Vietnam Missing

During one of the Memorial Day-related newscasts today I heard a number I'd never heard before. In addition to the 58,000 heroes named on The Wall, it was stated that there were some 1,600 missing and unaccounted for. I'm curious as to how that number was compiled.

At the risk of opening old wounds, I'm asking you old warriors who were there to help us understand what happened to these men. I know a lot of airmen went down in the sea or jungle. I know that a direct hit from an artillery round can disintegrate someone, but I would think his teammates could account for some of these. I hate to think of how many just crawled away in the jungle and died of their wounds, or how many died in some hell-hole undocumented cage somewhere. What do you think happened to these men?

I'm not a combat veteran, so I can't go to my own resources to come up with a plausible understanding of it. Again, I apologize if I'm treading where I have no right to step.

In a combat situations things can get confusing very fast. Some units where not really trained well or had higher percentages of new men. That first enemy contact is scary at first. Some men handle it better than others. So a single man could very easily get separated from his group. He then would have been listed as MIA ( Missing IN Action) This is one way that a man could be lost.

There are other ways that it could have happened too. I was lucky in that I was in a small unit that was usually very well trained. We had men killed but NEVER left one behind or had a man go missing. We rescued a lot of air men but we also could not find a few of them too. We might find the plane but not the men. They may have jumped out before and where far from where we found the plane. Sometimes we could not find the plane at all.

You have to remember that the electronic age was just starting then. We had no GPS stuff to tell where you where at. You had a map and a compass to try and keep track of where you were. The radios had a limited range and not good reliability either. I often wonder what satellite photos could have helped with back then.

I would say that a lot of the missing men would have been Air Force guys. Then the next higher chance would have been just the regular Army guys that got involved in the big operations. The more men the harder to keep track of them.

I also personally know of LRRPs that just disappeared. They where dropped off and never heard from again. This happened several times toward the end. I always thought that a spy was giving the drop zones away. I know it got much harder to be dropped into an area clean the last year or so. It seemed like we where always getting dropped into hot zones.

These are just a few observations from me. I am sure there are other guys that can tell you more of how that number was came to.

Thanks for sharing that, JD, and thank you for your service.

Jerry while I'm not a Viet Nam Vet I was a combat soldier from 74-96. I was also very interested in modern military history and wanted to know what happened, what was done right and wrong. JD pretty much has a lot of it covered but failed to mention the special ops guys. A lot of teams went on over the border missions into Cambodia and Laos looking for targets on the Ho Chi Min trail and just vanished.

The listings I find by branch.

US Army 532
US Air Force 526
US Navy 365
US Marines 212

Most of the missing US Army and Marines where people who got separated from their units during fights in dense cover or disappeared as a team during small unit operations like the A teams and LRRPs plus chopper pilots who went down in areas where rescue or recovery could take days.

Rick

I am a Vietnam nam vet,1969-1970. At one time there were rumors that some of the POWs were taken to other country's and used as slaves.just a thought.

JDseller, There is a book out, "SOG" or "S.O.G.", that reports on "Blackbird Missions". The author says that all US related missions were required to be filed with the RSVN HQ. The president of RSVN
had a male secretary who was a North Vietnamese "mole" who immediately telegraphed mission plans and personnel including dog tag #'s to the North. As a result, the first thing that anyone heard after the beat of rotors faded away in an insertion was NVA truck's tailgates dropping. The author further asserts that the only US missions that weren't compromised were the few black missions that avoided the military chain of command and assets. I have my paperback copy loaned out to friends and they can't find it or I could give you the author's name etc. I think you would find the book extremely interesting. Thanks for your service.

I spent 3 tours over there. We lost our new Commanding General and Sgt Major plus the old CG and SGM, piolt in crew in one Huey. Never heard from or found.
Most Army guys were piolts or got taken POW. Most never heard from again. Many wounded soldiers did not make it very far.

A lot of Thailand based flyers were shot down over Laos or crashed there. It was not a safe place. After the war the POW's that came home were in prison in North Viet-Nam. The ones that were held in Laos missed the flight back across the pond. Laos has never accounted for them and we turned our backs and walked off. Just like we did to the poor Hmong that gave so much helping us. Two and a half tours and still does not set so well. We were winning when I left. Willie

An example of MIA and how men get moved from MIA to KIA. While serving at K I Sawyer AFB in upper Michigan in the 80's one of the O-5s on staff had been a guest at the Hanoi Hilton. On POW/MIA day he usually gave a presentation at the club during our observances. He explained how a B-52 crew had been listed MIA. They went missing on a mission over Hanoi. When prisoners were repatriated they were out briefed. Some of the crew members provided details on other missing crews. The missing B-52 crew- the ship took a direct hit from a SAM, pieces of that ship in turn caused FOD (foreign object damage) to another ship that crashed, those crew members lived, where captured and incarcerated. Their reports after release caused the other crew to be moved from MIA to KIA.

All casualties were reported on the next day's morning report as either wounded in action or missing in action. If known wounded but whereabouts unknown at the time of report, they were listed as missing in action. When a medical unit had them confirmed as present the trooper was then transfered out of unit to them. All transfers had orders cut so the soldier could be kept track of.

Killed in action (KIA) were then reported as such as confirmed. But, all KIA's were first MIA's, even if you had the dog tag, until deposition was official.

Some loved ones back in the States could get a MIA notice and then a WIA or KIA when confirmed.

Three Generals were lost in helicopter accidents in Vietnam. Separate incidents All recovered and General Ware was the only one flying with his Sargent Major.

Well...that's good. Last I heard he had not.

I have (had) a friend that was listed as MIA. He was never found nor where any remains returned to the family. His name is on the wall. And a memorial to him is located @ a rest area on a major interstate near his home town.

Tearing up a little now typing this. May God rest all of there souls.

War is Hell... Some didn't make it back listed as KIA considered under "friendly fire" because someone on his side had a grudge against him for some silly reason... Just telling the truth.

Heard a lot of "tunnel rats" never made it back out are still considered missing till a body or remains are shown.