Date of Loss: 27 May 1971
Country of Loss: Cambodia
Loss Coordinates: 120105N 1063133E (XU661289)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 2
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: OH58A
Refno: 1749
Source: Compiled from one or more of the following:
raw data from U.S. Government agency sources,
correspondence with POW/MIA families, published
sources, interviews. Updated by the P.O.W. NETWORK in
1998.
Other Personnel in Incident: Thomas W. Knuckey
(missing)
SYNOPSIS: On May 27, 1971, 1Lt. Thomas W. Knuckey was
the pilot and Sgt. Phillip C. Taylor the observer on
board an OH58A helicopter which was part of a force
conducting battle damage assessment (BDA) in Kracheh
Province, Cambodia, where air strikes had been made
in attempts to destroy an enemy machine gun position.
The location of the gun emplacement was near the
border of Cambodia and South Vietnam, about 8 miles
southeast of the city of Snuol.
During Knuckey's final pass over the gun emplacement,
his aircraft was hit by enemy groundfire, and
exploded while still in flight. The helicopter then
crashed and exploded a second time and burned.
Witnesses reported that the crew could not have
survived. Because of heavy enemy activity in the
area, a ground search was not possible.
Knuckey and Taylor were listed as killed, bodies not
recovered. They are among nearly 2500 Americans who
remain unaccounted for from the Vietnam war. The
cases of some, like Knuckey and Taylor, seem clear -
that they perished and cannot be recovered.
In 1988, the government of Cambodia announced to the
press that it had a number of American remains it
wished to return to the U.S. (in fact, the number
announced was more than are officially listed as
missing in Cambodia). Despite the efforts of several
U.S. Congressmen, these remains have never been
returned because the U.S. will not make an official
response to Cambodia, a government it does not
diplomatically recognize.
It is not thought that many of the men lost in
Cambodia survived, primarily because of Pol Pot's
mass genocide after American involvement in Southeast
Asia ended. Unfortunately, mounting evidence
indicates that hundreds of Americans are still
captive in Vietnam and Laos, waiting for the country
they proudly served to secure their freedom. While
Knuckey and Taylor may not be among those said to be
still alive, we can honor their sacrifice by refusing
to allow political pandering to prevent the return of
their bodies.
We can honor the sacrifices of all who died in
Vietnam by insisting that all living prisoners of war
are returned home. There can be no other honorable
end to the war in Vietnam.
I still wear four MIA bracelets.
The following
will tell you about those men.
ALLEE, RICHARD KENNETH
REMAINS IDENTIFIED 04/30/98
Name: Richard Kenneth Allee
Rank/Branch: O3/US Air Force
Unit: 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Takhli
Airbase
Date of Birth: 14 December 1935
Home City of Record: Port Jervis NY
Date of Loss: 21 December 1968
Country of Loss: Laos
Loss Coordinates: 173000N 1053900E (WE705360)
Status (in 1973): Missing In Action
Category: 3
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: F105D
Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing)
REMARKS:
Source: Compiled from one or more of the following:
raw
data from U.S. Government agency sources,
correspondence
with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews.
Updated by the P.O.W. NETWORK.
SYNOPSIS: Capt. Richard K. Allee was assigned to the
354th
Tactical Fighter Squadron at Takhli Airbase Thailand.
On 21
December 1968, his F105D aircraft was number two in a
flight of four aircraft sent on a combat mission
which took
them over Khammouane Province, Laos.
At at point near the city of Na Phao and a few miles
southwest of the Mu Gia pass, Allee's aircraft was
hit by
hostile ground fire, caught on fire and crashed in a
wooded
area. The Mu Gia pass is a break in the mountains
that form
the border of Laos and Vietnam. The area was one of
the
most heavily traveled sections of the famed Ho Chi
Minh
Trail, and between spring of 1965 and December 1971,
43
American airman would disappear in a 33 mile square
area
surrounding the Mu Gia Pass without a trace.
Other aircraft in the flight saw no parachutes, nor
were
emergency beepers heard. If Allee ejected safely, no
one
could tell. But because the possibility existed that
he
did, Allee was placed in a category of Missing In
Action.
