ECKLUND, ARTHUR GENE
Remains returned 07/14/99, ID 11/19/01

Name: Arthur Gene Ecklund
Rank/Branch: O2/US Army
Unit: 183rd Aviation Company, 223rd Aviation Battalion, 17th Aviation Group,
1st Aviation Brigade
Date of Birth: 05 May 1943 (Galesburg IL)
Home City of Record: Phoenix AZ
Date of Loss: 03 April 1969
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 115111N 1085848E (BP750005)
Status (in 1973): Missing In Action
Category: 4
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: O1G
Refno: 1422

Other Personnel in Incident: Perry H. Jefferson (missing)

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 01 July 1990 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 2008.

REMARKS:

SYNOPSIS: Arthur Gene Ecklund was born in Galesburg, Illinois and lived
there until he was ten years old when his family moved to Phoenix, Arizona.
He graduated from Central High School there and attended Phoenix College and
Arizona State University.

Artie entered the Army in September 1966 and took his basic training at Ft.
Bliss, Texas. He was chosen for Officers Candidate School and was
commissioned at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. He took helicopter training, then
attended fixed wing pilot training, and was deployed to Vietnam shortly
after.

On April 3, 1969, U.S. Army 1Lt. Arthur G. Ecklund and his U.S. Air Force
observer, Capt. Perry H. Jefferson, were flying a visual reconnaissance
mission out of Phan Rang airbase. They left the base at 0700 hours in an O1G
aircraft (serial #51-12078) and reported in by radio at 0730 hours giving
their location, destination and information concerning a convoy they were
going to check out. No further communication was heard, except for a signal
"beeper".

Extensive search efforts began at 0950 hours with all available aircraft,
and continued for three days without success. The aircraft is believed to
have occurred in an area occupied by enemy forces, thus preventing a ground
search.
 

On April 15, 1969, a Vietnamese source reported that he had been in contact
with a communist Montagnard who claimed the Viet Cong had shot down an
aircraft with two Americans in it, and the Americans had been wounded, but
were alive, and being held in captivity. He said the aircraft was shot down
between Phan Rang and Cam Ranh City. A later report indicated that two men
fitting the description of Ecklund and Jefferson were seen on a trail being
guarded by Viet Cong, and that they appeared to be in good health.

The U.S. Defense Department list Jefferson's loss coordinates near the
coastline of Vietnam, about 20 miles south of Cam Ranh, while Ecklund's loss
coordinates are listed about 10 miles southwest of Cam Ranh and about 15
miles northwest of those of Jefferson. Both men are listed as lost in Ninh
Thuan Province, South Vietnam.

The presence of the reports of captivity and the emergency radio "beeper"
lends weight to the fact that the two men were captured. There can be no
question that the Vietnamese know the fate of two men. As reports concerning
Americans still alive in Southeast Asia continue to flow in, it becomes
increasingly more important to find out what happened to the men we left
behind.

======================

Mr and Mrs Ecklund went to Washington in 1979 for their son's presumptive
finding of death hearing. They had little hope. An Army general had told
them
a year before that really 1,500 men missing were not enough to be concerned
about. The Ecklunds refused to hold a memorial service to mark his change of
status. They believed their son was alive then and they believe it today.
They
used to fly an American flag outside their house on national holidays. They
don't bother any more. (17)

===========================

Subject: Case 1422, 1LT Arthur G. Ecklund
From: SCRETARO
Sent: Saturday, November 18, 2000 7:42 AM

Mr & Mrs. Ecklund called.  Govt. presented them  with remains (jawbone &
teeth) that they say is their son. DNA of Mrs. Ecklund matches. Other
information does not match.  The Govt. representative's info stated that
the remains were found at the crash site. Ecklunds had a Govt. document
that stated he was alive on the ground.  Govt. didn't have this document
in their files. (DNA is not to be the sole or primary source of
identification).  They are very skeptical. Referred them to other family
members. Sam C.

Sam thanks for the heads-up.  The info below is what I came up with in my
assessment of 1LT Ecklund's case. Regards, Bill Bell.

ON 3 APRIL 1969, 1LT ARTHUR G. ECKLUND, PILOT, AND CAPT PERRY H.
JEFFERSON, OBSERVER WERE ONBOARD AN O1G (#51?12078) ON A VISUAL
RECONNAISSANCE MISSION IN SOUTH VIETNAM. THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED PHAN RANG
AB, SOUTH VIETNAM, AT 0655 HOURS AND AT 0738 HOURS THEY TRANSMITTED THAT
THEY WERE LOCATED AT GRID COORDINATES (GC) CN 094 973 AND WERE GOING TO
(GC) BP 810 110. THIS WAS THE LAST CONTACT ANYONE HAD WITH THE AIRCRAFT.
AN EXTENSIVE SEARCH AND RESCUE EFFORT BEGUN AT 0950 HOURS WITH ALL
AVAILABLE AIRCRAFT IN THE AREA. THIS EFFORT CONTINUED FOR THE NEXT THREE
DAYS, WITHOUT SUCCESS.  IN SEPTEMBER 1973, IN CONJUNCTION WITH AN
OPERATION IN MR II, JCRC CONDUCTED EXTENSIVE AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE OF,
AND SEARCH FOR GUIDES TO THIS AND OTHER SITES, WITHOUT SUCCESS.

THE LOSS IS BELIEVED TO HAVE OCCURRED IN AN AREA WHERE HOSTILE THREAT
PRECLUDED ON?THE?GROUND INVESTIGATION. THE TWO PARTY JOINT MILITARY
COMMISSION WAS GIVEN DETAILS OF THE CASE. GENERAL PUBLIC COMMUNICATION
(PUBCOM) MATERIALS WERE DISTRIBUTED IN PHAN RANG, CAM RANH CITY, AND IN
ALL POPULATED AREAS ALONG ROUTE #1 BETWEEN THESE CITIES WITH NO RESULTS.
CAPT JEFFERSON AND 1LT ECKLUND ARE CURRENTLY CARRIED IN THE PRESUMPTIVE
STATUS OF DEAD, BODY NOT RECOVERED.

ON THE AFTERNOON OF 15 APRIL 1969 A VIETNAMESE SUB?SOURCE REPORTED HE
HAD BEEN IN CONTACT WITH A MOUNTAGNARD COMMUNIST WHO CLAIMED THE VC HAD
SHOT DOWN AN AIRCRAFT WITH TWO AMERICANS IN IT AND THAT THE AMERICANS
HAD BEEN WOUNDED BUT WERE ALIVE AND BEING HELD IN CAPTIVITY. HE SAID THE
AIRCRAFT WAS SHOT DOWN BETWEEN BP 745 TO 760 EAST TO WEST AND NORTH TO
SOUTH BETWEEN 010 AND 000. (THIS REPORT WAS CORRELATED TO THIS
INCIDENT).

