MISSING IN ACTION
FROM MARYLAND
KOREAN WAR ~ MISSING IN ACTION


ALLMOND, JOHN WILLIAM

ANGLE, DONALD EUGENE

ASHLEY, GILBERT LAMOUR JR

BAIDO, JAMES

BAKIE, DONALD LINWOOD

BARTON, CHARLES W JR

BELFE, BERNARD JOSEPH

BENSINGER, NORMAN ELMER

BILLINGSLEA, CHARLES LEVINE JR

BLEVINS, HERENE KLINE

BOLT, DONALD DAVID

BOLTON, MARSHALL D

BROWN, GEORGE JAMES

BROWN, HARRY LEE

BROYLES, EDWIN NASH JR

BULLINGTON, HARRY LAFAYETTE

CARTER, ANDREW

CARTY, PAUL KENNETH

CHANT, HARRY LEDDY II

CHAPMAN, RICHARD A

CHURCH, ALPHONSO

COLLETTI, WILLIAM

CRISP, GEORGE S

CROWELL, LEROY

DAGENHART, MANVILLE EUGENE

DAMEWOOD, LOUIS ASHBY

DAY, DAVE HARRISON JR

DE LUNA, LEONARD OWEN

DELAUTER, ROY CHARLES

DEVONE, GEORGE DEWEY

DIFFER, PATRICK MICHAEL

DILLARD, FLOYD N

DILVER, JAMES A

DOYLE, LAWRENCE A

DYE, DAILEY FRANCIS ECKARD, CHARLES K

EDMONDS, LESTER E JR

ELY, JACOB A

ENGLISH, LEONARD JR

FISH, WILLIAM

GALT, ROBERT LYNN JR

GARDNER, WILLIAM

GARVER, CHARLES E

GEDNEY, KENDALL COURTNEY

GILMORE, JOHN ROBERT

GOLLNER, JOSEPH HENRY

GRAY, MARION DUNCAN

GREAVER, ROBERT E LEE

GRIFFITH, HAROLD W JR

HANLIN, ERNEST MILES

HANSEN, ARTHUR JR

HARE, JAMES REXFORD

HAYES, CORNELIUS ELVY

HAYES, DULANEY RIDGEWAY

HAYS, FREDERICK SPRIGG JR

HEATH, EDWARD F

HESTER, CHARLES G

HILL, JAMES CROSBY

HOFFECKER, FRANK SHAWN JR

HOLLYOAK, RICHARD G

HYSLOP, KENNETH CHARLES

JEROME, RICHARD

JONES, ARTHUR MACON

JONES, CHARLES MOYE

JONES, JACK E

JUBB, JAMES IVORY

KAHL, GORDON KING

KENNEDY, ROBERT G

LA BRIE, CLARENCE RONALD

LANE, JOHN FRANCIS

LANIER, CLAUDE

LAVELLE, JOHN THOMAS

MARKS, HARVEY LEE

MATHER, RANDOLPH E

MATHIS, GRAYSON LEE

MAYNARD, EDWARD WILEY

MCCOY, GLENN

MCCOY, RAYMOND H

MCKENZIE, JOHN LEE

MERRYMAN, ROBERT B

MISS, IRA VICTOR JR

MRYNCZA, LEO WALTER

MUHLBACH, ALLAN C

NAZELROD, EARL C

NOCKEMAN, ERNEST W

NOWAK, JOHN FRANK

PORTER, HENRY M

POULSEN, EDWARD MILES

REA, FRED M

REFFNER, MELVILLE EUGENE

REID, NORMAN L

RIDGE, KENNETH L

RIGGS, WILLIAM RUSSELL

RIGNEY, ROGER BRADLEY

ROBERTS, CHARLES C

ROBINSON, JOSEPH W

SANDERBECK, GEORGE W

SANFORD, WILLIAM H

SAUNDERS, EDWARD

SAUNDERS, LOUIS ALEXANDER

SAUNDERS, NORBERT BLAINE

SEGGIE, WILLIAM R

SHARP, JOHN THOMAS

SHEPPARD, JAMES W

SHERMAN, EARL WILLIAM

SLAGLE, LEONARD P

SLOAN, HAROLD

SMITH, JAMES MARSHALL

SMITH, PAUL T

SMITH, SHADRACH B JR

SREBROSKI, JOSEPH LEONARD

STEWART, WILLIAM S

SWAVELY, KERMIT GEORGE

TATE, JACK

THERIAULT, CONRAD WALTER

THOMAS, ROY HENRY

THOMSON, JOHN NORMAN

THORN, EDWARD EDVERT

TRAIL, JOSEPH HAYES

VAUGHN, CLEVELAND JR

VOGT, LEONARD PAUL

WALLER, FREEMON CHARLES

WALMSLEY, JOHN SPRINGER JR

WALTERS, GEORGE WILLIAM

