2145Z over Laos N17 25 E105 40 - unconfirmed (2)).
Invert painted a good IFF/SIF ID. Five voice calls received by "INVERT"
until 0448 local. Aircraft passed "INVERT" 4 nm north at
0550 local on a heading of 085 degrees at 1000’ AGL. 60 to 65
miles east of invert in a figure eight holding pattern radio contact
was lost at 0613 local possibly due to terrain between them. OMAHA
77 was painted by IFF at 135 degrees and 7 nm from "INVERT"
. OMAHA 77 turned on a southwest heading of 210 degrees. Last radar
paint was at 0630 local 190 degrees true 17-20 miles from "INVERT".(3)
POW/MIA files list last known coordinates as N 17 32 00 E 106 29 00
(Target Co-ordinates) and not last radar contact in Thailand.
Hanoi
VNA International Service in English reported at 0618Z 29 Mar 1968:
Quote The PAVN armed forces in the western part of HA TINH Provence
yesterday shattered (sic) down a F-111A ... Unquote. (4)
In
1991, a JCRC team visiting the QUANG BINH Provence Museum in Viet
Nam, were shown a Flight Crew helmet with the name 'MAC' painted on
it. Museum records state the helmet was from the people of Xuan
Thuy village, Lethuy, Quang Binh--who shot down an aircraft on 31
Mar 68. Only one reported US/Allied loss over northern Viet
Nam between 27 Mar and 4 Apr, and the names of that crew (REFNO 1105)
were inconsistant with a nickname of "MAC". The actual
flight plan track of McCann/Graham was near Le Thuy district, the
area where the helmet was located.
JTF-FA
Activities. A crash site was identified in Vietnam
in 1990s. An investigation by a JTF-FA detachment resulted in mixed
results, rimarily due to suspected intimindation and collusion of
witnesses by Vietnamese officials escorting the American staff. Some
witnesses stated that they saw a parachute decend near he crash area--a
crater scattered with unexploded bombs, but devoid of any significant
wreckage located approximately 600 metres north of the Long Dai ferry.
Witness statements appear confused as to the year, and even time of
day (daylight/night) of the crash.
In
1992, an analysis of components recovered from a suspected crash site
at Grid Coord 48QXE7347116358 in Long Dia hamlet, Hien Ninh village,
Quang Ninh district, Quang Binh provence, Vietnam--identified a number
of F-111A components. A piece of metal tubing, PN 7-22904 (706
714-50) was identified as an assembly control casing, which is part
of the transmission feedback located above the engine intake on the
left side of the main fuselage of an F-111A. A further piece
of wreckage, a H shapped mechanical linkage, PN 12C859-9, was identified
as a flight control linkage bellcrank and part of the F-111A flight
control system. A turbine fan blade, PN 538104, was also identified
as being from a TF-30 engine. A small portion of survival vest was
also identified. Co-operative investigation with SM-ALC (McClellan
AFB, CA) discovered that the bell crank of the flight control linkage
described above was changed across the F-111 fleet due to an engineering
change proposal. PN 12C859-9 was replaced with PN 12C859-17.
It was known that neither 66-022 (REFNO 1107) or 66-024 (REFNO 1139)
were modified, and consequently, the F-111A wreckage was positively
identified as from a 1968 loss, and not from a 1972 loss. The
repot also stated that the status of the crew cound not be determined
from the escape and survival artifacts recovered. (##001)
Circumstantial
evidence, and anecdotal reports that INVERT was suffereing equipment
problems at the time of the reported radar tracking of McCann/Graham
orbiting in Laos and then returning to Thailand, has caused reassement
of the case.
Crew
status—killed in action never recovered. Recent searches of the
US Library of Congress appears to indicate that in the late 1980's
the wreckage of this aircraft was found by the Thais. However, after
a couple of years of further investigation, it was decided that the
discovered wreckage was not that of a F-111. Neither aircraft
nor crew have been found. (1998)
Disturbingly,
the POW/MIA reference # 1107 appears to have been confused on a number
of occasions with that of Capt Allen Upton Graham (actual ref # 1939)
who was lost in 67-066 in 1972.