SUBSEQUENT INFORMATION: SOURCE RELAYED HEARSAY INFORMATION OF AN L-19
AIRCRAFT WHICH WAS SHOT DOWNBETWEEN 1964 AND 1966 SOUTHWEST CAM RANH IN
THE HIGHLANDS (NO FURTHER INFORMATION (NFI)). SOURCE ALSO TURNED OVER
PARTIAL REMAINS ALLEGEDLY FROM ONE OF THE TWO PILOTS. THIS POTENTIALLY
CORRELATES TO 1LT ARTHUR G. ECKLAND AND CPT PERRY H. JEFFERSON.

BILL BELL's ASSESSMENT BASED ON THE 15 APRIL 1969 REPORT INDICATING THAT
TWO AMERICANS HAD BEEN SHOT DOWN IN A SINGLE AIRCRAFT AND WERE BEING
DETAINED BY ETHNIC MINORITIES AND THE FACT THAT THERE WAS NO INDICATION
OF DEATH, THIS CASE SHOULD HAVE BEEN PRIORITIZED AS A LAST-KNOWN-ALIVE
DISCREPANCY CASE AND PLACED ON THE VESSEY LIST FOR INVESTIGATION LONG
AGO. CPT JEFFERSON AND 1LT ECKLUND WENT MISSING DURING 1969, ALMOST ONE
YEAR AFTER A HIGH LEVEL POLICY CHANGE REGARDING U.S. POW'S BY THE
COMMUNIST LEADERSHIP IN HANOI. THIS CHANGE, WHICH IS WELL DOCUMENTED IN
DOD FILES, RESULTED IN SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS FOR BETTER TREATMENT OF
AMERICAN POW'S IN ORDER TO INCREASE THE BARGAINING POWER OF COMMUNIST
NEGOTIATORS PARTICIPATING IN THE PARIS PEACE TALKS. MOREOVER, THE
INITIAL REPORT TO THE OFFICE OF SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS (OSI) AT PHAN
RANG AIRBASE INDICATING THAT BOTH CREW MEMBERS SURVIVED THE CRASH WAS
CONSIDERED CREDIBLE TO THE EXTENT THAT A RESCUE OPERATION DESIGNATED
"MONROE BAY" WAS LAUNCHED BY THE JOINT PERSONNEL RECOVERY CENTER (JPRC).
ALTHOUGH THE REPORT WAS RATED "F-6", THE 35TH TACTICAL FIGHTER WING WAS
OF THE OPINION THAT THIS REPORT "COMBINED WITH OTHER INTELLIGENCE
INDICATORS WERE SUFFICIENT TO CONDUCT A BRIGHTLIGHT OPERATION."

ACCORDING TO THE INTELLIGENCE RECEIVED BY THE JPRC, "5 OR 6 VC PLATOONS
WERE CAMPED AT BN 740 995 AND THEY HAD TWO U.S. PRISONERS WITH THEM WHO
HAD BEEN SHOT DOWN VICINITY BP 745 010 ON 3 APR. ACCORDING TO THE REPORT
THE AMERICANS WERE WOUNDED BUT STILL ALIVE." AT 8:25 A.M. ON 17 APRIL
1969, THE JPRC 25 MAN TEAM WAS INSERTED INTO BN 740 995 BY HELICOPTER. A
THOROUGH SEARCH OF THE AREA RESULTED IN NEGATIVE ENEMY CONTACT AND NO
SIGHTINGS OF THE REPORTED ENEMY FORCE. BY THE TIME THE RESCUE MISSION
WAS LAUNCHED BOTH CPT JEFFERSON AND 1LT ECKLUND HAD ALREADY BEEN
EVACUATED FROM THE POINT OF CAPTURE, BECAUSE AFTER INSPECTING BOTH THE
CAMPSITE AND CRASH SITE THE RESCUE TEAM DECIDED TO ABANDON THE SEARCH.
THE TEAM WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE AREA ON THE AFTERNOON OF 18 APRIL 1969.
ADDITIONALLY, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OTHER COMPELLING REPORTS GENERATED
FROM THE AREA OF THE INCIDENT WHICH HAVE NEVER BEEN INVESTIGATED. THESE
REPORTS INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO THE FOLLOWING:

--DOCUMENT NUMBER 1?459 OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DOD) UNCORRELATED
REPORTS WHICH IS A TRANSLATION OF CAPTURED COMMUNIST DOCUMENTS. THIS
INCLUDES A DOCUMENT SIGNED BY CADRE "TO VAN" IN THE HEADQUARTERS OF
GROUP (DOAN) 610 (POSSIBLY HEADQUARTERS, 610TH LOCAL FORCE BATTALION,
NINH THUAN PROVINCIAL MILITARY FORCES), ADDRESSED TO C1 (POSSIBLY 1ST
COMPANY, 610TH BATTALION) REFERS TO THE RECENT CAPTURE OF U.S.
PRISONERS.  THE CAPTURE DATA WAS PASSED TO THE 4TH INFANTRY DIVISION.
NOTEBOOK ENTRIES, DATED 14 DECEMBER 1968, BY BUI DANH, DEPUTY SECRETARY,
TUY AN DISTRICT COMMITTEE, PHU YEN PROVINCE, CONTAINS PLANS AND CAPTURE
DATA REGARDING THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA (ROK) 9TH INFANTRY DIVISION.
NOTEBOOK ENTRIES, 2 OCTOBER 1967 TO 13 JUNE 1968, BY NGUYEN VAN THICH,
LETTER BOX NUMBER (LBN) HT.91606 CS, FRAGMENTARY NOTES ON INFILTRATION
FROM THE NORTH INTO SOUTH VIETNAM, CAPTURE DATA 9 JANUARY 1969, 25TH
INFANTRY DIVISION.

ALTHOUGH THESE DOCUMENTS WERE CAPTURED PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT INVOLVING
CPT JEFFERSON AND 1LT ECKLUND, THEY DO HAVE RELATIVE VALUE REGARDING THE
INVESTIGATION PROCESS BECAUSE THEY CLEARLY INDICATE THE PRESENCE OF A
POW CAMP FOR FOREIGN PRISONERS IN WARTIME MILITARY REGION (MR) 6. THE
DOCUMENTS ALSO INDICATE COORDINATION BETWEEN NINH THUAN PROVINCE (I.E.
THE PROVINCE WHERE CPT JEFFERSON AND 1LT ECKLUND WENT MISSING) AND PHU
YEN PROVINCE TO THE NORTH (I.E. A POSSIBLE NORTHERN EVACUATION ROUTE).