WARD, ALFRED JOSEPH

WARFIELD, EDWARD F

WARREN, T P

WATERS, WILLIE

WATSON, MICHAEL RICHARD

WATT, GEORGE WESLEY

WEST, E GEORGE

WHEELWRIGHT, CLARENCE

WHITACRE, HUGH DOUGLAS

WHITE, RICHARD C

WHITNEY, GEORGE H

WILLS, JAMES WASHINGTON JR

WILSON, CHARLES EARL JR

WILSON, JESSE

WISHON, DAVID J JR

WOOLFORD, WILLIAM LYON

YOUNG, CHARLES HENRY

ZALNER, ALBERT ANTHONY

ZEPP, CHARLES E



VIETNAM
~ MISSING IN ACTION ~


DAVIDSON, DAVID ARTHUR

DOLAN, EDWARD V

DOLAN, THOMAS ALBERT

FLANAGAN, SHERMAN E JR

GEIST, STEPHEN J

HAMILTON, ROGER D

HICKS, TERRIN D

HILTON, ROBERT

LARIE KILCULLEN, THOMAS M

LANCASTER, KENNETH R

MAC LAUGHLIN, DONALD C JR

PAYNE, KYLIS THEROD

POWERS, VERNIE HOMER

SAUSE, BERNARD JACOB JR

SHAY, DONALD EMERSON JR

SMITH, VICTOR A

SPARENBERG, BERNARD J

STEGMAN, THOMAS

WATKINS, ROBERT JAMES JR

WEST, JOHN THOMAS

WILLS, FRANCIS DESALES

WORTH, JAMES F

WRIGHT, DAVID IRVIN


COLD WAR
~ MISSING IN ACTION ~


DUNHAM, JOHN R

WATKINS, RICHARD E
MISSING IN ACTION
BY THE NUMBERS
World War II

*73,690

Korean War

*7,962
(Maryland 143)

Cold War

126

Vietnam War

1,677

Gulf War

2

TOTAL

83,457

 
Protocol for flying the POW/MIA flag
  • On one flagpole, the POW/MIA flag is flown below the American flag and above any state flag
  • On two flagpoles, the POW/MIA flag is flown on the same pole as the American flag, below the American flag (this pole should be to the flag’s own right of the second pole). Any state flag should fly on the second pole.
  • On three flagpoles, the American flag should be flown on the pole located to the flag’s own right, the POW/MIA flag should be flown on the middle pole, and any state flag should be flown on the pole to the (flag’s own) left.
COL ROBERT A GOVAN
 
PERSONAL DATA
  Home of Record: Washington, DC
  Date of birth: 05/27/1934
  Age at Loss: 33 (based on date MIA per NOK)
MILITARY DATA
  Service: United States Air Force
  Grade at loss: Major/O4
  Rank: Colonel/O6
  Note: Promoted while in MIA status
  ID No: 579443730 
  MOS: 1115Z: Pilot
  Length Service:  **
  Unit: 606TH AIR COMMANDO SQDN
         634TH CBT SPT GROUP
         7TH Air Force

CASUALTY DATA
  Start Tour:      
  Incident Date: 04/01/1967
         
  Casualty Type: Hostile, died while 
      missing

  Casualty Reason: Fixed Wing - Crew,         possible
     direct hit from 37mm ground fire
  Location:  UTM 48QXD021785
      Vicinity Ban Boung, So. Laos
  Remains: Body not recovered**

  ON THE WALL    Panel 17E Line 085
 
**See Indentification Recinded

Plane Photos are of the T-28D flown by Col Govan, however are not his plane. The tail no. of his plane at the time of his going missing was 49-1559.

