MACV-SOG MIA/KIA Chronological
List
1967
22 Jan 67- Rowland E. Gibson,
SSG E-6, USASF, C&C, Spike Team IN-KIA
03 Feb 67, Casimir Niespodziany,
1LT 0-2, USASF, KIA-RR, MACV-SOG Ops 35
07 Feb 67, George K Sisler,
lLt 0-2, Dexter MO, USASF, FOB 2 Kontum, Ops 35, MACV
SOG, KIA-RR (Medal of Honor Winner) Exploitation Force
PIt Ldr; also James H Duncan, SFC E-7,
USASF, KIA has been indicated as being on the mission
with George K. Sisler who was KIA on same date (?)
(Exploitation Force Plt Ldr, when his EF was hit on
3 sides by a Company size element. Lt Sisler distinguished
himself by exposing himself repeatedly while rescuing
his wounded men and killing the enemy in the process.
When the Plt came under an extremely heavy attack,
he picked up grenades and charged the enemy single
handedly, firing his weapon and throwing hand grenades,
which broke the enemy’s assault, compelling the enemy
to withdraw. He continued to move about the battlefield
directing fire. Sisler stood to direct gun ships when
a sniper’s round cut him down. He died there. George
Sisler was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.
21 Feb 67, Domingo R. S. Borja,
SFC E-7, USASF, MACV-SOG, Ops 35, KIA-RR
06 Mar 67, Howard B Carpenter,,
SGT E-5, Youngstown, OH, USASF, MACV-SOG, Ops 35 along
with an unknown named and number of other members
of a Hatchet Force of SF Det B-5O, Project
"Omega," FOB-2, Ops-35 all KIA-bodies not
recovered (On operation in the Tri Border area, his
HF Company came under hostile fire. SGT Carpenter
left the safety of his defensive position to recover
wounded team members. He immediately came into contact
with 3 enemy soldiers where he killed two of them
then his weapon jammed and he was shot killing him
instantly. Because of the adverse situation caused
by continued enemy attacks and the other wounded,
the Hatchet Force Company had to leave the dead behind)
23 Mar 67 Paul A Conroy, Jr,
SFC E-7, USASF, C&C Det, Kham Duc, Nung Camp,
Ops 35, KIA-RR (Killed when a white phosphorus grenade
exploded in his hand during a training exercise).
25 Mar 67 Richard Legate,
Cpt 0-3, and Albert C Files, Jr, SGT
E-S, USASF, Spike Team, FOB 2 Kontum, Ops 35, KIA-RR
(Cpt Legate was hit by an enemy round, which severed
his femoral artery causing him to lose a large amount
of blood. Legate became unconsciousness and died.
SGT Files also died during the fire fight).
31 Mar 67 Robert L Baldwin,
Maj 04, US Air Force, UH-1 Helicopter pilot, KIA-RR
(His helicopter was lowering ammunition to an Omega
Recon Team when he was hit in the chest by a 12.7
mm enemy round. The Co-pilot [new and inexperienced]
was stunned, sat frozen and unable to react causing
the aircraft to crash]
03 May 67 James P Meade, Jr,
WO, UH-IH Pilot, Ops 32 (Air Studies Branch) KIA RR
as a result of SOG operations.
03-04 Jun 67 Ronald James Dexter
SFC E-7, Abilene, TX; Billy Ray Laney,
SFC E-7, Green Acres City, FL
- US Army Special Forces and an unknown number
of SCU Hatchet Force, FOB 1, Phu Bai, Ops
35; and Stephen P. Hanson, Cpt 03, Pilot,
Restful Lake, OH; John 0. Gardner, 1LT
0-3, CO-Pilot, Restful Lake, OH; and Timothy
R. Bodden, SGT E-5, Crew Chief, Downer Grove,
ILL- Members of The United States Marines Corps Aviation,
HNMI65, CH46 Helicopter Crew "Shark Three"
Khe Sahn Launch Site, FOB 1, Ops 32 were MIA-Presumptive
finding of death. (A total of 23 Americans were
lost; SOG raiders, Air Force and Marine Pilots and
crewman--plus twice as many Nungs). A company
size hatchet force raid, commanded by Maj Jerry Kilburn,
operating in Oscar 8 target area, 18-22 KM SE of Khe
Sanh, at an azimuth of 220 degrees, and near Route
#922, which contained the largest depot outside of
Hanoi, well defended with belts of antiaircraft guns.