MENTION OF THE 9TH REPUBLIC OF KOREA DIVISION RAISES THE POSSIBILITY OF
NORTH KOREAN ADVISERS IN THE AREA. THE PRESENCE OF KOREAN LANGUAGE
TRAINING CADRE ASSIGNED TO VIETNAMESE COMMUNIST PROSELYTIZING CADRE AS
FAR SOUTH AS MILITARY REGION 5 HAS ALREADY BEEN CONFIRMED. MOREOVER, THE
PLANS TO CAPTURE ROK FORCES MUST HAVE MATERIALIZED BECAUSE AT LEAST
THREE KOREANS (CASES 1677, 1759, AND 1804) WERE CAPTURED IN MR-6
SUBSEQUENT TO THE ABOVE INTELLIGENCE REPORT BASED ON THE CAPTURED
COMMUNIST DOCUMENTS. THE INDIVIDUAL IN CASE 1804 WAS REPORTEDLY HELD IN
THE "TO HAP" SECRET ZONE. THESE DOCUMENTS ALSO PROVIDE THE NAMES AND
LETTER BOX NUMBERS OF WARTIME COMMUNIST CADRE OPERATING IN THE AREA OF
THE INCIDENT. THESE CADRE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN A HIGH PRIORITY FOR
INTERVIEW AND THE NAMES PROVIDED TO THE ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW TEAM.
HOWEVER, DUE TO THE PREVIOUS ASSIGNMENTS OF THE ABOVE MENTIONED
COMMUNIST CADRE, ANYONE ASSIGNED TO INTERVIEW THEM SHOULD POSSESS A HIGH
DEGREE OF EXPERTISE IN THE ART OF INTERROGATION AND COMPLETE FLUENCY IN
THE VIETNAMESE LANGUAGE.

--INTELLIGENCE REPORT (IR) 6?797?0006?71, DTG 130136Z JAN 1971 INDICATES
THAT SOURCE B?12762-T REPORTED THE PRESENCE OF A COMMUNIST POW CAMP NEAR
AN PHUOC HAMLET, NINH THUAN PROVINCE. ACCORDING TO THE REPORT, THE POW'S
WERE BEING HELD IN A STONE CAVE LOCATED FOUR KILOMETERS SOUTHWEST OF THE
CA TIEU DAM. THERE WERE FIVE WHITE AND TWO BLACK AMERICAN POW'S, THREE
CHAM POW'S, AND TWO VIETNAMESE POW'S IN THE CAMP. THE AMERICANS WERE
CAPTURED FIVE MONTHS AGO IN LAM DONG AND TUYEN DUC PROVINCES. (NOTE: THE
JOINT PERSONNEL RECOVERY CENTER (JPRC) REFERRED TO THE ABOVE CAMP AS
"THON NO GIA, #S?637, REPORT LOG 2254). ALTHOUGH THIS INFORMATION WAS
ACQUIRED ALMOST TWO YEARS AFTER CPT JEFFERSON AND 1LT ECKLUND WENT
MISSING IT IS STILL VALUABLE BECAUSE THEY WERE REPORTED TO BE ALIVE AND
IN THE CUSTODY OF ETHNIC MINORITIES, SUCH AS THE "THREE CHAMS" MENTIONED
IN THE ABOVE REPORT.

ACCORDING TO THE REPORT, AN ETHNIC CHAM CALLED "DAT DON" ACTED AS
TRANSLATOR. THE REPORT ALSO INDICATES THAT "THE AMERICANS WERE CAPTURED
FIVE MONTHS AGO" AND THE THREE CHAMS WERE CAPTURED IN JUNE 1970 PLACING
THE INFORMATION IN THE SUMMER-FALL 1970 TIME FRAME, BUT AVAILABLE
RECORDS DO NOT REVEAL AN INCIDENT INVOLVING THE CAPTURE OF FIVE WHITE
AND TWO BLACK AMERICANS DURING 1970. THEREFORE, THE POSSIBILITY THAT
ONLY A SMALLER NUMBER POW'S WERE CAPTURED "FIVE MONTHS AGO" MUST BE
CONSIDERED. DUE TO THE DARK SKIN COLOR OF THE CHAM PEOPLE IT IS ALSO
POSSIBLE THAT THE SOURCE WAS CONFUSING BLACK AMERICAN POW'S WITH CHAM
POW'S.

ADDITIONALLY, ALTHOUGH THERE IS NO INDICATION THAT CPT JEFFERSON AND 1LT
ECKLUND WERE PRESENT IN EITHER LAM DONG OR TUYEN DUC PROVINCES AS
MENTIONED IN THE REPORT, DUE TO THE TIME LAPSE, THE FACT THAT NINH THUAN
PROVINCE BORDERED FORMER TUYEN DUC PROVINCE AND THE FACT THAT THE
PERIODIC MOVEMENT OF POW CAMPS BY COMMUNIST FORCES IN ORDER TO PREVENT
COMPROMISE WAS A COMMON PRACTICE, THE POSSIBILITY THAT BOTH MEN WERE
TRANSFERRED BETWEEN NINH THUAN AND TUYEN DUC PROVINCES SHOULD BE
CONSIDERED. BASED ON THE LOCATION OF THE CAMP AS PROVIDED BY SOURCE
(I.E. AN PHUOC) THE INDIVIDUALS IN CASES 1318 AND 1321 MAY ALSO HAVE
BEEN HELD IN THIS SAME CAMP. IN COMPARISON TO OTHER MILITARY REGIONS
THROUGHOUT VIETNAM, RECORDS ON FORMER MR-6 POW CAMPS ARE RARE. THIS IS
PARTIALLY DUE TO THE LACK OF A STRONG AMERICAN PRESENCE THERE, THE
MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN INHABITED PRIMARILY BY ETHNIC MINORITIES AND THE
FACT THAT FOR SOME UNEXPLAINED REASON THE COMMUNISTS HAVE BEEN RELUCTANT
TO PROVIDE WARTIME DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE AREA, OR FOR THAT MATTER
EVEN MENTION MR-6 IN POSTWAR HISTORICAL ACCOUNTS.

IF U.S. GOVERNMENT ANALYSTS HOLD THE VIEW THAT THE INFORMATION CONTAINED
IN THIS REPORT IS INSUFFICIENT TO PERMIT A CORRELATION TO CPT JEFFERSON
AND 1LT ECKLUND, DOD SHOULD MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO REESTABLISH CONTACT
WITH THE CODED SOURCE OF THIS REPORT (B-12762-T), AS WELL AS THE CHAM
LANGUAGE TRANSLATOR CALLED "DAT DON" FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS.

