Healing Through History experts have worked on the cases of more than 600 individuals who were ground losses or lost in an aircraft either over land or over water in four different conflicts:


World War 2: Ground Loss - ~300, Air Loss - ~70


Korean War: Ground Loss - 10, Air Loss - 2


Cold War: Ground Loss -1, Air Loss - 3


Vietnam War: Ground Loss - ~100, Air Loss - ~ 150 

Missing-in-Action Case Studies


The HTH analytical approach is to help each family by reviewing all available case documents, looking for any overlooked clues, or missing information, and evaluating what hypotheses have been previously evaluated. We then go through the following case review process:


  • Family’s case goals: confirm loss location (more common with aircraft losses), imagery analysis of suspected loss locations, document discovery and/or translation, second opinion on a DPAA assessment, case status change (i.e., Deferred or Non-recoverable to Active Pursuit)
  • Review the Case summary, current case status, and status history
  • Check official Record of Loss documents (e.g., AF Form 484, DD Form 1800, or similar)
  • Review previous witness statements or unit investigations
  • Review period and current imagery (satellite, aerial, ground, water)
  • Search for and translate Vietnamese documents (e.g., Group 559 shootdown reports, unit histories, memoirs, or biographies)
  • Review post-loss SEA documents (e.g., unit histories, memoirs, site photographs)
  • Review site photos to include wreckage
  • Review individual aircraft histories (e.g., did the missing aircraft have any modifications or special equipment or ordnance?)
  • Review charts or maps from that period, especially ones with wartime annotations
  • Review photographs of the missing persons and their aircraft, if applicable
  • Plot loss and search locations and consider datum shifts


HTH experts provide analysis of:


  1. Aircraft ordnance
  2. Aircraft parts and structures
  3. Cross-references against other losses
  4. Flight path reconstruction
  5. Life Support systems
  6. Pre- and post-crash imagery
  7. Recovered aircraft artifacts
  8. Search-and-rescue operations
  9. Suspected crash locations
  10. Vietnamese document translations

HTH CASE SUMMARIES


REFNO 0027: the 14-Jan-64 loss of Mitchell/Hickman (US Air Force) in a B-26B Invader from the 1st Air Commando Squadron (1 ACS) out of Bien Hoa. The aircraft was seen to crash during a day, level bombing attack in South Vietnam. HTH experts provided analysis of possible crash locations, airframe modifications, and DPAA-recovered aircraft artifacts.


REFNO 0072: the 9-Apr-65 of Murphy/Fegan (US Navy) in an F-4B Phantom from Fighter Squadron Ninety-Six (VF-96) off the USS Ranger. The aircraft went missing after a high-altitude, day engagement with Chinese MiGs off the coast of Hainan Island. HTH experts provided analysis of flight path reconstruction, life support systems, and Chinese-recovered aircraft artifacts.


REFNO 0359: the 13-Jun-66 loss of Burkart/Kerr (US Air Force). in a B-57E Canberra from the 13th Tactical Bomb Squadron (13 TBS) out of Da Nang. The aircraft disappeared during a night mission over Laos. HTH experts provided analysis of flight path reconstruction, translation of Vietnamese documents, and pre- and post-crash imagery.


REFNO 0543; the 7-Dec-66 loss of Carlson (US Air Force) in an F-5C Tiger from the 10th Fighter Commando Squadron (10 FCS) out Bien Hoa. The aircraft was seen to crash after a day, dive bomb delivery against a target in South Vietnam. HTH experts provided analysis of pre- and post-crash imagery, flight path reconstruction, and DPAA-recovered aircraft artifacts.


REFNO 0610: the 8-Mar-67 loss of Crain/Pawlish/Galvin (US Navy) in an A-3B Skywarrior from Heavy Attack Squadron Four (VAH-4) off the USS Kitty Hawk. The aircraft disappeared on a night mission to mine a river in North Vietnam. HTH experts provided analysis of flight path reconstruction and cross-references against other losses.


REFNO 0812: the 25-Aug-67 loss of Jacobs/Zavocky/Bois Clare (US Navy) in an RA-3B Skywarrior from Heavy Photographic Squadron Sixty-One (VAP-61) out of Cubi Point. The aircraft disappeared from radar while overwater on a night reconnaissance mission of coastal North Vietnam. HTH experts provided analysis of pre- and post-crash imagery and flight path reconstruction.


REFNO 0813: the 26-Aug-67 loss of Kilcullen/Fuller (US Air Force) in an F-4C Phantom from the 558th Tactical Fighter Squadron (558 TFS) out of Cam Ranh Bay. The aircraft disappeared from radar during a night strike mission north of the DMZ. HTH experts provided analysis of DPAA-recovered aircraft artifacts.


REFNO 0828: the 5-Sep-67 loss of Miller/Hanson (US Air Force) in an F-4C Phantom from the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron (555 TFS) out of Ubon. The aircraft was seen to crash during a night strike mission just north of the Demilitarized Zone. HTH experts provided analysis of possible crash locations and DPAA-recovered aircraft artifacts.