The Hatchet Force (HF) arrived at Khe Sanh, remained
overnight at the Launch Site, and inserted early in
the morning. The terrain favored the enemy and the
area was within a horseshoe type land mass. Several
hundred SPAR (Special Agent Reports) had been intercepted
from the target area within a 24 hour period. These
radio transmissions were originated by the NVA and
were possibly associated with the Commanding General
of their Army Nuyen Van Gaip. At 0545, SGM
Billy William D. "Billy" Waugh boarded an
0-2 aircraft to fly FAC as the Covey Rider, flying
toward the target, staying in the "Gray Forrest"
area along Route #222. At about 0630, the FAC observed
the Condensation Trails of nine (9) B-52's. The FAC
performed 360's as the B-52 dropped their load, FAC
flew over the target area, noticed several secondary
fires, and actually watched as the NVA rolled what
appeared to be-barrels of gasoline from one of the
burning areas. The NVA were swarming, and immediately
took the FAC aircraft under fire with what was probably
a set of 12.7 AA guns. The FAC "hauled ass"
away from the area, and sent a transmission to "scratch
the infil, as the area was crawling with pissed-off
NVA." Too late, the transmission did not make
it in time. Due to the high hill range, just to the
North of the LZ, transmissions to the launch site
were not completed. The raid began with an Arc Light,
and as soon as the Arc Light was over, the raider
company arrived with the mission to conduct a BDA
of the arc light bombing, capture any WIA NVA, and
capture any NVA equipment in the area. The very first
Marine HUEY Gun ship across the intended LZ and was
shot down to the south of the LZ. The first CH-47
(Chinook) with troops, was noticed landing just to
the North of the intended LZ, this bird was shot down
as it lowered to the LZ and broke into two pieces
on impact. A second Chinook attempted landing, and
was also shot down, An H-34 (SOG rescue bird) came
into the area, to infiltrate troops, and was shot
down, landing to the South of Route "922. The
crew were seen fleeing from this bird, to the West
(Subsequently rescued). The approximate 100 SOG men
that were inserted were surrounded and had taken cover
in a few bomb craters. SFC Laney was last seen by
SFC Wilklow, wounded in the back after boarding the
a helicopter, the aircraft was hit by enemy fire,
then the pilot was shot, and it veered out of control
and crashed. After the aircraft crashed, it continued
to receive heavy fire, however, many of the personnel
were rescued. SFC Laney was last seen still in the
helicopter chest shot and probably dead. Due to the
enemy situation, he was not recovered and a later
search produced negative results . Two A-1E’s came
into the area, firing their guns, dropping napalm
as requested by the Team Leader. One of the A-1E’s
was shot through by a hail of green tracers, and rolled
over-crashing without a parachute. The 2nd
A-1E was shot almost to pieces, but the fine pilot
managed to land that bird at the Khe Sanh airstrip
(a hell of a feat). Two F-4's were performing close
air support, with one being blasted right in his forward
portion, causing that bird to crash. All this occurred
within 30 minutes of the insert. During the initial
day of insert, rescue attempts were made to recover
the WIA. Early morning of the second day, the remainder
of the Hatchet Force members were picked up. The NVA
were silent that day, as it appeared the NVA were
encouraging an exfiltration due to the 30-50 airstrikes
they had endured. SFC Dexter was last seen exiting
a downed CH-46 helicopter and taken as a Prisoner
of War, but never reached North Vietnam alive. A report
obtained from a captured Nung Commando who was later
released tells of Cpt Hanson, Lt Gardner, and Sgt
Bodden being executed by the North Vietnamese Soldiers.
Of the six Americans MIAs, only USMC Lance Corporal
Frank E. Cius, Jr. was confirmed by Hanoi. After Cius’s
release in 1973, he told Dexter’s brother that Ronald
Dexter had been captured but died in enemy hands.
Note: SFC Charles Wilklow was wounded and in enemy
hands. The enemy used him as bait to try and bring
in aircraft to rescue him. The enemy tended to ignore
him, thinking he was no risk due to his condition.
He had observed NVA in formations, giving orders,
etc., expecting to die any minute. After the 4th
day with maggots in his open wound, barely clinging
to life, he somehow managed to crawl away during the
night. Around mid day, the following day a FAC flew
overhead and SGM Waugh observed a body with a panel
over it and when the FAC made a second pass, the body
sat up and SGM Waugh recognized it was an American.