--CIA INFORMATION CABLE 321835, TDCS 314/04357-71 WHICH WAS DISTRIBUTED
ON 29 APRIL 1971 REPORTED THE PRESENCE OF A PRISON CAMP IN A CAVE ON "BI
DOUP" MOUNTAIN, BP 460376. THE SOURCE OF THIS REPORT WAS A MEMBER OF THE
LAC DUONG DISTRICT PARTY COMMITTEE AND AN OFFICER IN THE NORTH
VIETNAMESE ARMY (NVA). ACCORDING TO THE SOURCE SIX U.S. POW'S WERE BEING
HELD IN THE CAMP WHICH WAS LOCATED AT THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE DISTRICT
COMMITTEE AS OF APRIL 1971. THE SOURCE ALSO REPORTED THAT TWO AMERICANS
WERE KILLED IN THE CRASH OF AN AIRCRAFT SOME 35 KILOMETERS FROM THE
CAVE. THE LOCATION OF THE CAVE COMPLEX WAS VERIFIED BY AIR
RECONNAISSANCE. THE CLAIMED POSITION OF THE SOURCE WAS ALSO VERIFIED BY
RECORDS CHECK. (NOTE: THE JPRC DESIGNATED THIS POW CAMP #S-452, REPORT
LOG 1451). (ADDITIONAL NOTE: DURING MARCH 1993 BILL BELL, ACCOMPANIED BY
MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR, LTC PHAM DUNG, INTERVIEWED A SOURCE NEAR CAM
RANH CITY WHO CLAIMED TO HAVE INFORMATION CONCERNING THE REMAINS OF U.S.
PILOTS. ACCORDING TO THE SOURCE, THE PILOTS HAD BEEN IN THE CUSTODY OF
ETHNIC MINORITIES IN A MOUNTAINOUS AREA WEST OF CAM RANH UNTIL SOMETIME
DURING 1972. SOME OF THE U.S. POW'S DIED IN CAPTIVITY BUT THE SOURCE
BELIEVED THAT OTHERS WERE REPATRIATED. THE SOURCE COULD NOT PROVIDE
DETAILS CONCERNING THE POSSIBLE REPATRIATION. IN THE REPORT SUBMITTED
SUBSEQUENT TO THE INTERVIEW BELL LISTED THE BI DOUP CAVE MENTIONED ABOVE
AS BEING A POSSIBLE SITE FOR THE DETENTION OF THE AMERICANS).

--INTELLIGENCE REPORT (IR) 6/797/0178/71, DATE OF REPORT 8 DECEMBER
1971, INDICATES THAT IN OCTOBER 1971 A SOURCE REPORTED THE PRESENCE OF A
COMMUNIST POW CAMP LOCATED IN THE "TO HAP" SECRET ZONE WHICH HELD SOME
100 SOUTH VIETNAMESE (ARVN) AND AMERICAN POW'S. ACCORDING TO THE SOURCE
THE CAMP WAS LOCATED AT BP 742328 AND WAS BUILT IN 1960 OF WOOD AND
RATTAN.  IT HAD A STAFF OF 30, COMMANDED BY NGUYEN NUI. IF THE CAMP WAS
THREATENED, COMMUNIST CADRE WERE TO TAKE SMALL GROUPS OF POW'S AND LEAVE
THE AREA.  AMERICAN PRISONERS WERE ONLY HELD THERE TEMPORARILY AND THEN
MOVED ON TO THE 5TH INTER-SECRET ZONE, WHICH WAS NORTHWEST.  THE 5TH
INTER-SECRET ZONE MAINTAINED POW RECORDS AND DETERMINED WHICH AMERICANS
WOULD STAY OR WHICH WOULD BE MOVED NORTH. MANY AMERICANS DIED BECAUSE OF
A LACK OF VEGETABLES AND MEAT IN THEIR DIET. THE COMMUNISTS GREW THEIR
OWN FOOD IN THE "TO HAP" SECRET ZONE. SOURCE WORKED WITH COMMUNIST
FORCES IN THE AREA FROM 1957 TO 1969 AND STILL VISITED HIS WIFE THERE AT
THE TIME OF THIS REPORT. THE "5TH INTER-SECRET ZONE" MENTIONED BY SOURCE
IS PROBABLY A REFERENCE TO MILITARY REGION, AKA INTER-REGION 5. IN
REALITY, HOWEVER, SLIGHTLY LESS THAN HALF OF THE POW'S IN THE MR-5 CAMP
DIED IN CAPTIVITY.THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A VALID POINT OF CONCERN FOR THE
HIGHER AUTHORITIES IN MR-6, WHICH MAY HAVE LED TO A LONGER THAN NORMAL
PERIOD OF DETENTION FOR AMERICANS HELD IN THE "TO HAP" SECRET ZONE.

ALTHOUGH THE SOURCE IS CORRECT IN HIS DESCRIPTION OF THE NORMAL
EVACUATION ROUTE THERE HAVE BEEN NOTED EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULE. FOR
EXAMPLE, SGT ROQUE MATAGULAY (CASE 0013) WAS CAPTURED APPROXIMATELY 300
KILOMETERS TO THE NORTH IN GIA LAI PROVINCE BUT ULTIMATELY MOVED DOWN TO
A COASTAL AREA OF NEIGHBORING BINH THUAN PROVINCE FOR RELEASE AFTER
ALMOST SIX MONTHS OF DETENTION. AVAILABLE U.S. FILES INDICATE THAT
ALTHOUGH SEVERAL AMERICANS AND AT LEAST TWO KOREANS WERE EITHER CAPTURED
OR LAST KNOWN TO BE ALIVE IN THIS SAME GENERAL AREA, ONLY SP4 KEITH A.
ALBERT (CASE 1622) AND 1LT JOHN G. DUNN (CASE 1093-2-02) WERE RELEASED
TO U.S. CONTROL. PRIOR TO ENTERING THE REGULAR CAMP SYSTEM SP4 ALBERT
WAS EVACUATED WEST TO AN AREA CONTROLLED BY THE SOUTH VIETNAM LIBERATION
ARMED FORCES (SVNLAF) HEADQUARTERS. 1LT DUNN WAS ALSO EVACUATED WEST
ALONG WITH PFC JAMES M. RAY (1093-1-01) AND PFC RAY DIED WHILE BEING
HELD IN THE SVNLAF CAMP. THE EVACUATION ROUTE WEST USED FOR BOTH CASES
1093 AND 1622 WAS POSSIBLY DUE TO A POLICY WHICH DICTATED THAT U.S.
POW'S CAPTURED IN THE AREA OF MR-6 WEST OF NATIONAL ROUTE 20 WERE TO BE
EVACUATED WEST, WHILE THOSE CAPTURED TO THE EAST OF NATIONAL ROUTE 20
WERE TO BE EVACUATED NORTH. ALSO ACCORDING TO U.S. RECORDS SP4 ALBERT
COOPERATED WITH COMMUNIST FORCES IN PROVIDING INFORMATION CONCERNING THE
COMPOSITION AND DISPOSITION OF U.S. FORCES IN THE TUYEN DUC AREA. (NOTE:
THE POW CAMP MENTIONED IN THIS REPORT WAS DESIGNATED BY THE JOINT
PERSONNEL RECOVERY CENTER AS #S469).

