POW-MIA

Rank/Branch: O2/US Air Force
Unit: 25th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Ubon AB, Thailand
Date of Birth: 14 June 1944
Home City of Record: Duluth MN
Country of Loss: Laos
Loss Coordinates: 163400N 1062700E (XD548329)
Status (in 1973): Missing in Action
Category: 2
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: F4D

Other Personnel in Incident: John T. West (missing)

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 01 April 1990 with the assistance of one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews.

REMARKS:

SYNOPSIS: The Phantom, used by Air Force, Marine and Navy air wings, served a multitude of functions including fighter-bomber and interceptor, photo and electronic surveillance. The two man aircraft was extremely fast (Mach 2), and had a long range (900 - 2300 miles, depending on stores and mission type). The F4 was also extremely maneuverable and handled well at low and high altitudes. The F4 was selected for a number of state-of-the-art electronics conversions, which improved radar intercept and computer bombing capabilities enormously. Most pilots considered it one of the "hottest" planes around.

Capt. John T. West and 1Lt. Ronnie G. Lindstrom were co-pilots of an F4D Phantom which departed as second aircraft in a flight of two from Ubon Airfield on January 2, 1970 on an operational mission over Laos.

As the aircraft were near the Sepone River in Savannakhet Province, about 10 miles from the border of South Vietnam, West and Lindstrom's aircraft was seen to crash. The flight leader saw the aircraft descend and saw the wreckage on the ground, but observed no parachutes. No emergency radio beeper signals were heard to indicate that West and Lindstrom safely ejected from the aircraft.

West and Lindstrom became two of nearly 600 Americans who disappeared in Laos during the Vietnam War. Although Pathet Lao leaders stressed that they held "tens of tens" of American prisoners, they stated that those captured in Laos would be released in Laos, hoping to gain a seat at the negotiating table in Paris where the U.S. and Vietnam were negotiating an end to the war. The U.S. did not include Laos in the Paris Peace Accords, and no American held in Laos was ever released. In America's haste to leave Southeast Asia, it abandoned some of its finest men. Since the end of the war, thousands of reports have been received indicating that hundreds of Americans are still held captive.

In seeming disregard for the Americans either held or having been murdered by the Pathet Lao, by 1989 the U.S. and the Lao had devised a working plan to provide Laos with humanitarian and economic aid leading toward ultimate full diplomatic and trade relations while Laos allows the excavation of military crash sites at sporadic intervals. In America's haste to return to Southeast Asia, we are again abandoning our men.

"All Biographical and loss information on POWs provided by Operation Just Cause have been supplied by Chuck and Mary Schantag of POWNET. Please check with POWNET. regularly for updates."

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If you're interested in POW/MIA bracelets; the best place I know of is:

They have an 800# (1-800-452-8906). The quality of their bracelets and their prices are the best I've seen. If you tell them you are from OJC and give them the name of your adopted POW, they will get you a bracelet with that person's name on it. It's $11 for a polished stainless bracelet and they even have sterling silver with gold inlay, but it's $100 (Still an excellent price.) and every penny of profit goes right into furthering the POW cause.

If you've been wearing a POW/MIA bracelet and would like to contact the family or find out more, check with the National Alliance Homepage at:

We would like to encourage you to continue wearing their bracelets until your POW or MIA comes home. You can still try to contact the families and let them know they are not forgotten, but the truth is, families who still wait, derive a tremendous source of strength from knowing their son's name is still being worn proudly on the wrist of a stranger who never got to know him.

If you wish to adopt a POW-MIA, just send me a note.

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God bless,

ICQ#12007362