Background Information
Frank N. Badolati and Ronald T. Terry were riflemen on a
Special Forces reconnaissance team operating in An Lao Valley of Binh Dinh Province
12 miles west of Tam Quan in South Vietnam when his team was split during a firefight.
The patrol came under enemy fire on the afternoon of 28 January 1966 during which
time Badolati was hit. Cecil Hodgson, the patrol leader, from Detachment B52 Delta,
was apparently treating Badolati's wounds as the patrol traveled in small groups
from the location where Badolati was hit. Badolati was with two other individuals
who survived, and as he was too badly wounded to continue, the three remained
for about two hours in their position.
Badolati's condition worsened, and when the two survivors left the area, they
reported that Badolati was dead. They had no choice but to leave his body
behind.
Hodgson and Terry evaded for the rest of the day. On January 29, they moved
at first light into a defensive position, whereupon they encountered enemy
forces and another firefight ensued. Terry indicated that he had been hit, and
others thought he had been killed. When they looked for Hodgson, he was gone.
Survivors heard additional shots, which they believed were shots fired at Hodgson,
and they believed he also had been killed.
The team could not search for Hodgson because of the heavy enemy activity,
and were forced to move to a rallying point. They evaded capture for the
remainder of the day, and were ultimately picked up by helicopter.
Searches for all three missing were conducted for the next 4 days with no
results. Hodgson was classified Missing In Action. Badolati and Terry were
classified Killed/Body Not Recovered.
Since the end of the war, over 10,000 reports relating to Americans prisoner,
missing or unaccounted for in Southeast Asia have been received by the U.S
Government. Many authorities who have reviewed this intelligence material,
including a former Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, believe that
hundreds of Americans are still alive, held captive. Hodgson could be among
them. If alive, what must he be thinking of us?
ADDENDUM:Cecil J. Hodgson was promoted to the rank of Master Sergeant during the
period he was maintained missing. |
|
|
