DE SOTO, ERNEST LEO
Name: Ernest Leo De Soto
Rank/Branch: O4/US Air Force
Unit:
Date of Birth: 30 December 1931
Home City of Record: Manning AR
Date of Loss: 12 April 1969
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 152820N 1073715E
Status (in 1973): Missing In Action
Category: 3
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: F4D
Refno: 1423
Other Personnel In Incident: Frederick M. Hall (missing)
Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 01 April 1991 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 2023.
REMARKS: DISAP IN CLOUD BANK
SYNOPSIS: 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. Most pilots considered it one of the "hottest" planes
around.
Maj. Ernest L. DeSoto was the pilot and 1Lt. Frederick M. Hall the navigator
and systems operator of an F4D sent on a combat mission on April 12, 1969.
DeSoto's aircraft was one in a flight of three which departed Da Nang
airbase for a bombing mission in an unstated area.
During the mission, other pilots report that DeSoto and Hall's aircraft
disappeared into a cloud bank, and was not seen again. The last location
logged for the aircraft was in Quang Nam Province, South Vietnam, a few
miles north of the tri-border area of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
Three weeks later, an aviator who had been recommended for the Congressional
Medal of Honor was put on report. It had been decided it would be "unwise"
to award the Medal because it might remind the Vietnamese that American
troops were active near the DMZ and upset the Paris peace talks.
The Paris Peace talks, finally culminating in peace accords in 1973,
signaled the end of U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia. One of the
stipulations agreed to by Vietnam was the return all Prisoners of War and
the fullest possible accounting of the missing. However, known prisoners of
war did not return, nor did several known to have died in captivity. Precise
locations of crash sites were known in many cases, but access to them was
denied.
DeSoto and Hall are among nearly 2500 Americans who were lost in Southeast
Asia and never returned. Reports continue to mount that some of them are
alive, being held prisoner. Contrary to policy statements, the return of
these men does not seem to be a high priority of the U.S. Government.
Americans like Hall and DeSoto went to Vietnam prepared to be wounded or
taken prisoner, even prepared to die. They did not go prepared to be
abandoned. They must be brought home.
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| April 8, 2023 | |||
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Pilot Accounted For From
Vietnam War (De Soto, E.)
The Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Air
Force Major Ernest L. De Soto, 37, killed during the
Vietnam War, ...
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From:
DPAA NCR OC Mailbox Public Affairs <dpaa.ncr.oc.mbx.public-affairs@mail.mil>
Greetings, Colonel De Soto was accounted for in March, but his family only recently received their full briefing on his identification, which is why this release is going out now. June 23, 2023 On April 12, 1969, Lt. Col. De Soto was the pilot of a F-4D Phantom II assigned to 390th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 336th Tactical Fighter Wing. De Soto, his navigator Captain Hall and another aircraft were returning from a cancelled strike mission near Quang Nam Province, Vietnam when both aircraft ascended into heavy cloud cover. The lead aircraft noticed De Soto’s plane was not in sight and immediately began an aerial search without success. De Soto was promoted to Colonel while in a missing status. A search and rescue airborne mission were deployed and located De Soto’s crash site, there were no signs of the crew; however due to the hostile activity in the area prevented a ground investigation of the site. In May 1995, a Joint Field Activity team located the crash site in the Giang District, Quang Nam Province and sent another joint team in July 1996 to recover evidence. A number of DPAA investigation and recovery efforts took place between 1998-2020, with a March 2021 recovery mission conducted by the host nation, finding possible osseous remains and material evidence. The remains were sent to the DPAA laboratory for identification. To identify De Soto’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR) and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis. De Soto’s name is recorded on the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., and the American Battle Monuments Commission’s Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with others who are unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for. De Soto will be buried in Burlingame, California on June 30, 2023. For family and funeral information, contact the Air Force Casualty Office at (800)-531-5803. DPAA is grateful to the government of Vietnam for their partnership in this mission. For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or https://www.linkedin.com/company/defense-pow-mia-accounting-agency. De Soto’s personnel profile can be viewed at https://dpaa-mil.sites.crmforce.mil/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000BTUhEAO. |
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If you are a family member of this service member, you may contact your casualty office representative to learn more about your service member.
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01/2020
https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000BTUhEAO
On April 12, 1969, an F-4D Phantom II (tail number 66-8766) took off as the wingman in a two-plane strike mission against targets near Da Nang, South Vietnam. During the mission, while flying through cloud cover, the Phantom crashed into a mountain ridge. Search and rescue efforts were launched, but there were no signs that either crew member survived the crash, and ground searches were prevented by heavy enemy presence in the area. Both men from the Phantom’s crew remain unaccounted-for.
Major Ernest Leo De Soto, who joined the U.S. Air Force from California, was a member of the 390th Tactical Fighter Squadron. He was the aircraft commander of the Phantom when it crashed on April 12, 1969, and he was lost in the incident, and his remains have not been recovered or identified. The Air Force posthumously promoted Major De Soto to the rank of colonel (Col). Today, Colonel De Soto 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 Active Pursuit.
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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