The families of the nearly 600 Americans lost in Laos
impatiently awaited the end of the war. Pathet Lao
news
releases indicated that "tens of tens" of Americans
were
being held in Laos. To their horror, however, not one
American was released from Laos at the end of the
war. The
U.S. refused to negotiate with the Pathet Lao, a
"government" which they did not recognize.
Unfortunately, since American involvement in
Southeast Asia
ended in 1975, no negotiations have occurred which
would
free the captives in Laos, and their families wait in
anguished uncertainty.
As thousands of reports mount that Americans are
still
alive in captivity, including some tantalizing and
very
specific ones regarding Laos prisoners, these
families can
only wait helplessly, waiting for someone to rescue
their
men. Richard Allee might be one of the hundreds many
authorities believe are still alive. What are we
doing to
bring him home?
HAVRANEK, MICHAEL WILLIAM
Name: Michael William Havranek
Rank/Branch: E3/US Marine Corps
Unit: 3rd Recon Company, 3rd Recon Battalion, 3rd
Marine Division
Date of Birth: 30 May 1948
Home City of Record: Missoula MT
Date of Loss: 11 June 1967
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 165454N 1065530E (YD048689)
Status (in 1973): Killed In Action/Body Not Recovered
Category: 2
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: CH46A
Refno: 0734
Other Personnel In Incident: Dennis R. Christie,
Curtis R. Bohlscheid; John
J. Foley; Jose J. Gonzales; Thomas M. Hanratty;
Charles D. Chomel; James W. Kooi, Jim E. Moshier;
John S. Oldham; James E. Widener (all missing)
Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 June
1990 from one or more of the following: raw data from
U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with
POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews.
Updated by the P.O.W. NETWORK 1998.
REMARKS: A/C CRASH-EXPLODED-NO SURVS OBS-J
SYNOPSIS: On 11 June 1967, 1LT Curtis Bohlscheid was
the pilot of a CH46A helicopter inserting a seven-man
Marine Force Recon team into a predesignated area 11
1/2 nautical miles northwest of Dong Ha, South
Vietnam
-- right on the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). A total of
four aircraft were involved in the mission, two
CH46's and two UH1E helicopter gunships. Bohlscheid
flew the lead aircraft. His crew included MAJ John S.
Oldham, LCPL Jose J. Gonzales (crew chief), and PFC
Thomas M. Hanratty (crew chief).
Members of the 3rd Recon Company, 3rd Recon
Battalion, 3rd Marine Division who were being
inserted were CPL Jim E. Moshier, LCPL Dennis R.
Christie, LCPL John J. Foley III, LCPL Michael W.
Havranek, LCPL James W. Kooi, PFC Charles D. Chomel,
and PFC James E. Widener.
The flight departed Dong Ha at about 11:15 a.m. and
proceeded to the insertion location. The gunships
made low strafing runs over the landing zone to clear
booby traps and to locate any enemy troops in the
area. No enemy fire was received and no activity was
observed. The lead aircraft then began its approach
to the landing zone. At an estimated altitude of
400-600 feet, the helicopter was observed to climb
erratically, similar to an aircraft commencing a
loop. Machinegunmen had been waiting for the
opportune time to fire on the aircraft. Portions of
the rear blades were seen to separate from the
aircraft and a radio transmission was received from
the aircraft indicating that it had been hit. The
helicopter became inverted and continued out of
control until it was seen to crash by a stream in a
steep ravine.
Subsequent efforts by ground units to reach the crash
area failed due to a heavy bunker complex surrounding
the site. The ground units inspected the site from
within 500 meters through binoculars and observed no
survivors. All eleven personnel aboard the helicopter
were therefore classified Killed In Action, Body Not
Recovered. Other USMC records indicate that the
helicopter also burst into flames just prior to
impacting the ground.
For the crew of the CH46A lost on June 11, 1967,
death seems a certainty.
For hundreds of others, however, simple answers are
not possible. Adding to the torment of nearly 10,000
reports relating to Americans missing in Southeast
Asia is the certain knowledge that some Americans who
were known to be prisoners of war were not released
at the end of the war. Others were suspected to be
prisoners, and still others were in radio contact
with would-be rescuers when last seen alive. Many
were known to have survived their loss incidents,
only to disappear without a trace.
The problem of Americans still missing torments not
only the families of those who are missing, but the
men who fought by their sides, and those in the
general public who realize the full implication of
leaving men unaccounted for at the end of a war.