--ANOTHER INTELLIGENCE REPORT SENT BY THE 525TH MILITARY INTELLIGENCE
GROUP TO THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF AND THE DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
WAS IR 6-797-0012-71, DTG 230416Z JAN 1971.   ACCORDING TO THIS REPORT A
CODED SOURCE REPORTED THAT DURING JANUARY 1971, HE SAW TWO U.S. POW'S
WITH A COMMUNIST UNIT IN NINH THUAN PROVINCE.  ONE OF THE AMERICANS GAVE
THE SOURCE BOTH HIS AMERICAN NAME AND HIS VIETNAMESE NAME. THE AMERICAN
POW TOLD THE SOURCE THAT THERE WERE SIX MORE U.S. POW'S IN CAVES IN NINH
THUAN PROVINCE. THE U.S. SAID HE WAS WORKING FOR PEACE ON BEHALF OF THE
CHAMS AND MONTAGNARDS. HE SAID THE COMMUNISTS USED THE SIX U.S. POW'S
(FOUR WHITE AND TWO BLACK) FOR PROPAGANDA PURPOSES.

--INTELLIGENCE REPORT 6-918-6116-74 FROM USDAO SAIGON TO CGUSSAG 7TH AIR
FORCE AT NAKHON PHANOM, THAILAND, DTG 130958Z JUN 1974, INDICATES THAT
IN APRIL 1972, THE SOURCE, WHO WAS A COMMUNIST DEFECTOR, WAS AT A
COMMUNIST THOUGHT REFORM CAMP LOCATED AT BUON THACH HAMLET, BP504677,
KHANH HOA PROVINCE AND OBSERVED NINE CAUCASIAN AND THREE BLACK U.S.
POW'S WORKING IN A FIELD LOCATED AT BP610588.  THE U.S. POW'S WERE HELD
AT ANOTHER CAMP LOCATED NEAR BP626599. THEY HAD BEEN CAPTURED AT VARIOUS
TIMES BETWEEN 1968 AND 1972. IN AUGUST 1972, SOURCE HEARD THE AMERICAN
PRISONERS WERE BEING MOVED TO THE B?3 FRONT HEADQUARTERS FOR A POW
EXCHANGE. (NOTE: THE JOINT PERSONNEL RECOVERY CENTER DESIGNATED THIS
CAMP #S570, REPORT LOG 2081).

--INTELLIGENCE REPORT 6?918?5474?74, DTG 182046Z MAR 1974, FROM USDAO
SAIGON TO CGUSSAG 7TH AIR FORCE AT NAKHON PHANOM, THAILAND, INDICATES
THAT THE B?7A DETENTION CAMP OF THE KHANH HOA PROVINCIAL PARTY
COMMITTEE, PREVIOUSLY AT HON DU MTN, BP652625 MOVED DURING NOVEMBER 1972
TO THE "TO HAP" RIVER, BP639322, BUU SON DISTRICT, NINH THUAN PROVINCE.
THE B?7A CAMP WAS COMMANDED BY NGUYEN YET WHO REPLACED THE FORMER
COMMANDER, SR LT BUI XUAN VINH.  THE CAMP DEPUTY WAS DINH XUAN DO, WHO
REPLACED LT NGUYEN NGOC BUU. DUE TO THE REPORTS OF DETENTION CAMPS IN
THE AREA OF THE TO HAP RIVER AND THE FACT THAT A PATTERN HAS ALREADY
EMERGED INDICATING THAT JUST PRIOR TO "OPERATION HOMECOMING" IN EARLY
1973 COMMUNIST CADRE PREVIOUSLY ASSIGNED TO WORK WITH AMERICANS WERE
REPLACED BY OTHER CADRE TRAINED TO WORK WITH INDIGENOUS PRISONERS, THE
FORMER CAMP CADRE LISTED IN THIS REPORT SHOULD BE GIVEN A HIGH PRIORITY
FOR INTERVIEW AND MADE AVAILABLE TO THE ORAL HISTORY TEAM. AGAIN, DUE TO
THE PREVIOUS POSITIONS OF THESE CADRE AND THE FACT THAT THEY ARE EXPERTS
SEASONED IN THE ART OF INTERVIEW, INTERROGATION AND EXPLOITATION, ANY
AMERICANS SENT TO ENGAGE THEM MUST NECESSARILY HAVE A HIGH DEGREE OF
KNOWLEDGE CONCERNING THE COMMUNIST DETENTION SYSTEM, THE SPECIFIC CASES
TO BE ADDRESSED AND FLUENCY IN THE VIETNAMESE LANGUAGE. THE DISPATCH OF
YOUNG, INEXPERIENCED SERVICEMEN TO INTERVIEW SENIOR CADRE IS LIKELY TO
BE INTERPRETED AS A SIGNAL INDICATING THAT THE U.S. GOVERNMENT DOES NOT
DESIRE TO REACH THE TRUTH CONCERNING THE MANY AMERICANS STILL
UNACCOUNTED-FOR IN MR-6, AS WELL AS OTHER REGIONS OF VIETNAM.

--INTELLIGENCE REPORT 6/797/0044/72, DTG 020544Z JUN 1972 FROM THE 525TH
MILITARY INTELLIGENCE GROUP TO THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF AND THE DEFENSE
INTELLIGENCE AGENCY INDICATES THAT DURING MAY 1972, A POW CAMP HOLDING
SOUTH VIETNAMESE (ARVN AND CIVILIAN POWS) WAS MOVED FROM TA GOU HAMLET
(BP745324) TO YALOU MOUNTAIN (BP683343).  THE CAMP WAS IN DENSE FOREST
ON THE SOUTHWEST SIDE OF YALOU MOUNTAIN.  THERE WERE ABOUT 50 POWS IN
CAMP, ALL ARVN AND VIETNAMESE CIVILIANS.  ONCE A MONTH, IMPORTANT POWS
MOVED TO A MAIN CAMP OF THE 4TH ZONE, THE "TO HAP" SECRET ZONE
(BP712275). ALTHOUGH THIS REPORT DOES NOT MENTION THE DETENTION OF ANY
AMERICAN PRISONERS, A PATTERN HAS ALREADY BEEN ESTABLISHED INDICATING
THAT AMERICAN AND VIETNAMESE PRISONERS WERE NORMALLY SEPERATED BUT HELD
IN RELATIVELY CLOSE PROXIMITY TO EACH OTHER (I.E. INTER-CAMP "A" FOR
AMERICANS AND INTER-CAMP "B" FOR VIETNAMESE). THIS BEING THE CASE IT
WOULD BE IRRESPONSIBLE FOR GOVERNMENT EXPERTS TO FAIL TO THOROUGHLY
INVESTIGATE THE PRESENCE OF A POW CAMP IN THIS AREA. (NOTE: THE JOINT
PERSONNEL RECOVERY DESIGNATED THIS CAMP #S?469, REPORT LOG 1553).