In
summary, neither the aircraft or crew remains have been located
to this day. In 1992, JTF-FA speculated that limited wreckage
found in Long Dia hamlet, Hien Ninh village, Quang Ninh district,
Quang Binh provence, Vietnam, was from either case 1107 or 1139. Speculation
remains that 1107 actually crashed in Thailand, possibly from damage
received from ground fire after orbiting in the vicinity of the Laos
/ Nth Vietnam border attempting to make contact with the airborne
command post (required), or on diversion back to Thailand with some
defect when lost. Possibly the aircraft impacted terrain due to an
insideous TFR failure while on RTB.
First
combat related F-111 loss.(2)
Note:
Most F-111 references (apart from the Official 474th COMBAT LANCER
History Vol 1) have mixed up aircraft -017, -022 and -024.
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F-111A
66-0017 28 Nov 68.
Structural failure--not combat related, but on a combat mission.
Crew, Sandy Marquardt and Joe Hodges ejected and landed safely in
Thailand. Safely recovered the next day.
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F-111A
66-0024 22 Apr 68.
Crew: Commander David "Spade" Cooley
USN, and Lt. Col. Ed Palmgren USAF.
Callsign: TAILBONE 78
POW/MIA Reference#: REFNO 1139-0-01 / -02.
Mission Target: M1 Le Highway Ferry N17 19 20 E106
37 50.
Weapons Load: 2 x BRU-3A/As of 6 x M117R 750lbs bombs
(12 total) plus 1 x AIM-9B Sidewinder. (##003)
TF-30 engines: S/N P658828 and P658824. (##003)
Flight Plan: Takhli - Korat - Ubon - N16 30 E106
20 - N17 00 E106 09 - Target N17 19 20 E106 37 50 - N1730 E 107 20
(water) - Hue - Ubon - Korta - Takhli. (##003)
Presumptive finding of death. Loss
co-ordinates: N17 28 E106 37. (Target Co-ordinates) (##004)
JTF-FA Resolved Crash Site (as of 1995): Grid
48QXE734162, N17 19 37 E106 37 57, Hien Ninh village
(Investigations 1992/93) ((##006)
Prior
to JTF-FA Activities: Some Combat Lancer crews believed the
loss was due to failure of the horizontal stabiliser weld failure
(same as the cause of the loss of 66-0032). (xx)
Other crews believe that 024 was flown into the ground as the crew
of 024 believed they could successfully fly lower at night using 'manual
TF' instead of the auto TF. Although 200 feet is the lowest
TFR setting, anecdotal evidence suggests that attempts were made to
manual TF at 50 feet by interpreting the TF E-Scope. In the
mid to late 1970's, reports surfaced from Thailand that aircraft wreckage
was located. Nothing came to this.
Further
records obtained by the FOIA reveals that there has been suggestions
that witnesses in Hai Trach village, Bo Trach district, said that
a F-111 crashed off-shore 1500 metres northeast of the village during
a night sometime prior to 1972. This could have correlated to
REFNO 1139. A witness also stated that during 1972, a PAVN unit recovered
the aircraft from the water. Also recovered was a parachute.
(##005)
JTF-FA
Activities. A crash site was identified in Vietnam
in the 1990s. An investigation by a JTF-FA detachment resulted in
mixed results, primarily due to suspected intimindation and collusion
of witnesses by Vietnamese officials escorting the American staff.
Some witnesses stated that they saw a parachute decend near the crash
area--a crater scattered with unexploded bombs, but devoid of any
significant wreckage located approximately 600 metres north of the
Long Dai river ferry. Witness statements appear confused as
to the year, and even time of day (daylight/night) of the crash. A
second incident, an F-4 which was lost with both crew on the evening
of 22 Apr 1968 in the near vicinity was later identified as the probable
source of confusion in some witnesses (who were recalling events of
24 years previous).
