COCHRAN, ISOM CARTER JR.

Name:  Isom Carter Cochran, Jr.
Rank/Branch: E3/US Army
Unit: B Battery, 3rd Btn, 6th Artillery 52nd Artillery Group, 1st Field Force
Date of Birth: 03 April 1947
Home City of Record: Houston TX
Date of Loss: 23 May 1968
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 141246N 1074618E
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 4
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: Ground
Other Personnel In Incident: none missing
Refno: 1190

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 2020.

REMARKS:

SYNOPSIS:  Rifleman Cochran was making a river crossing in the Pleiku area
of South Vietnam with two individuals.  He slipped and went under twice and
was last seen 125 meters downriver from the crossing point.  The other
individuals tried to rescue him, but could not due to the bad river
conditions.

Air and ground searches were made for an extended distance down the river
without results.  The following day a ground search was made still further
down the river, but still no trace of Cochran could be found.

Cochran is one of nearly 2500 Americans who remain unaccounted for from the
Vietnam War.  Cochran's case seems clear.  For hundreds of others, however,
it is not possible to draw a clear conclusion.  Scores were alive and well
when last seen.  Some reported their imminent capture by radio to search
teams. Some were photographed as captives and never were released.

Mounting evidence received has convinced many experts that hundreds of
Americans are still alive in jungle camps and prisons of Southeast Asia, yet
the U.S. seems unable or unwilling to do what it takes to bring them home.

PFC Cochran died from misadventure, a cruelly ironic accident.  Those still
alive, as they die, will succumb to calculated abandonment by the country
they proudly served.

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01/2020

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000KZuYEAW

PFC ISOM CARTER COCHRAN JR.

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Private First Class (PFC) Isom Carter Cochran Jr., who joined the U.S. Army from Texas, served with Battery B, 3rd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment, 52nd Artillery Group, I Field Force. On May 23, 1968, PFC Cochran was making a river crossing with two other soldiers in the vicinity of (GC) YA 991 729 in South Vietnam when he slipped under the surface of the water. The swift current carried him rapidly away from the other two soldiers, who attempted to come to his rescue but were unsuccessful. Aerial and ground searches were conducted for two days, but no sign was found of PFC Cochran. Today, Private First Class Cochran is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. 

Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual's case to be in the analytical category of Non-recoverable.

If you are a family member of this serviceman, DPAA can provide you with additional information and analysis of your case. Please contact your casualty office representative.

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