 

*Tail number Info http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/

IDENTIFICATION "RECINDED"

The July 24 2002 DPMO list of "U.S. Accounted for from the Vietnam War" lists names of David R. Williams and Robert Govan, lost over Laos on April 1, 1967.

 

According to the list remains for Williams and Govan were returned July 15, 1996 and identified June 14, 2002. CIL-HI did not even attempt mt-DNA testing. Reaching a new level of creativity, CIL-HI identified the handful of remains as David R. Williams and Robert Govan.

 

  • Minimal remains, no more than a handful were recovered.
  • No remains were individually identifiable.
  • No identifying items were recovered from the crash site that could associate the men to the recovery site.

 

United in their protest, both the Williams and Govan family exercised their right to dispute the identification. The families filed challenges with the Armed Forces Identification Review Board. Other families with questionable identification have also disputed those finding before the Armed Forces Identification Review Board (AFIRB.) The board always upheld the CIL-HI identification..... Until March 2003.....

 

The board ruled that there was not enough evidence to support an identification of Williams and Govan. Both David Williams and Robert Govan were returned to the list of the unaccounted for personnel in Southeast Asia..

 

This begs the question, with their identifications recinded, “How many more share the same plight as Thomas Hart and George MacDonald, who have not been returned to list of unaccounted for personnel in Southeast Asia?”
GOVAN / WILLIAMS - FINAL MISSION SYNOPSIS: 1 April 1967
T-28Ds Operating in Thailand showing bomb load. *Not Col Govan

The North American T28D Nomad fighter/bomber was a single-engine aircraft that was utilized throughout Southeast Asia by both US and Allied personnel primarily for counterinsurgency and escort missions. When flying as an escort, the Nomad relied on the more sophisticated detection equipment aboard other aircraft to direct them to the target area, then the pilot would fly in low in a shallow dive in order to most effectively carry his attack to the enemy.

 

When North Vietnam began to increase its military strength in South Vietnam, NVA and Viet Cong troops again intruded on neutral Laos for sanctuary, as the Viet Minh had done during the war with the French some years before. This border road was used by the Communists to transport weapons, supplies and troops from North Vietnam into South Vietnam, and was frequently no more than a path cut through the jungle covered mountains. US forces used all assets available to them to stop this flow of men and supplies from moving south into the war zone.

On 1 April 1967 Major David R. Williams, instructor pilot; and then Major Robert A. Govan, pilot; comprised the crew of a T28D aircraft on a night armed reconnaissance mission over eastern Laos. The Nomad's intended flight plan took them from Nakhon Phanom (NKP) Airfield to "FAS Steel Tiger, Delta Echo;" then back to NKP. The target area included Route 911, a major artery in the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail that passed through the Ban Karai Pass. That pass was one of two major ports of entry employed by the North Vietnamese into Laos.

 

Once in the target area southwest of the Ban Karai Pass, Major Williams established radio contact with the airborne battlefield command and control center (ABCCC). After providing him with current mission information, the ABCCC handed the flight off to the onsite Forward Air Controller (FAC) who would direct air operations in that sector.

 

The FAC observed two trucks going south on Route 911. He dropped a flare to illuminate the target, but more light was needed as the targets were no longer visible. Major Govan descended to an altitude below the FAC, which was estimated to be 1000 to 2000 feet above the terrain. Another truck was spotted traveling north, and Major Govan dropped two more flares. 

 

The aircraft was observed by the FAC as it rolled out of a northeast heading. After dropping another flare, the FAC reported seeing numerous flashes that appeared to be enemy anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) fire directed toward the Nomad.

 

At 2102 hours, roughly six minutes later, the FAC observed a large fireball on the ground that was followed by numerous secondary explosions. (Most likely a direct hit on the aircraft). The FAC tried to raise Williams and Govan on the radio, but without success. Search and rescue (SAR) operations began immediately. Unfortunately, no parachutes were sighted and no beepers heard. David Williams and Robert Govan were listed Missing in Action.

 

The Nomad's last known location was over a very long and narrow jungle covered valley with mountains and karsts rising up along both sides of the valley. Small hamlets and villages dotted the region, which was laced with many roads, trails and footpaths. The location of loss was approximately 10 miles east of Ban Muong Sen, 27 miles southwest of the Ban Karai Pass and 75 miles southeast of Nakhon Phanom, Savannakhet Province, Laos.
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