In
1992, an analysis of components recovered from a suspected crash site
at Grid Coord 48QXE7347116358 in Long Dia hamlet,
Hien Ninh village, Quang Ninh district, Quang Binh provence, Vietnam--identified
a number of F-111A components. A piece of metal tubing, PN 7-22904
(706 714-50) was identified as an assembly control casing, which is
part of the transmission feedback located above the engine intake
on the left side of the main fuselage of an F-111A. A further
piece of wreckage, a H shapped mechanical linkage, PN 12C859-9, was
identified as a flight control linkage bellcrank and part of the F-111A
flight control system. A turbine fan blade, PN 538104, was also
identified as being from a TF-30 engine. A small portion of survival
vest, oxygen hose, life preserver straps and pieces of impact bag
was also identified, as was a faded Oak Leaf rank insignia of a Lt
Cdr or Lt Col. Co-operative investigation with SM-ALC (McClellan
AFB, CA) discovered that the bell crank of the flight control linkage
described above was changed across the F-111 fleet due to an engineering
change proposal. PN 12C859-9 was replaced with PN 12C859-17.
It was known that neither 66-022 (REFNO 1107) or 66-024 (REFNO 1139)
were modified, and consequently, the F-111A wreckage was positively
identified as from a 1968 loss, and not from a 1972 loss. The
repot also stated that the status of the crew cound not be determined
from the escape and survival artifacts recovered. (##001)
However,
the later report ##006 (13 Dec 1993) stated that excavation of a site
at 48QXE7345716292 (an elevated terrace along the
west bank of the Dai Giang river --##006 pg 80) discovered a small
portion of survival vest, parts of a oxygen mask hose, life preserver
straps and pieces of impact bag, as was a faded Oak Leaf rank insignia
of a Lt Cdr or Lt Col. Reference ##006 (13 Dec 1993) concludes that
the crew were in the aircraft at impact. The Oak Leaf rank insignia,
together witht he earlier found components identifing the wreckage
as being from either F-111A 66-022 or 66-024, positively identified
the site to be that of REFNO# 1139, F-111A 66-024. Wreckage
of F-111A 66-024 (correlated by museum receipt listing aircraft type,
location and date) was located in the Military Region 4 Museum in
Vinh.
| Download
Doug Loeffler's investigation of the loss of Tailbone 78 which
includes modern day photos of the probable crash site. |
350KB
zipped pdf
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360KB
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Viet
Nam, South East Asia, Operation CONSTANT GUARD V, LINEBACKER 2, 1972-73
On
the second deployment to SEA, initially operating from Takhli RTAFB
and later Korat RTAFB, aircraft of the 428th, 429th and 430th TFSs USAF
flew over 4000 combat missions, although nine F-111A and 10 aircrew
were lost. The F-111A was the most advanced combat aircraft flown
during the conflict, and attracted a high degree of interest from the
North Vietnamese, and reportedly also the Soviet Union (1).
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F-111A
67-0078 28 Sep 72. Maj. William
Clare "Bill" Coltman and 1LT Robert Arthur "Lefty"
Brett Jr. Callsign RANGER 23. Aircraft lost on the
first night of F-111 operations, only hours after deploying to SEA.
Target was in Route Pack 1. Major Coltman was promoted twice to the
rank of Colonel whilst listed as missing before being pronounced presumed
killed in action. POW/MIA Reference # 1929-0-01 / -02.
Loss co-ordinates: 21 35 51N 104 59 21E
are of target position (North Viet Nam).
Wreckage
positively identified by JTF-FA team in Laos in late
1990's, and recovery of bone fragments
in 2000. (2)
Honolulu Star newspaper article. (3)
More details and images here.
-
0517.
Vietnam War casualty laid to rest in Arlington
-- http://www.af.mil/news/Apr2002/n20020404_0517.shtml
0517.