Tragically, many authorities believe there are
hundreds of Americans still alive in captivity in
Southeast Asia today. What must they be thinking of
us? What will our next generation say if called to
fight if we are unable to bring these men home from
Southeast Asia?
MAGEE, PATRICK JOSEPH
Name: Patrick Joseph Magee
Rank/Branch: E6/US Army
Unit: HHC, 223rd Aviation Battalion, 17th Aviation
Group, 1st Aviation Brigade
Date of Birth: 22
September 1946 (Butte MT)
Home City of Record:
Alder MT
Date of Loss: 03 January 1971
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 134700N 1090630E (BR960250)
Status (in 1973): Missing In Action
Category: 4
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: U6 "Beaver"
Refno: 1687
Source: Compiled from one or more of the following:
raw data from U.S. Government agency sources,
correspondence with POW/MIA families, published
sources, interviews. Updated by the P.O.W. NETWORK in
1998.
Other Personnel In Incident: Thomas R. Okerlund;
Dennis W. Omelia; Luis G. Holguin; Carl Palen; Ferris
Rhodes; Michael Parsons (all missing)
REMARKS:
SYNOPSIS: On January 3, 1971, Capt. Ferris A. Rhodes,
Jr. was the pilot of a U6 "Beaver" (serial
#52-25884), carrying six passengers: 1Lt. Michaeld D.
Parsons, WO1 Thomas R. Okerland, WO1 Dennis W.
Omelia; WO1 Luis G. Holguin; SP6 Patrick J. Magee;
and SP5 Carl A. Palen. This was an administrative
support flight from Qui Nhon to Ban Me Thuot, South
Vietnam, to collect replacement helicopters for the
company. Some of the men aboard were helicopter
pilots, and would fly the choppers back to the base
at Qui Nhon.
The U6 "Beaver" is an older, fixed wing aircraft of
reasonable size (bigger than a "Bird Dog", for
instance), rather short and squatty with a somewhat
wide body. The aircraft departed Qui Nhon at about
0900 hours on January 3 without filing a proper
flight plan, nor was the weather briefing obtained
prior to takeoff. About 14 miles southeast of Phu
Cat, at 1120 hours, radio and radar contact was lost
with the plane.
Because Capt. Rhodes had announced plans to remain
overnight at Ban Me Thuot, no immediate searches were
made. By January 9, when Rhodes and his passengers
still had not returned, search efforts were begun at
0900 hours, and continued throughout the day with no
sign of the aircraft or its personnel.
The area of takeoff was tricky and the weather
conditions were not good. Other pilots said that if
planes taking off did not reach a safe altitude fast
enough, they would crash into a mountain. Cruising
speed for the "Beaver" was a mere 106 mph making it a
prime target for flak. Conditions in the area
indicated that the aircraft was shot down, and
several years passed before the crew was finally
declared dead.
Evidence mounts that Americans are still alive in
Southeast Asia. It is not known for sure if any of
the crew of the U6 survived and are among them, but
there is no evidence that they are dead. If they
survived, they could still be alive. If not, then
someone else's brother, son, husband, father is
alive. We owe them our very best effort to bring them
home.
SPARKS, JON MICHAEL
Name: Jon Michael Sparks
Rank/Branch: W1/US Army
Unit: 48th Aviation Company, 11th Aviation Group
Date of Birth: 24 February 1950 (Paley ID)
Home City of Record: Carey ID
Date of Loss: 19 March 1971
Country of Loss: Laos
Loss Coordinates: 163940N 1062920E (XD585428)
Status (in 1973): Missing In Action
Category: 2
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: UH1C
Refno: 1730
Other Personnel In Incident: Paul Langenour
(rescued); Frederick L. Cristman, Ricardo M. Garcia
(both missing)
Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 01
September 1990 from one or more of the following: raw
data from U.S. Government agency sources,
correspondence with POW/MIA families, published
sources, interviews. Updated by the P.O.W. NETWORK
1998.
REMARKS:
SYNOPSIS: Lam Son 719 was a large-scale offensive
against enemy communications lines which was
conducted in that part of Laos adjacent to the two
northern provinces of South Vietnam. The South
Vietnamese would provide and command ground forces,
while U.S. forces would furnish airlift and
supporting fire.