--INTELLIGENCE REPORT 2?311?0052?74, 250800Z MAR 1974, FROM THE  U.S.
DEFENSE ATTACHE OFFICE SAIGON TO CGUSSAG 7TH AIR FORCE NAKHON PHANOM,
THAILAND INDICATES THAT EIGHT SOUTH VIETNAMESE (ARVN) POW'S WERE
RELEASED BY THE COMMUNISTS IN DIEN KHANH DISTRICT, KHANH HOA PROVINCE ON
22 FEBRUARY 1974. CELL LEADERS AT THE POW CAMP WERE PHAN HO AND NGUYEN
VAN QUANG, WHO WERE PRESUMED TO BE COLLABORATORS WITH COMMUNIST FORCES.
COMMUNIST PRISONERS WHO WERE HELD RE-INDOCTRINATION INCLUDED TRAN QUANG
HUONG, A DISTRICT PARTY COMMITTEE MEMBER, AND TWO MONTAGNARDS CALLED "TA
LIA" AND "MA NIEN". THE CAMP WAS MOVED AFTER THE 1973 POW EXCHANGE.
ALTHOUGH THERE IS NO MENTION OF ANY U.S. POW'S HELD IN THIS CAMP, THE
NAMES OF BOTH FORMER CADRE AND INMATES PROVIDED BY THE SOURCE MAY HELP
DEVELOP ADDITIONAL LEADS FOR USE IN LOCATING AMERICAN PERSONNEL. THE
JOINT PERSONNEL RECOVERY CENTER DESIGNATED THIS CAMP#S569, REPORT LOG
2067, AND #S570, REPORT LOG 2067).

--INTELLIGENCE REPORT USDAO BANGKOK 020953Z DEC 92 INDICATES THAT TWO
AMERICANS WERE CAPTURED AT BRAH YANG VILLAGE (AN 9179), LAM DONG
PROVINCE SOMETIME BETWEEN AUGUST AND OCTOBER 1972.

--THAILAND REFUGEE REPORT T89-049 INDICATES THAT A SOURCE REPORTED TO
INVESTIGATORS OF THE JOINT CASUALTY RESOLUTION CENTER (JCRC) IN BANGKOK,
THAILAND THAT SOMETIME DURING MID-1986, HIS FRIEND, MR PHAN NHON, WHO
WAS OVER 30 YEARS OLD AND RESIDED IN HO CHI MINH CITY, GAVE HIM A
DETAILED WRITTEN STATEMENT THAT WAS RECORDED BASED ON THE VERBAL
TESTIMONY OF MR BI NANG CHAN. ACCORDING TO THIS STATEMENT, DURING THE
PERIOD BETWEEN THE SIGNING OF THE PARIS AGREEMENT AND THE RELEASE OF
U.S. POW'S (I.E. JAN-FEB 73) MR CHAN EXECUTED THREE AMERICAN OFFICERS
WHO WERE BEING HELD IN A MOUNTAINOUS AREA NEAR PHAN RANG CITY. AT THAT
TIME, MR CHAN, WHO STILL RESIDED IN THE PHAN RANG AREA (ADDRESS
UNKNOWN), WAS THE COMMANDER OF THE CAMP. THE STATEMENT INDICATED THAT MR
CHAN PERSONALLY SHOT THE THREE OFFICERS. THE SOURCE DID NOT RECALL IF
THE RANKS OF THE THREE OFFICERS WERE INCLUDED IN THE STATEMENT, HOWEVER,
HE DID RECALL THAT THE NAME OF ONE OF THE OFFICERS WAS  TRANSLITERATED
AS "CA BOT LOT". THE SOURCE ALSO DID NOT RECALL IF DETAILS CONCERNING
THE DISPOSITION OF THE BODIES WERE INCLUDED IN THE STATEMENT. THE SOURCE
DID NOT CARRY THE STATEMENT WITH HIM WHEN DEPARTING VIETNAM BECAUSE HE
FEARED FOR HIS SAFETY IN THE EVENT IT WAS DISCOVERED ON HIS PERSON.

--AN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REPORT SUBMITTED BY BILL BELL IN CONJUNCTION
WITH THE JOINT FIELD NVESTIGATIONS IN VIETNAM DURING THE PERIOD 12-20
APRIL 1989, INDICATED THAT U.S. POW'S WERE BEING HELD IN DALAT CITY, LAM
DONG (FORMERLY TUYEN DUC) PROVINCE. A CORRECTED VERSION OF THIS REPORT
REPLACED JCRC LIAISON 261001Z MAY 89, SUBJECT:  ALLEGED OBSERVATION OF
AMERICAN PRISONERS IN DALAT DURING MARCH 1975. THIS REPORT INCLUDED
INFORMATION RECEIVED IN HANOI FROM A PEDICAB DRIVER WHO IDENTIFIED
HIMSELF AS MR. TRAN QUANG LONG. MR LONG SAID HE RESIDED AT 29 BACH MAI
STREET IN HANOI CITY. WHEN MR. LONG HEARD THAT BELL AN AMERICAN AND IN
VIETNAM TO SEARCH FOR MIA'S, HE SAID HE BELIEVED THERE WERE STILL SOME
LIVE AMERICANS REMAINING IN VIETNAM. WHEN ASKED WHY HE BELIEVED
AMERICANS WERE STILL HELD IN VIETNAM, MR. LONG SAID HE HAD SEEN A GROUP
OF AMERICANS HELD IN SUOI HAI (I.E. THE BAT BAT AREA WHERE SOME U.S.
PRISONERS WERE HELD) DURING 1972. HE SAID HE ASSUMED THOSE AMERICANS HAD
BEEN RELEASED IN 1973, BUT HE HAD LATER SEEN ANOTHER GROUP OF AMERICANS
IN DALAT CITY. HE SAID SOMETIME DURING LATE MARCH 1975 HE WAS ASSIGNED
AS A DEPUTY COMPANY COMMANDER OF THE 2D CO, 305TH BN, 5TH PAVN DIV NEAR
DI LINH. SHORTLY AFTER THE "LIBERATION" OF DALAT CITY HE WENT THERE TO A
MEETING HELD IN THE FORMER RVN NATIONAL MILITARY ACADEMY (TRUONG VO BI
QUOC GIA). WHILE IN THE FORMER MILITARY ACADEMY HE OBSERVED TWO MALE
CAUCASIANS AND A GROUP OF DARKER SKINNED MEN. HE HEARD FROM CADRE THAT
THE GROUP CONSISTED OF TWO WHITE AND 16 BLACK AMERICANS WHO HAD BEEN
PRISONERS IN LAM DONG AND THEN MOVED TO DALAT SHORTLY AFTER LIBERATION.
THE OFFICER IN CHARGE OF THE PRISONERS WAS MAJ TRUONG.