Vietnam War casualty laid to rest in Arlington
by Master Sgt. Dorothy Goepel
Air Force Print News
WASHINGTON
-- Col. William C. Coltman Sr. was laid to rest with full
military honors at Arlington National Cemetery on
April 3, nearly 30 years after he was declared
missing in action during his second combat tour
in Vietnam.
Family
and friends gathered for a memorial service in Fort Myer
Memorial Chapel, Fort Myer, Va., to celebrate
the life of Coltman, who was reported missing
in action Sept. 29, 1972.
"Bill
Coltman touched my life," said retired Brig. Gen. Charles
Bishop, who knew Coltman in the '60s. "He
left us rich memories and an abiding faith
in family. I'm a better person for having known him."
Two
of Coltman's three sisters, Harriet Muir and Mary Crow,
described their brother's sense of adventure,
and a trip in 1972 to Las Vegas to visit
him. Gratitude was expressed for "the Lord's timing,
because a few weeks later, he was reported
missing."
They
remarked about his impish nature, and Crow remembered the
times he would ask, "Who's the greatest
brother in the world," she asked.
On
Sept. 25, 1972, Coltman deployed for his second combat tour
in Vietnam in support of Linebacker II.
According to historical records, 48 F-111As with
the 474th Tactical Fighter Wing at Nellis Air Force Base,
Nev.,
arrived in Southeast Asia on Sept. 27, to help check
the accelerating advance of the North Vietnamese.
On
Sept. 28 of that same year, the first night of F-111 operations,
Coltman and 1st Lt. Robert A. Brett Jr. disappeared
while on a strike mission in North Vietnam.
The last radio and radar contact occurred as the
aircraft approached the Loatian border.
At
that time, Coltman was said to have deviated from his programmed
track to avoid thunderstorms. Radio contact
was never reestablished and on Sept. 29,
1972, both men were declared missing in action at the time
of
estimated fuel exhaustion and after a search and
rescue operation produced no clues.
An
investigative team with Joint Task Force-Full Accounting
discovered wreckage in Houaphan Province,
Northern Laos, on Aug. 1, 1998. The site was
initially excavated in March 2000, and three more digs followed.
The
final excavation occurred in September and November 2000.
On Nov. 20 of that year the remains from
the site were returned to U.S. soil, and in the
months that followed, the U.S. Army Central Identification
Laboratory
at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, began the identification
process using the techniques of forensic
anthropology and dentistry.
The
laboratory positively identified Coltman's remains in December
2001 and was able to distinguish that another
crew member was with him, said Ginger Couden,
laboratory spokesperson. Coltman's relatives traveled
to Hawaii on March 29 to bring his remains
to Arlington for burial.
Coltman's
widow, Gail Coltman, was presented with the flag that had
draped her husband's casket. Coltman's brother,
retired Col. (Dr.) Charles A. Coltman Jr.,
removed the MIA bracelet he had been wearing all
these years and wrapped it around a rose before
placing it on the casket.
Maj.
Kimberly G. Coltman, who was only 12 when she last saw her
father, rendered a salute after placing a
rose on the casket, in loving memory of "the
best fighter pilot in the world," as she called him.
"It
was a tearful occasion, but our tears were tears of joy,"
Kimberly said, a nurse at Mountain Home Air
Force Base, Idaho. "Words cannot express
my feelings knowing that after all these years, my father
has come home."
What
is important to the family, she said, is that her father
is now at peace.
"The
ceremony at Arlington helps to bring closure to something
that's been looming in our lives for so long,"
she said.
In
this celebration of his life, she said, family and friends
are happily reuniting after not having seen
one another for years.
The
current number of Americans who have been recovered and
positively identified since 1973 from the
war in Southeast Asia is 653, according to figures
compiled by Joint Task Force-Full Accounting officials.
Still unaccounted for are 1,932 Americans
-- 1,457 in Vietnam, 409 in Laos, 58 in Cambodia
and eight in China.
Arlington
Service for Capt "Lefty" Brett.