Phase I, renamed Operation Dewey Canyon II, involved
an armored attack by the U.S. from Vandegrift base
camp toward Khe Sanh, while the ARVN moved into
position for the attack across the Laotian border.
Phase II began with an ARVN helicopter assault and
armored brigade thrust along Route 9 into Laos. ARVN
ground troops were transported by American
helicopters, while
U.S. Air Force provided cover strikes around the
landing zones.
During one of these maneuvers, CW2 Frederick L.
Cristman was flying a UH1C helicopter (serial
#65-9489) with a crew of three - SP4 Paul A.
Langenour, door gunner, WO1 Jon M. Sparks, co-pilot,
and SP5 Ricardo M. Garcia, crew chief - covering a
downed U.S. helicopter during a rescue effort.
Cristman's aircraft flew as the trail ship in a
flight of two UH1s on the armed escort mission.
The landing zone (LZ) was under fire, and the pilot
of the downed craft was a buddy of Fred's. He worked
the area with his minigun while another helicopter
successfully extracted the pilot.
Cristman and his crew continued to work the hot LZ
while other helicopters came in. His gunship was hit
by enemy gunfire. Cristman radioed in to the flight
leader that his transmission oil pressure caution
light was on, and that he was making an emergency
landing on the LZ. This was verified by the lead
aircraft, who made several passes over the downed
helicopter.
Cristman's aircraft crashed into the ARVN perimeter,
and was hit on the roof by a mortar round just as the
crew jumped out. Cristman, his copilot and the crew
chief were thrown to the ground, while the door
gunner, SP4 Langenour, was able to exit the aircraft
and join a nearby ARVN unit which returned to a U.S.
military controlled area. The others remained with
the chopper, although this was not immediately
apparent from the air. The flight leader's aircraft
was also battle-damaged, and he had to leave the
area.
Another helicopter arrived, and although enemy ground
fire was received, made it into the landing zone.
Intense enemy fire necessitated a hasty departure,
and only two Vietnamese troops were picked up. During
the initial rescue attempt by the rescue helicopter,
no American crewmen were seen on the downed aircraft,
and no radio contact was established.
SP Langenour later stated that after landing, the
aircraft received numerous rounds of mortar fire and
he departed the area. He last saw all the other crew
members alive. Due to enemy activity in the area, no
ground search of the site was conducted.
Proof of the deaths of Cristman, Sparks and Garcia
was never found. No remains came home; none was
released from prison camp. They were not blown up,
nor did they sink to the bottom of the ocean. Someone
knows what happened to them.
Were it not for thousands of reports relating to
Americans still held captive in Southeast Asia today,
the families of the UH1C helicopter crew might be
able to believe their men died with their aircraft.
But until proof exists that they died, or they are
brought home alive, they will wonder and wait.
How long must they wait before we bring our men home?
Kyle Bohrnsen
This is about a very special young man from Montana who gave everything for your freedom and mine. Please keep him, his family, and all other young men like him in your thoughts and prayers.
Final salute
04/22/2007
PHILIPSBURG — The streets of this small town filled to overflowing Sunday afternoon, as Granite County residents arrived by the hundreds to honor a fallen soldier and son, Pvt. 1st Class Kyle Geoffrey Bohrnsen.
So many people came to pay their respects at Bohrnsen’s memorial service at Granite County High School, services were delayed 15 minutes to allow everyone to find a seat in the school’s gymnasium.
Gov. Brian Schweitzer was among the solemn crowd of ranchers, farmers and longtime residents of the Flint Creek and Rock Creek valleys.
Friends and fellow soldiers described Bohrnsen, 22, as a fun-loving and loyal person whose larger-than-life personality was taken from this world too soon when an improvised explosive device blew up the Humvee in which he was riding in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 10.
As evident in a slide show that prompted sobs from the audience, Bohrnsen was a Montanan through and through.
Image after image showed an ever-smiling, bright-eyed young man doing the things he loved most: elk hunting, snowmobiling, riding horses, camping, fishing, playing football, showing off his high school letterman’s jacket, helping his sister put a star on the family Christmas tree, hanging out with friends and spending time with his parents, Geoff and Lisa.
In photos taken in Iraq, it was evident he was proud to wear his Army uniform and proud to be an American soldier.
