Name: John Terence McDonnell

Rank/Branch: O3/US Army Unit: A Battery, 4th Battalion, 77th Artillery, 101st Airborne Division.

Date of Birth: 14 December 1940

Home City of Record: Ft. Worth,TX

Date of Loss: 06 March 1969

Country of Loss: South Vietnam

Loss Coordinates: 161346N 1075822E (ZC177968)

Status (in 1973): Missing in Action Category: 2 Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: AH1G

Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing)

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 May 1990 from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews.

REMARKS: SYNOPSIS: Capt. John T. McDonnell was the aircraft commander of an AH1G helicopter from A Battery, 4th Battalion, 77th Artillery, 101st Airborne Division operating in Thua Tien Province, South Vietnam. On March 6, McDonnell's aircraft was the flight leader in a flight on two aircraft on a combat mission. During a firing pass, McDonnell's aircraft was observed receiving enemy ground fire. The aircraft disappeared into an overcast and crashed into a mountain side. The area was searched, but McDonnell could not be located. His pilot, Lt. Ronald Greenfield, was found and medically evacuated. Lt. Greenfield could recall nothing from the point of impact to the following morning. During the search, McDonnell's helmet was found with no trace of blood along with pieces of equipment. It appeared that McDonnell's seatbelt had been unlocked and that he had left the aircraft on his own power. During the search effort, numerous deserted enemy positions were located indicating that Capt. McDonnell might have been captured. The search continued for three weeks without success. McDonnell was not a green soldier. On a previous tour of Vietnam then-2LT. McDonnell was attached as an artillery expert to Detachment A324, 5th Special Forces Group. It was at this time, on May 25, 1965, that he was awarded the Army Commendation Medal with "V" device for Heroism. At that time McDonnell was an advisor to South Vietnamese paramilitary forces at Thanh Dien Forest, Republic of Vietnam. A fellow team member had been killed by a sniper, another had been wounded. A third was missing. McDonnell's tactical advice and bravery enabled the team to successfully complete their search for the missing team member in the face of intense enemy fire. There is every reason to suspect that McDonnell may have been captured. His fate following is a matter for speculation. Returned POWs would say that those who resisted most strongly were the most tortured and deprived. To a man, those 591 Americans who returned home at the end of the war cooperated at some point, in some way, with their captors. They all agree it is not a matter of whether a man can be broken -- but only how long it will take. Only a few were known to hold out to the end...and unfortunately, for them, it was the end. A few were known to have been literally tortured or starved to death for their resolute refusal to cooperate. McDonnell's training and background may put him in that category. We may never know for sure. Nearly 2500 Americans were lost in Southeast Asia during our military involvement there. Since the war in Southeast Asia ended in 1973, thousands of reports of Americans still in captivity have been received by the U.S. Government. The official policy is that no conclusive proof has been obtained that is current enough to act upon. Detractors of this policy say conclusive proof is in hand, but that the willingness or ability to rescue these prisoners does not exist. McDonnell, if one of those hundreds said to be still alive and in captivity, must be wondering, "Where ARE you, America?" Where are we, America, when the life of even one American is not worth the effort of recovery? When the next war comes, and it is our sons lost, will we then care enough to do everything we can to bring our prisoners home? -- George M. "Gunny" Fallon - gfallon@nji.com Thank you for caring about America's Missing Servicemen. "A Man is not dead until he is forgotten!" Please Visit http://geocities.datacellar.net/CapitolHill/Lobby/5690/ The Switchboard for more information --------------