The Arlington service for Capt "Lefty" Brett,
(WSO of Ranger 23, piloted Col William C. Coltman) is scheduled
at the Fort Myer's Chapel at 1100 on 1 Aug 2002 with burial
at Arlington to follow. Capt Brett was pronounced MIA 29
September 1972.
Info via Kimberly Coltman, daughter of Col William Coltman.
|
-
F-111A
67-0066 16 Oct 72. CAPT James
A. Hockridge and 1LT Allen U. Graham POW/MIA reference # 1939-0-01
/ -02. Remains returned 30 September 1977. Possibly hit by
a SA-2 Guideline SAMs after being acquired by Fansong radars due to
necessary climb to MSRH for Mk-84 LDGP delivery whilst attacking the
Phuc Yen airfield. Reported as having been found dead in the module
by the NVN.
Bill Wilson (see Jackel 33 below) has reported to F-111.net that the
remains of CAPT Hockridge and 1LT Graham were identifed and
recovered to the US some years ago.
-
F-111A
67-0063 7 Nov 72. MAJ Robert
M. Brown and CAPT Robert D. Morrissey. POW/MIA Reference # 1945-0-01
/ -02 Presumptive finding of death.
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F-111A
67-0092 21 Nov 72. Capt. Donald
Dean Stafford and Capt Charles Joseph Cafferrelli. Crashed post target,
going "Feet Wet" into the Gulf of Tonkin, off the N. Vietnamese
coast. Crew never recovered. POW/MIA Reference # 1948-0-01 / -02 Reported
KIA, bodies not recovered. In 1998, three Vietnamese witnesses
described the 'shooting down' of F-111 aircraft which crashed off
coast near Hai Trach village. Reports of NVN knowledge of wreckage
'with skeletons inside' in 8 metres of water off the Vietnamese coast.
(XX) Improbable that remains exist due to the catrastophic effects
that high speed impacts have on the forward fuselage of the aircraft.
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F-111A
67-0099 18 Dec 72. LTCOL Ronald
J. Ward and MAJ James R. McElvain killed. POW/MIA Reference # 1952-0-01
/ -02 Presumptive finding of death.
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F-111A
67-0068 22 Dec 72. Target in
vicinity of Hanoi. Shot down after an assumed lucky shot to
an engine gearbox. After a valiant escape and evasion lasting a few
days, including a near rescue by a HH-53C (tail # 69-5788, call sign
Jolly Green 73, from the 40th ARRS, NKP, Thailand--info via Chuck
Rouhier http://www.jollygreen.org),
under heavy ground fire, the crew CAPTs Bill Wilson and Bob Sponeybarger
become P.O.Ws. (POW REF# 1966-0-01 / -02). They were repatriated
on 29 March 1973.
In the late 1980s there was a report of a F-111 module
stored at the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI), which had been
disassembled for technical analysis.
With the thawing of relations between the West and the East,
the US "Task Force Russia" operation were provided access
to photograph the module. Whilst identification could not be
made on the spot, by 18 June 1993, the Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI) identified the module as being from 67-0068 (ref FBI
file 95A-HQ-1045752). The module is still believed
to remain in the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI).
- Download
Doug Loeffler's investigation of the 'Moscow Module'.
17KB pdf or
68KB doc
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Module
in Moscow |
WSO
MAJ D. PRIMAS... |
Crew
Chief
SSGT HETRICK... |
North
Vietnamese newspaper
(via Chuck Rouhier) |
MIG-21
astride F-111
wreckage, Hanoi
(via Chuck Rouhier) |
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F-111A
67-0072 14 Mar 73. The main landing
gear pin failed during takeoff causing the aircraft to depart the
end of Takhli runway and burn. 24 x 500lbs MK82 bombs 'cooked off'.
The crew egressed successfully.
-
F-111A
67-0111 16 Jun 73. Mid-air collision
over Cambodia. Crew ejected and safely recovered.