BELL ASKED MR. LONG WHERE THE AMERICANS HAD BEEN MOVED FROM, AND HE SAID
A CAMP IN THE LAM DONG AREA BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO RECALL THE CAMP.  WHEN
ASKED IF HE HAD EVEN HEARD OF A CAMP CALLED K3 HE SAID HE HAD AND
RECALLED IT WAS LOCATED BETWEEN DI LINH AND BAO LOC ABOUT 10 KILOMETERS
NORTH OF NATIONAL ROUTE (QL) 20. MR. "LONG" SEEMED TO BE AT EASE AND
UNCONCERNED THAT HE WAS DISCUSSING A SENSITIVE TOPIC. HE GAVE THE
IMPRESSION IT IS COMMON KNOWLEDGE IN VIETNAM THAT AMERICANS ARE STILL
HELD THERE. WHEN ASKED HOW HE CAME TO BE A PEDICAB DRIVER, HE SAID THERE
ARE MANY FORMER PAVN OFFICERS WHO WERE RELEASED FROM THE SERVICE AFTER
LIBERATION AND ARE NOW UNEMPLOYED. WHEN MR. LONG FIRST MENTIONED THE
LIVE AMERICANS IN DALAT, BELL ASKED HIM IF HE WAS SERIOUS OR ONLY
JOKING, AND HE REPLIED "WHY WOULD I JOKE ABOUT THAT?"  BELL WAS NOT SURE
CONCERNING THE FINAL DEPLOYMENT OF MR LONG'S CLAIMED UNIT, THE 5TH PAVN
DIV, AT THE TIME OF LIBERATION, BUT VAGUELY RECALLED THAT DURING LATE
1974 AND EARLY 1975 IT WAS DEPLOYED WEST OF SAIGON IN THE AREA OF THE
CAMBODIAN BORDER. MR LONG CLAIMED HE HAD BEEN RELEASED FROM MILITARY
SERVICE DUE TO A LEG WOUND, BUT APPARENTLY HAD FULLY RECOVERED SINCE HE
WAS WORKING AS A PEDICAB DRIVER. MR LONG SAID THE MAN IN CHARGE OF THE
ALLEGED AMERICANS, MAJ TRUONG, WAS A "GALANG PERSON" (NGUOI GALANG),
WHICH ACCORDING TO LONG REFERRED TO A MEMBER OF THE ETHNIC MINORITIES.

--AN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REPORT SUBMITTED BY BILL BELL IN CONJUNCTION
WITH JOINT FIELD INVESTIGATIONS CONDUCTED IN VIETNAM DURING THE PERIOD
12 TO 20 APRIL 1989 INDICATED THAT ONE U.S. L-19 AIRCRAFT WAS SHOT DOWN
BY A LOCAL GUERRILLA USING A RIFLE IN PHUOC THANH VILLAGE, BAC AI TAY
DISTRICT, NINH THUAN PROVINCE DURING 1969. THE BODY OF ONE AMERICAN
PILOT WAS REMOVED FROM THE WRECKAGE AND BURIED NEAR THE CRASH SITE. A
MAN CALLED "KHANG" REMOVED TWO GOLD RINGS AND A SEIKO WATCH PRIOR TO
BURIAL. THE NINH SON DISTRICT FORCES COMMANDER, MR CHAMALE SON, KNEW THE
LOCATION OF THE GRAVE. (NOTE: THIS REPORT MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE
SAME GENERAL AREA AS THE LOCATION WHERE U.S. REMAINS WERE REPORTEDLY
FOUND MENTIONED IN USDAO BANGKOK MESSAGE 300424Z NOV 92, BUT THE
LOCATION OF BAC AI MOUNTAIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE ON U.S. MAPS).

--REFUGEE REPORT J86-013, OBTAINED BY INVESTIGATORS OF THE JCRC IN
JAPAN, RELATED INFORMATION CONCERNING THE DISCOVERY OF TWO U.S. REMAINS
IN THE "TO HAP" SECRET ZONE. THE SOURCE, WHO WAS A FORMER DISTRICT
CHIEF, HEARD THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS AN "L-21" WHICH CRASHED SOMETIME
DURING 1963 OR 1964. THE SOURCE WENT TO THE CRASH SITE AND RECOVERED
PART OF A SKULL AND SOME TEETH WHICH HE SENT TO THE PHILIPPINES IN 1984.
(NOTE: SOURCE ALSO PROVIDED INFORMATION ON TWO OTHER CASES WHICH HAS
BEEN CORRELATED TO CASES 1096 AND 1318).

--DOCUMENT 1?2037 OF VOLUME VII, DOD PREVIOUSLY UNCORRELATED REPORTS IS
AN INTELLIGENCE REPORT SUBMITTED AS MESSAGE DTG 220825Z DEC 1977. A
FORMER GVN OFFICIAL RIDING ON A RAILROAD TRAIN IN AUGUST 1975, SAW TWO
U.S. POW'S. THE AMERICANS APPEARED TO BE IN POOR HEALTH AND WERE LIVING
IN A METAL SHIPPING CONTAINER NEAR THE TRACKS. SOURCE SAID ONE OF THE
POW'S HAD BLOND HAIR AND THE SECOND MAN HAD BROWN HAIR. UNEXPECTEDLY,
THE TRAIN STOPPED AT THIS PLACE ALONG THE TRACKS AND THE GUARDS DID NOT
HAVE SUFFICIENT TIME TO HIDE THE POW'S. SOURCE GAVE THE LOCATION AS DIEN
KHANH DISTRICT, KHANH HOA PROVINCE, SOUTH VIETNAM. (NOTE: THE WARTIME
"TO HAP" SECRET ZONE WAS LOCATED SOUTH OF DIEN KHANH DISTRICT). SOURCE
CLAIMED TO HAVE BEEN A FORMER COMPOUND MANAGER EMPLOYED BY PACIFIC
ARCHITECTS AND ENGINEERS (PAE) FOR  SOUTH VIETNAM AND AS SUCH WOULD HAVE
BEEN A TRAINED OBSERVER.

--JCRC LIAISON BANGKOK MESSAGE 080841Z JUN 89, SUBJECT: ALLEGED AMERICAN
RESIDING IN THUAN HAI WAS A REPORT BY BILL BELL CONCERNING THE PRESENCE
OF ONE ALLEGED AMERICAN WHO RESIDED IN TRA GIANG VILLAGE, NINH SON
DISTRICT AS OF APRIL 1989. ACCORDING TO THE SOURCE, THE "OLD AMERICAN
MAN" HAD A VIETNAMESE WIFE AND TWO CHILDREN.

--REFUGEE REPORT  RP84-038A, OBTAINED BY THE JCRC IN THE REPUBLIC OF THE
PHILIPPINES INDICATES THAT IN 1984, SOURCE'S FRIEND FOUND U.S. REMAINS
IN THE "TO HAP" SECRET ZONE, KHANH SON DISTRICT, 160 KILOMETERS
SOUTHWEST OF NHA TRANG CITY AND 100 KILOMETERS WEST OF THE CAM RANH
SPECIAL ZONE.

--REFUGEE REPORT RP84-043, WHICH WAS OBTAINED IN THE REPUBLIC OF THE
PHILIPPINES BY INVESTIGATORS OF THE JCRC PROVIDED INFORMATION FROM A
FORMER MAJOR OF THE VIETNAMESE AIR FORCE (VNAF) WHO CLAIMED HE FOUND THE
CRASH SITE OF AN L-19 AIRCRAFT SOUTHWEST OF CAM RANH IN THE HIGHLANDS.