REFNO 1201: the 4-Jun-68 loss of Brice (US Navy) in an F-4J Phantom from Fighter Squadron Thirty-Three (VF-33) off the USS America. The aircraft was seen to crash in the Gulf of Tonkin returning from a day strike mission. HTH experts provided analysis of flight path reconstruction, potential search locations, search-and-rescue operations, and life support systems.


REFNO 1259: the 23-Aug-68 loss of Bergevin/Setterquist (US Air Force) in an RF-4C Phantom from the 14th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron (14 TRS) out of Udorn. The aircraft disappeared on a night, low altitude mission to photograph targets in Laos and North Vietnam. HTH experts provided analysis of flight path reconstruction, potential crash locations, translation of Vietnamese documents, and search-and-rescue operations.


REFNO 1262: the 24-Aug-68 loss of Read/Ladewig (US Air Force) in an F-4D Phantom from the 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron (497 TFS) out of Ubon. HTH experts provided analysis of potential crash locations, translation of Vietnamese documents, and DPAA-recovered aircraft artifacts.


REFNO 1312: the 28-Oct-68 loss of Stroven/Stonebraker (US Air Force) in an RF-4C Phantom from 11th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron (1 TRS) out of Udorn. HTH experts provided analysis of flight path reconstruction, suspected crash locations, translation of Vietnamese documents, and DPAA-recovered aircraft artifacts.


REFNO 1396: the 28-Feb-68 loss of Keller/Meroney (US Air Force) in an F-4D Phantom from the 433rd Tactical Fighter Squadron (433 TFS) out of Ubon. The aircraft was seen to crash during a night mission over Laos. Both their remains repatriated in 2012. HTH experts provided analysis of flight path reconstruction, suspected crash locations, and DPAA-recovered aircraft artifacts.


REFNO 1405: the 10-Mar-69 loss of Luna (US Air Force) in an F-4D Phantom from the 435th Tactical Fighter Squadron (435 TFS) out of Ubon. HTH experts provided analysis of flight path reconstruction, suspected crash locations, translation of Vietnamese documents, and DPAA-recovered aircraft artifacts.


REFNO 1418: the 29-Mar-69 loss of Hess (US Air Force) in an F-4D Phantom from the 480th Tactical Fighter Squadron (480 TFS) out of Da Nang. HTH experts provided analysis of flight path reconstruction, potential search locations, translation of Vietnamese documents, and search-and-rescue operations.


REFNO 1518: the 5-Nov-69 loss of LaFever/Echanis (US Air Force) in an F-4D Phantom from the 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron (497 TFS) out of Ubon. HTH experts provided analysis of flight path reconstruction, analysis of pre- and post-crash imagery of potential crash locations, and search-and-rescue operations.


REFNO 1718: the 6-Mar-71 loss Hummel/Milliner (US Army) in AH-1G Cobra from Company B, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division (B/7/1 CAV) out of Khe Sanh. HTH experts provided analysis of flight path reconstruction, potential crash locations, and search-and-rescue operations.


REFNO 1743: the 25-Apr-71 loss of Lemon/Sigafoos (US Air Force) in an F-4D Phantom from the 421st Tactical Fighter Squadron (421 TFS) out of Da Nang. HTH experts provided analysis of suspected crash locations and DPAA-recovered aircraft artifacts.


REFNO 1772: the 30-Sep-71 loss of Donovan/Bond (US Air Force) in an F-4E Phantom from 421st Tactical Fighter Squadron (421 TFS) out Da Nang. HTH experts provided analysis of suspected crash locations and DPAA-recovered aircraft artifacts.


REFNO 1781: the 26-Nov-71 loss of Steadman/Beutel (US Air Force) in an F-4D Phantom from the 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron (497 TFS) out of Ubon. HTH experts provided analysis of flight path reconstruction, potential crash locations, search-and-rescue operations, pre- and post-loss imagery, cross-references against other losses, translation of Vietnamese documents, and DPAA-recovered aircraft artifacts.


REFNO 1794: the 31-Dec-71 loss of Duggan/Sutter (US Air Force) in an F-4D Phantom from the 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron (497 TFS) out of Ubon. HTH experts provided analysis of flight path reconstruction, potential crash locations, translation of Vietnamese documents, and search-and-rescue operations.


REFNO 1973: the 27-Dec-72 loss of Chipman/Forrester (US Marine Corps) in an A-6A Intruder from Marine All-Weather Attack Squadron Five Three Three (VMA(AW)-533) out of Nam Phong. Their remains were repatriated in 2024. HTH experts provided analysis of flight path reconstruction, potential crash locations, translation of Vietnamese documents, pre- and post-loss imagery, and DPAA-recovered aircraft artifacts.

Chipman/Forrester Loss Location

1:50,000 scale map, Sheet 6343-III, L7014, Edition 1, 1965