Libya,
Mediterranean, Operation EL DORADO CANYON, 1986
In
response to Libyan backed terrorist activity against US Military personnel
in Europe, a series of air-raids against specific targets in Libya were
planned. Only the initial USAF F-111 / USN A-6 raid on the night
of 15/16 Apr 86 was carried through.
Iraq,
Persian Gulf, Operation DESERT SHIELD 1990-91 / DESERT STORM, 1991
F-111E,
F-111F and EF-111F used. Australian F/RF-111C were requested by
US, but the Prime Minister declined the request and sent a number of
Australian warships and other assets for duty in the Persian Gulf. Australia
was the first foreign country to commit forces to the US led Operation
DESERT SHIELD.
-
EF-111A
66-0023 13 Feb 91. Saudi
Arabia. Capt. Douglas L. Bradt and Capt. Paul R.
Eichenlaub. Callsign RATCHET 75. Speculation of flight into
terrain at night avoiding air to air threat displayed on the threat
radar warning receiver upon entering Iraqi airspace. An ejection
was attempted. It has been reported that F-15s in the vicinity
witnessed the EF-111A manourvering and dispensing countermeasures
immediately prior to terrain impact.(XX)
Both Capt. Douglas L. Bradt & Capt. Paul R. Eichenlaub
received Distinguished Flying Crosses and Purple Hearts for "their
gallantry in combat". (DFC citation)
The EF-111 (66-0016) on static display at Cannon AFB has the names
Capt. Douglas L. Bradt (Aircraft Commander) and Capt. Paul R. Eichenlaub
(EWO) adorning the cockpit as a memorial to their heroism (see photo)
(see art-work
tribute by Jeff Ferguson, friend of Capt Bradt).
Iraq,
Persian Gulf, 1991-
Enforcing
"no-fly zones". F-111F and EF-111F used.
No losses.
Bosnia,
Former Yugoslavia, Operation ??, 199?
EF-111A
used.
No losses.
East
Timor, 1999
Whilst
not combat, Australian RF-111C were deployed in northern Australia to
operate in 'war-like' conditions in support of the Australian led InterFET
operations in East Timor, 1999.
There were however erroneous reports in various Australian media
outlets stating that a reconnaisance pod, on loan for a trial, was used
to observe masacares aboard Indonesian Naval vessels of Timorease civilians.
These reports are without basis.
No losses.
Library
of Congress POW/MIA Database http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pow/powhome.html
Task
Force Russia (TFR)
JTF-FA
RECOVERS F-111A 67-0078 ?
Caption. Army SGT Daniel J. Seymour of the Central
Identification Laboratory-Hawaii helps recover remains in Xam Nua
province in Laos as part of the Joint Task Force-Full Accounting mission
to achieve the fullest possible accounting of servicemen who did not
return home from the war in Southeast Asia. (Joint Field Activity
in Laos was Aug.5-Sept3 2000)
Additional
Information.
* This is the site of an F-111 plane crash on a mountain side in Laos
near the Vietnam border.
* This month (September) Seymour helped during another recovering
of remains operation in Vietnam as part of the 62nd Joint Field Activity.
(Joint Field Activity in Vietnam was Aug 28-Sept 27)
* For info about Central Identification Laboratory-Hawaii see http://www.cilhi.army.mil/about.htm
* For info about Joint Task Force-Full Accounting Fact
Sheet
Joint
Task Force-Full Accounting (JTF-FA) Fact Sheet
 JOINT
TASK FORCE–FULL ACCOUNTING
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).
Hanoi VNA
INTERNATIONAL SERVICE 0618 GMT 29 MAR 68 FBIS OKINAWA 290624Z MAR 68
FOIA Doug
Glossary:
- JTF-FA
: Joint Task Force-Full Accounting 1992-present.
- LOC:
Library of Congress
- NVA
: North Vietnamese Army (correctly known as the Peoples Army of Viet
Nam {PAVN}).
- TFR
: Terrain Folowing Radar (system or flight procedure).
- TFR
: Task Force Russia.
Page
Base Location: http://www.F-111.net/combat/index.htm
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