OFFICIAL STATUS: DEAD, BODY NOT RECOVERED

CASE SUMMARY: SEE ATTACHED

RATIONALE FOR SELECTION: Capt. Held ejected and parachuted safely. A rescue helicopter lowered a crew member to the downed parachute. He reported the harness appeared as if Capt. Held had been able to release successfully. No signs of injuries was found. No correlated reports of Capt. Held's possible death have been received since the incident date.

REFNO: 1131 20 Apr 76

(U) CASE SUMMARY

1. On 17 April 1968 Capt. John W. Held was scrambled from the Bien Hoa Air Base alert pad in an A37A aircraft at 1430 hours, (local time), to attack a target in the vicinity of Song Be, South Vietnam. Capt. Held and his wingman, Capt.. [blank] were joined in the target area by Capt. [blank], the Forward Air Controller (FAC). Having expended bombs and napalm on a road plow and an automatic weapons position, Capt. Held was approaching another weapons position target when his aircraft was hit by enemy ground fire. Directional control was lost and while using trim to fly the aircraft, Capt. Held was advised by his wingman, Capt.. [blank] to eject, as flames were coming from the engine compartment of his aircraft. Held was observed by his wingman and the FAC to eject successfully. Beeper signals were heard immediately. Both Capt. [blank] and Capt.. [blank] kept the parachute in sight until it landed in a dense bamboo thicket in the vicinity of grid coordinates (GC) YU 317 215.

2. Although an orbit of the area was maintained, neither the wingman nor the FAC observed Capt. Held after the parachute entered the jungle. About 25 minutes after the crash, a U.S. Army helicopter arrived and lowered a crewmember into the vicinity of the observed parachute. The helicopter hovered over the parachute area for about 30 minutes until the crewmember had searched about 100-200 meters in all directions. The parachute was suspended about 12 feet up in the trees, so the crewman was unable to reach the parachute to silence the emergency radio. The parachute did not appear to have been cut, but rather it appeared that the pilot had "punched out." Four fairly well-traveled trails lead leading from the spot under the parachute were searched without success. No articles of clothing or blood were found in the parachute area. After recovery of the crewman, the helicopter remained in the area for about five hours longer at tree top level, but failed to observe any signs of life. (Ref 2)

3. On the possibility that the pilot might be making his way back to the aircraft wreckage, a paramedic from an HH4-3F was lowered into the burned out area of the crash site. Due to the dense four to five feet high undergrowth, the paramedic could observe very little of the area so was extracted. (Ref 3)

4. On 18 April 1968 a rescue message communication indicated that one voice contact was heard, but that authentication was unsuccessful. The voice was believed to be that of a Vietnamese. (Ref 2)

5. A search of the parachute and crash sites was continued, despite heavy enemy activity and ground fire, until 1100 hours, 19 April 1968, when the emergency radio finally discontinued transmitting. (Ref 2)

6. ADO Comment - The hostile threat precluded visits to or investigation of the site. The Province Representative discussed the case with the Province Chief and details were given to the Two-Party Joint Military Commission. In April 1974 the Delegation to the Four-Party Joint Military Team asked the Communists (PRG) Delegation to cooperate and support a visit to the site by a U.S. search team. No permission was ever received for such a search.

7. Capt. Held is currently carried in the status of Dead, Body Not Recovered.

REFERENCES USED

1. MSG (U), Det 6, 38 ARRS, 181545Z Apr 68.

2. RPT (U), 3rd TFW, AF Form 484, w/statements, 22 Apr 68.