At 6 feet, 3 inches tall and weighing 250 pounds, Bohrnsen was a hard-working gentle giant who was ‘’first to the breakfast table and the last one at the dinner table,’’ said Bob Hogue, a family friend who gave a eulogy. Bohrnsen often worked as a hunting guide for Hogue’s Big M outfitters in Philipsburg.
Bohrnsen was a ‘’hunting guide unsurpassed,’’ Hogue said, and was also the ‘’first one to arrive at work and the last one to leave.’’
Although he was young, Hogue said, Bohrnsen knew his way around the mountains and, more importantly, where to find elk.
His death, Hogue said, hasn’t just touched the lives of everyone in and around Philipsburg, it has rippled out to far-flung places like Maryland and New York, where hunting clients mourn Bohrnsen’s big heart and savvy outdoor skills.
E-mails from Bohrnsen’s comrades in Iraq with the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, said his good humor and work ethic is missed there, too; they miss ‘’that huge guy from first squad,’’ who they nicknamed ‘’Big Country,’’ ‘’Mr. Bronze’’ and ‘’Spitfire.’’
Despite his brawn, Bohrnsen had a nurturing quality and playful side that awed younger children and drew them into his sphere.
Hogue’s son, Ladd, looked up to Bohrnsen like a big brother and called him his mentor. Bohrnsen’s humor, which could be raucous and sometimes unruly, could also be endearing.
By way of example, Hogue told a story about a day when he, Ladd and Bohrnsen had a contest to see who had the best elk bugle.
Hogue gave it his best try, and so did Ladd. When it was Bohrnsen’s turn, the young hunting guide turned to them with a mischievous smile and said, ‘’This is my best, here it goes: ‘Come here elky, elky.’ ‘’ As was intended, everyone in the contest and in the audience on Sunday fell into laughter.
After a sermon and the Lord’s Prayer, Maj. Gen. Randy Mosley of the Montana National Guard stood before Bohrnsen’s casket and presented to his parents their soldier’s final medals.
For exemplary behavior, Bohrnsen earned the Good Conduct Medal; for wounds received in action, the Purple Heart; and for meritorious service, the Bronze Star.
When an honor guard finished folding the American flag that draped the casket, Mosley got on his knees and humbly offered it to Bohrnsen’s mother, Lisa.
‘’I present this flag to you in honor and recognition for the sacrifice of your son,’’ he said.
Grief hung thick in the air for a moment, until the stillness was broken when the family stood and was escorted outside for a private ceremony in which their loved one was given a 21-gun salute and a lone bugler played ‘’Taps.’’
Under the gray sky, a light breeze waved and snapped long rows of tiny American flags that lined the school’s walkways.
On each of the tiny flagpoles was attached a heartfelt message to Bohrnsen from Philipsburg’s elementary schoolchildren: ‘’Kyle is brave.’’
‘’Thank you so much.’’
‘’We will honor you.’’
‘’Just because we can’t see you, you’re still my hero.’’
‘’Kyle you’re our hero.’’
This is to remember just a few of the
FALLEN
BROTHERS
Charles Hartman
William Whetstone
Allyn Nichols
Lloyd Nichols Sr.
Leo Bombugar
Raymond Bombugar
Jack Strong
Walter Collins
Robert Schell
Donald Coffey
Boyd Orick
Ted Palmer
Thomas J. Watkins
Doug Jones
Gerald Mayfield
Kenneth Kingrey
Elwyn (Chip) Nephew
Bruce Mason
Lawrence Anderson
Cary Johnson
Kyle Bohrnsen
There are many more that I am sure you can remember.
Please REMEMBER ALL of them,
Past, Present, and Future.
I petitioned the County Commissioners
here in my
home town to try
to get them to fly a POW/MIA
Flag
year round at the CourtHouse.
They
approved my request
and on Sept. 8, 1999
the
Flag was raised.
It flies with Honor and
Dignity
right below the American Flag
as a
reminder to all of us
why we are FREE.
Please
take a few minutes
to remember these men and women
every day,
And to Thank them for the
sacrifice
they made for us all.
In today's paper (January 10, 2004) they have identified the remains of two more MIA's from the war. I hope someday they can bring them all home.
I would like to give a very special
THANK YOU
to EscapeToDixie.
Without his help, patience, and understanding
this page would never have been done.
WELCOME HOME BRO !!
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