THE STORY
The Phantom, used by Air Force, Marine and Navy air wings, served a multitude of functions including fighter-bomber and interceptor
photo and electronic surveillance. The two man aircraft was extremely fast (Mach 2), and
had a long range (900 - 2300 miles, depending on stores and mission type). The F4 was also extremely maneuverable and handled well at low and high altitudes.
The F4 was selected for a number of state-of-the-art electronics conversions,which improved radar intercept and computer bombing capabilities enormously.
Most pilots considered it one of the "hottest" planes around.
Capt. John T. West and 1Lt. Ronnie G. Lindstrom were co-pilots of an F4D
Phantom which departed as second aircraft in a flight of two from Ubon Airfield
on January 2, 1970 on an operational mission over Laos.
As the aircraft were near the Sepone River in Savannakhet Province, about 10 miles from the border of South Vietnam, West and Lindstrom's aircraft was seen to crash. The flight leader saw the aircraft descend and saw the wreckage on the ground, but observed no parachutes. No emergency radio beeper signals were heard to indicate that West and Lindstrom safely ejected from the aircraft.
West and Lindstrom became two of nearly 600 Americans who disappeared in Laos during the Vietnam War. Although Pathet Lao leaders stressed that they held "tens of tens" of American prisoners, they stated that those captured in Laos would be released in Laos, hoping to gain a seat at the negotiating table in Paris where the U.S. and Vietnam were negotiating an end to the war. The U.S. did not include Laos in the Paris Peace Accords, and no American held in Laos was ever released. In America's haste to leave Southeast Asia, it abandoned some of its finest men. Since the end of the war, thousands of reports have been received indicating that hundreds of Americans are still held captive.
In seeming disregard for the Americans either held or having been murdered by the Pathet Lao, by 1989 the U.S. and the Lao had devised a working plan to provide Laos with humanitarian and economic aid leading toward ultimate full diplomatic and trade relations while Laos allows the excavation of military crash sites at sporadic intervals. In America's haste to return to Southeast Asia, we are again abandoning our men.
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All Biographical and loss information
on POWs provided by
Operation Just Cause
have been supplied by Chuck and Mary Schantag
of P.O.W. Network
Please check with P.O.W. Network regularly for updates.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
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As a teen the Vietnam war touched my life in a very direct way. It was my first experience in dealing with the death of my peers. It was the boys in my high school class that were being drafted and sent to fight this war. It was my friends and class-mates that were coming home in body bags.
All in all I guess we were the lucky ones though, at least the family and friends of these brave men had a sense of closure. We were able to hold a funeral and grieve in the normal way. For the families and friends of the POW/MIA's there is no closure, only wondering and waiting.
Children growing up, starting school, going on first dates, graduating, getting married and starting families all without their missing parent there.
This began when I was a teenager and now I'm a grandmother. My heart aches for the wives left widows and the children who grew up without a dad but most of all for the children who will never know their grandparent except from the picture on the wall or the stories told by family members.
BRING GRANDPA HOME
Index of Children of Vietnam Vets
Ronnie G. Lindstrom was from my hometown.
In the future I hope to be able to meet with his family and perhaps get a photo of this brave man to share with you.
On 07/12/98 I visited the
Northland Vietnam Veterans Memorial
In Duluth, MN.
I took pictures which I hope to get up here
soon and also a rubbing of Ronnie's name.
I have called every Lindstrom in the
Duluth phone book with no results.
BUT everyone I talked to,
although not related to Ronnie,
wished me well on my quest.
Now it's time to put plan "B" into action.
As I am doing the research on this POW/MIA I intend to be writing letters to those people I have helped to elect to represent me in Washington.
Won't you write a letter too, and ask that this country take responsibility for finding these men and women we abandoned so long ago?
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Click below for this information
Operation: Just Cause
Write to your elected officials
Executive Office of the President
House of Representatives E-Mail by State
GOP Post Office
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Related links
LadyBre
O J C POW/MIA page list
Liberty and Justice for All
Minnesota's MIA's - Our American Hero's
Bring 1Lt. Frances Setterquist Home
National Alliance of Families Home Page
P.O.W. Network
The Meadow Years
Minniesoda's POW page
Remember my POW/MIA
My Adopted MIA-Denis Leon Anderson
My Adopted MIA-Michael Leo Donovan
difficult2 's Home Page
Sissy's POW/MIA page
Dixie's pow/mia page
Missing In Action
~Meet my MIA Kenneth Backus~
TRIBUTE TO MAJOR JOHN LEONARD CARROLL
John Henry Ralph Brooks
The Wisconsin's Veteran's View
Women POW/MIA's
Bit's Adopted POW-MIA
Home Is Where The Heart Is
Are You Aware That There Are Still POW/MIA's ...
Catz'POW-MIA Page
American's Vietnam War Veteran's Pow/Mia's ~My Hero
MemorialGarden\pow
Bring Them Home!
My adopted MIA/POW
Donna & Rick's POW/MIA
Yellowrose's Homepage!
Deb's Eagle
Littledov's POW/MIA
In Honor of Patrick R. Curran
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Veteran/Military Web Sites
Welcome to the U.S. Army Homepage
Air Force Link - Official Web Site
U.S. Navy: Welcome Aboard
MarineLINK
The National Guard
Military Mail / Friends of Our Troops
MCO OffDuty Club
Handbook for Military Families
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Slane's World POW/MIA Page
If you are making a POW/MIA page, Slane
is offering great graphics and also will
personalize a bracelet for you.
On 06/15/98 I found this in my mail.
I was so amazed that someone
saw this page and then took the
time to write that I wanted to
share it with everyone.
I hope one day to be able to
give this letter to a family member
or friend of Ronnie's
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(Placed here with permission of the author)
My name is Jim Dozier Adams. I was an F-4D Aircraft Commander with the 25th TFS at Ubon from June 1969 - Jan 1970. I knew and flew with Ronnie Lindstrom, although I didn't get to know him well since my impending departure resulted in a reduced flying schedule. My point in writing is in part to confirm that there are still a few who recognize Ronnie's name; but more importantly, to try to get the word to any family members that he was good - he knew his job, he rapidly mastered the
intricacies of the LORAN system on the 25th's Phantoms. Those of us who had been there a while were often paired for a while with a newer crewmember, hence my flying with Ronnie - he didn't take long to "break in" - he was sharp!
The point of most of the above is to help remove any lingering doubts that the loss of his aircraft was due to any inadequacy on his part, or any failure to fulfil his duties in an exemplary fashion. Whatever happened, it happened in spite of Ronnie's best efforts - not because he missed anything.
I don't know that a note nearly 30 years later is much help, but here it is anyway.
May our Lord Jesus Christ give you peace.
Jim Dozier Adams
former Captain, USAF
25 TFS, Ubon RTAFB
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My husband served in the United States Navy
during the Vietnam Era and he is the same age as
Ronnie Lindstrom.
Thank God he came home
Now let's bring the rest of them home too
The music that is playing is TAPS.
Lyrics:
DAY IS DONE....GONE THE SUN....FROM THE LAKES .....FROM THE HILLS.... FROM THE SKY
(Let's not let the sun set again without doing something to bring the POW/MIA's home)
ALL IS WELL.... SAFELY REST......
(None of the POW/MIA's will safely rest until they rest on American soil)
GOD IS NIGH
(God is near, and only he knows why the American government has chosen to forsake these brave people)
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