Mon, Jan 12, 2004
Two servicemen missing
in action from the Vietnam War have been identified and returned to
their families for burial.
They are Navy Lt. (jg) Robert A. Clark of North Hollywood (CA),
and another officer whose name will not be released at the request
of his family.
On Jan. 10, 1973, the two took off in an A-6A aircraft from USS
Midway on a mission to suppress surface-to-air missiles in North
Vietnam. Near the target area in Nghe An Province in North Vietnam,
aircrew reported an estimated 15 surface-to-air missiles fired, as
well as numerous antiaircraft rounds. Clark’s A-6A was not
seen again. Attempts to contact the crew for four days through
radio and visual searches were unsuccessful.
In July 1991, US researchers discovered in a Vietnamese military
museum a data plate which correlated to the downed aircraft. Later,
in another museum, they discovered photos of a crash site which
also correlated to the missing aircraft. US researchers examined
Vietnamese wartime records which confirmed the downing of that
aircraft in Nghe An Province in January 1973.
Between 1993 and 2002, US researchers and joint US-Vietnam teams
conducted four field investigations and one excavation. During one
of their field visits, a witness to the 1973 crash turned over
remains he claimed to have recovered at the site. During the
excavation in 2002, additional remains were recovered.
The remains were identified in 2003 by the Central
Identification Laboratory through skeletal analysis and
mitochondrial DNA. Of the 88,000 Americans missing in action from
all conflicts, 1,871 are from the Vietnam War.
More News
Light Gun A handheld directional light signaling device which emits a brilliant narrow beam of white, green, or red light as selected by the tower controller. The color and type of>[...]
"The journey to this achievement started nearly a decade ago when a freshly commissioned Gentry, driven by a fascination with new technologies and a desire to contribute significan>[...]
Aero Linx: JAARS, Inc. For decades now, we’ve landed planes on narrow rivers and towering mountains. We’ve outfitted boats and vehicles to reach villages that rarely se>[...]
"Our driven and innovative team of military and civilian Airmen delivers combat power daily, ensuring our nation is ready today and tomorrow." Source: General Duke Richardson, AFMC>[...]
Aircraft Conflict Predicted conflict, within EDST of two aircraft, or between aircraft and airspace. A Red alert is used for conflicts when the predicted minimum separation is 5 na>[...]