When Wilklow came to, he was looking into the face
of SSG Roy Pace, a Black American, who had performed
a one man bright light by repelling in to rescue him.
Wilklow was wearing a STABO rig and was extracted
by string.
15 Jun 67- Ben D. Snowden,
SFC E-7 (MSG E-8?), USASF, B-56-KIA-RR and One
unknown A-1 Skyraider
pilot-MIA-Presumptive finding of Death. Snowden,
a passenger in a CH-34 Kingbee attempting to rescue
recon team that technically belonged to project Omega
consisting of two Americans and four Nungs who were
surrounded by an enemy force. The enemy had the team
surrounded, but was not interested in destroying them.
The team was bait to draw in a helicopter. Due to
the steep slopes, the helicopter required a passenger
to help load the team. Just as the team leader lifted
one of his Nungs up to the helicopter, a massive volume
of fire erupted from a fixed, hidden machine gun hitting
the aircraft. The helicopter groggily rocked and lifted
away somehow making it back to SOG’s Dak To launch
site, riddled with sixty-eight bullet holes, its engine
out, it slammed into a ditch. Snowden had been hit
by nine times and had died. The A-1 was a propeller
driven aircraft, but saved the day for the team, it
received the exact heading to the hidden machine gun
from the team, rolled in, banked above the team and
executed a bombing run, dropping a shiny canister
that spun end over end just above the team, spewing
jellied gasoline into the small cave mouth which provided
cover for the machine gun, the napalm flashed eliminating
the machine gun allowing the team to be rescued. When
the A-1 was pulling away from the bomb run, it continued
taking fire until it belched smoke, nose up, with
the pilot ejecting and the canopy fall away with the
parachute drifting into the NVA positions. The team
was rescued by the same pilot who piloted the helicopter
that was shot up, who insisted on flying the rescue
mission because he knew the terrain.
03 Jul 67 Leo Earl Seymour,
SGT E5, Towanda, Penn, USASF Spike Team Leader of
ST Texas, FOB 1, Phu Bai, Ops 35 Recon patrol in Laos
MIA-Presumptive finding of death. (SGT Seymour called
in two air strikes on a discovered Viet Cong position.
After the air strikes, the team was directed to make
a Bomb Damage Assessment [BDA] but decided to set
up an ambush on a trail junction 11 miles inside of
Laos northwest of Ben Het in the Dale Xow River Valley.
Before the ambush location could be completed, two
large hostile columns converged and noticed a propaganda
poster tacked to a tree that had not been there before
and began a search of the area, spotting the forward
security element of the team which opened fire on
the hostile force and the team came under heavy enemy
fire. The team retreated to a defensive position,
and again came under enemy fire. The team conducted
an E&E maneuver. No one saw Sgt Seymour after
the defensive position came under attack. No search
was made due to the heavy enemy activity in the area).
12 Jul 67 Samuel Almendariz,
SFC 3-7, McAllen, TX and Robert Jospeh Sullivan,
SFC E-7, East Almstead, NH, USASF Spike Team Members,
FOB 1, Phu Bai, Ops 35 Recon mission of Savanakhet
Province, Laos KIA-Remains Not Recovered. (The team
came under an attack that lasted for four hours with
a superior force. The only surviving American reported
that both SFC Almendariz and SFC Sullivan had been
mortally wounded. The team was ambushed, not by men
firing weapons, but NVA who leaped out of nowhere.
One NVA wrestled Sullivan's weapon from him, then
shot him dead, spun around and shot SFC Harry Brown
through the shoulder, as another NVA shot Almendaiz
dead. Brown and half the team broke away and ran and
was able to get a radio message off. During the rescue
of Brown and the remainder of the team, a single Kingbee
flown by Cowboy with MSG Charles Minnick without fire
support and a shot up aircraft (The bird had been
shot up on the first attempt, returned to Khe Sanh
for refueling. A search conducted on 16 July of the
area. No remains were located), Cowboy was shot through
the neck, but somehow, he flew the Kingbee with one
hand and slowed the bleeding with the other while
Minnick dragged the wounded aboard. A search team
was inserted on Jul 16, but was unsuccessful in locating
either Americans. NOTE: The legendary "Bill Waugh"
felt Cowboy's valor should have won him the Medal
of Honor. [See pg 105-106 SOG A Photo History of the
Secret Wars by John Plaster]
03 Aug 67- Arthur H. Green,
1LT 0-2, USASF, B-56-KIA
23 Aug 67 Derex Williams Jr.,
Cpt 03, US Air Force, Pilot, "Covey," 2Oth
Tac Air Support, Da Nang Air Base, Ops 32 KIA-RR when
his aircraft crashed at the Khe Sahn airstrip after
returning from visual recon mission in Laos.
08 Sep 67- Albert F. Sayer,
Jr., CPT 0-3, USAF, FAC, C&C-KIA
09 Sep 67- William E. Lawson,
SFC E-7, USASF, FOB-1, Spike Team MI, Assistant Team
Leader-KIA
11 Oct 67- Glen Locklear,
MSG E-8, USASF, FOB-1, Plt Ldr-KIA
Ol Nov 67 Frank Ray Noe,
SFC E-7, of Kerman, CA who moved to Hot Springs, Arkansas
at age of 15, enlisted in US Navy at the age of 17;
after four years enlisted in the US Army and joined
the Special Forces. According to official military
notification of death records to family, Noe was KIA
in South Viet Nam as a member of Special Forces Detachment
A-502 but after release of secret military documents
it was discovered he was KIA-RR on a recon mission
in Laos along with Don Albert Hawkins,
SGT E-5, and David A. Woods who was
killed the following day, all of whom were serving
as Spike Team Members, FOB 1, Phu Bai, Ops 35 (The
team discovered a gray, enemy communications wire
and were directed to place a "Tap" on it.
However, due to heavy enemy activity in the area,
the team decided to "cut" the wire. The
enemy sent out an element to check the wire and discovered
the team resulting in a fierce fire fight. SFC Noe
and SGT Hawkins were killed on 1 Nov and SFC Woods
was killed on 2 Nov. A SGT Brown was wounded in the
shoulder and managed to escape and was rescued). See
individual memorial this site
01 Nov 67- Ferdinand J. Quatrone,
SFC E-7, USASF, KIA Unit unidentified
02 Nov 67 David Alexander Woods,
SFC E-7, KIA-RR, was a member of the same Spike Team
with Noe and Hawkins who were KIA the day before.
09 Nov 67 Bruce Raymond Baxter,
MSG E-8, Lowell, Mass, Spike Team Leader; Jospeh
George Kusick, SGT E-5, Bruin, Penn, Spike
Team Radio Operator; USASF FOB 1, Phu Bal, Ops 35
and Six Indigenous Team Members; operating
behind enemy lines in Laos along with John William
Armstrong, LTC 05, Dallas, TX, Ralph
Wayne Brower, Cpt 03, Stow, OH, Eugene
Lunsford Clay, SSG E-5, and Larry Wayne
Maysey, SGT E-5, Chester, NJ members of US
Air Force, HH3, Jolly Green 26, 37th Aerospace Rescue
and Recovery Squadron, Da Nang Air Base, Ops 32/80
All were KIA-Remains Not Recovered. (Chip
Fleming, aks: Allen F., Jr. writes: I was with RT
Utah during this operation. A SGT {name ?} and I were
on our first Spike Team mission after graduating from
training in Kham Duc when the team was hit by a reinforced
company (we though at the time) while in our RON site.
The SGT, me and 3 to 5 indig(?) got out on the first
chopper during a night extraction-most of us were
wounded. The others team members were KIA when their
chopper was either shot down or damaged during the
extraction. Air Force guys from NKP were also shot
down later while trying to extract the remainder of
the team in their Jolly Greens and possibly one Air
Force Pilot won the MOH [Cpt Gerald O. Young, USAF
won the Medal Of Honor that day for his extraordinary
heroism, aggressiveness, and concern for his fellow
man]. The first extraction was by Jolly Green 29 before
being driven off by enemy fire. Jolly Green 26 (came
in about 20 minutes later and picked up MSG Baxter
and SGT Kusick, while lifting off was hit by automatic
weapons fire and crashed. A recover team was inserted,
found three charred remains, two had ID tags and were
identified as members of the aircrew. The 3rd
had no tag, but was identified as SGT Kusick, radio
operator as the AN/PRC 25 radio antenna was found
with these remains. Another set of remains were located
away from the down chopper and identified as a member
of the recon element. However, due to adverse weather
conditions and enemy activity, the remains could not
be recovered ).
10 Nov 67 Michael A. Hoglund,
SGT E-5, USASF, FOB 2, Kontum, Radio Operator, Project
Omega (13-50), Killed by SFC Allen, a friend, in an
argument over a female. (Shot with a 9mm pistol through
a screened window of the Project Omega Bldg, FOB2.
Due to the secrecy of SOG, the killer, SFC Allen was
fined a carton of cigarettes and reassigned from SOG
suffering no further punishment). {Filed by Don Martin,
SOA, * I was present at FOB-2 that evening, along
with several of my fellow aviators, crew chiefs, door
gunners. However, we were asleep at the time of the
incident as I recall. We were told the story by SF
personnel the next day. As I remember it, two SF NCOs,
nicknamed "Snake" and "Squirrel" told us what happened,
filling in some of the details over a period of days
and nights, with the latter spent around a small campfire
while drinking beer and thinking about what perils
awaited us on the next mission to Laos or Cambodia.
I must add that it now seems, after reading your web
page, that the stories we heard were probably embellished
quite a bit. What I heard made it sound at the time
like a gun duel in old Laredo, or the gunfight at
the O. K. corral. Also, we originally heard (and I
don't recall hearing anything different back in 1968)
that the argument was over a card game, versus a woman,
with lots of drinking and accusations of cheating
(at cards) involved. I just remember it was quite
a story at the time, but never really knew if any
of what I heard was factual or not}.
15 Dec 67 Dan Wagner, Jr.
SFC E-7, USASF, FOB 2, Kontum, Tm Ldr, RT Nevada,
KIA-RR. (See Kedenburg, KIA
13 Jun 68)
16 Dec 67 Austin R. Von Kieist,
SFC E-7, USASF, FOB I Phu Bai, Ops 35 KIA-RR.
21 DEC 67 Lee D. Scurlock, Jr.,
SSG E-6, Restful Lake, OH, USASF, FOB 1, Phu Bal,
Ops 35, Recon Team operating
in Laos, MIA-Presumptive finding of death. (SSG Scurlock
was a member of a team operating 18 miles west of
Vietnam, on the Laotian-Cambodian boundary of the
tri-border region, which had come under heavy enemy
fire from the front and rear, rescue could not be
made by landing due to adverse terrain conditions;
thus, a rope ladder was deployed by the 119th
Aviation Company (Gator 376). As the last man to be
rescued, SSG Scurlock began to climb the ladder, after
the 3rd rung on the 1st attempt,
lost his grip, removed his rucksack and radio then
began to climb slowly, appearing weak and possibly
wounded, encouraged by the door gunner he climbed
to almost to the point of reaching outstretched hands
to give him help, he fell off the ladder fifty feet
to the ground, landed on his neck and head, rolled
down the hillside and was stopped by a small tree..
It is reported Scurlock was thrown from the ladder
when the aircraft’s windshield exploded because of
enemy fire causing the pilot to jerk the aircraft.
Heavy enemy activity precluded recovery and a later
search of the area did not find SSG Scurlock).
29 Dec 67- Donald E. Fisher,
LTC 05, Navigator, of Halfway, Org; Charles
Peter Claxton, Pilot, MAJ 04, of Chicago,
ILL; Edwin Neims Osborne, Jr., Aircraft
Commander, CPT 03 of Ralford, FL; Frank C.
Parker,III, Electronic Warfare Officer, CPT
03 of Bridgeport, Penn; Gerald Gordon Van Buren,
Pilot, CPT 03 of Toledo, OH; Gordon J. Wenaas,
Navigator, CPT 03 of Mayville, ND; Jack McCrary,
Flight Engineer, SSG E-5 of Madison, Tenn;
Gean Preston Clapper, Radio Operator, SGT
E-5 of Altoona, Penn; Edward Jospeh Darcy,
Loadmaster, SGT E-5 of Portlandm Org; Wayne
Allen Eckley, Flight Engineer, SGT E-5 of
Enterprise, Org; and James R. Williams,
Loadmaster, SGT E of Charlotte, NC all USAF, Air Crew,
C- 130, "Combat Talon", l4th Special Operations Wing,
US AIR FORCE, Ops 32/75, Nha Trang-Performing aerial
resupply mission for Project Oodles phantom team over
North Vietnam they never returned MIA-Remains not
recovered. [See page 85, SOG A Photo History of the
Secret Wars, by John Plaster]