--REFUGEE REPORT RP84-075, WHICH WAS OBTAINED BY INVESTIGATORS OF THE
JCRC IN THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES, INDICATED THAT IN NOVEMBER
1983, SOURCE AND FRIENDS FOUND THE WRECKAGE OF AIRCRAFT WITH TWO WINGS
AND ONE ENGINE IN THE NOSE. THE SITE WAS ON HONG BA MOUNTAIN AND HAD
ALREADY BEEN CANNIBALIZED.

--REFUGEE REPORT S84-011, WHICH WAS OBTAINED BY INVESTIGATORS OF THE
JCRC IN SINGAPORE, INDICATED THAT DURING 1984, THE SOURCE'S FRIEND FOUND
AN OV-10 AIRCRAFT CRASH SITE ON HON GIU MOUNTAIN (VIC BP6565). THE
SOURCE ALSO HEARD THAT TWO AMERICAN PILOTS WERE BURIED NEARBY.  (NFI).

--REFUGEE REPORT I90-065, WHICH WAS OBTAINED BY INVESTIGATORS OF THE
JCRC IN PULAU GALANG, INDONESIA DURING SEPTEMBER 1990 INDICATES THAT
DURING MAY 1987, THE SOURCE PARTICIPATED IN THE RECOVERY OF TWO PARTIAL
REMAINS ASSOCIATED WITH THE WRECKAGE OF AN L-19 AIRCRAFT WHICH CRASHED
ON "BAC AI" MOUNTAIN IN NINH SON DISTRICT, NINH THUAN PROVINCE. SOURCE
AND A COLLEAGUE WERE LED TO THE SITE BY ETHNIC MINORITIES WHO POINTED
OUT WHAT THEY SAID WAS THE BURIAL SITE OF TWO AMERICANS WHO DIED IN THE
CRASH. ACCORDING TO THE ETHNIC MINORITIES THE CRASH OCCURRED DURING
FEBRUARY 1969. NO PERSONAL EFFECTS, DOG TAGS, OR OTHER IDENTIFICATION
MEDIA WERE FOUND AT THE SITE. THE SOURCE SAID THAT THE REMAINS RECOVERED
FROM THE SITE WERE BEING KEPT BY A MAN CALLED "HUNG" (NFI) WHO RESIDED
IN THU DUC, ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF SAIGON. ANOTHER MAN INVOLVED CALLED
"LIEM" DEPARTED VIETNAM FOR THE U.S. VIA THE AMERASIAN PROGRAM DURING
1989 AND HE CARRIED WITH HIM A TOOTH REMOVED FROM THE REMAINS.

--REFUGEE REPORT T92-098, WHICH WAS OBTAINED BY JCRC INVESTIGATORS IN
THAILAND, RELATED INFORMATION FROM A SOURCE WHO DEPARTED VIETNAM VIA THE
ORDERLY DEPARTURE PROGRAM (ODP). THE SOURCE SAID THAT PRIOR TO HIS
DEPARTURE FROM VIETNAM HE WAS APPROACHED BY A MAN KNOWN TO HIM AS MR LE
NGAN WHO CLAIMED TO HAVE TWO U.S. REMAINS AND ASSOCIATED DOG TAGS WHICH
HE WAS KEEPING AT HIS RESIDENCE LOCATED AT 1A LY THUONG KIET STREET IN
PHAN THIET CITY, THUAN HAI PROVINCE (APPARENTLY INSIDE THE BOUNDARY OF
CURRENT BINH THUAN PROVINCE).

--REFUGEE REPORT I90-063, WHICH WAS OBTAINED BY JCRC INVESTIGATORS IN
INDONESIA, PROVIDED INFORMATION FROM A SOURCE WHO CLAIMED TO HAVE
EXCHANGED A THREE-WHEELED MOTORIZED VEHICLE FOR THE PARTIAL REMAINS AND
CHARRED IDENTIFICATION CARD OF AN ALLEGED AMERICAN "FIRST
LIEUTENANT-PILOT". THE REMAINS WERE SAID TO HAVE BEEN RECOVERED FROM THE
CRASH SITE OF AN AIRCRAFT ON A MOUNTAIN NEAR PHAN RANG/THAP CHAM (BN
7688) BY ETHNIC MINORITIES. THE PERSON WHO INITIALLY OBTAINED THE
REMAINS FROM THE ETHNIC MINORITIES WAS MS LE THI NHAN WHO RESIDED IN VAN
SON VILLAGE, VAN HAI DISTRICT, THUAN HAI PROVINCE. MS NHAN PROVIDED THE
REMAINS TO THE SOURCE IN MAY 1986. SOURCE LAST MET WITH MS NHAN IN HO
CHI MINH CITY DURING 1990 AND AT THAT TIME MS NHAN SHOWED SOURCE A METAL
BOX SAID TO CONTAIN THE REMAINS BUT SOURCE DID NOT OBSERVE THE ACTUAL
REMAINS.

=========================

PARENTS GET SOLACE FROM DNA

Peoria Journal Star      Jan. 18, 2004

by Maya Tarter

GALESBURG, IL - Major Arthur Ecklund always loved the military.

  "Had he made it, the military would have been his career," his father,
Ralph Ecklund, said Sunday.

  Unfortunately, Arthur "Artie" Ecklund, as he was known to his friends
and family, did not make it.

  While serving in Vietnam as an Army air control pilot, the 24-year-old
Ecklund was shot down by the Viet Cong on April 3, 1969.

  The Galesburg native described as "ambitious" and "self-sufficient"
was one thousands of American soldiers who fought in Vietnam
and who left behind friends, family and many questions.

  For more than 30 ;years, Edith and Ralph Ecklund have wondered what
happened to their only son, with few answers in response.

  After learning that Ecklund's plane was shot down, his parents heard
many stories but nothing materialized.

  "There were many reports.  He was supposedly sighted on a trail (in
Vietnam) after he was shot down," said Ralph Ecklund.

  Ralph Ecklund describes the experience as "more difficult than you will
ever know."

  The Ecklunds find solace in remembering who their son was.  "He never gave
us any problems. He was the finest young man you ever saw."  Ecklund said.

  Before Arthur Ecklund was drafted into the Army in 1966, he studied
engineering at Phoenix Junior College and worked at Motorola while attending
Arizona State University.  "Everything he did, he did well, said his father.
"He supported himself.  We never had to give him any money."

  President Carter declared Arthur Ecklund PFOD (Presumptive Finding of
Death) in 1979, but no evidence of his death was found until 1985, when a
Vietnamese officer in the Philippines turned over a jaw bone to U.S.
authorities, according to Ralph Ecklund.

  "They (the Army) tried to tell us that it was Artie because it was a jaw
bone without dental fillings, but that wasn't good enough.  A lot of
soldiers didn't have fillings,"  said Ecklund.

  It wasn't until science advanced that the Ecklunds were able to verify
their son's remains.

  In August, Edith Ecklund sent a blood sample to the identification
laboratory in Hawaii for DNA testing and discovered that it matched the DNA
found on the jaw bone's teeth.

  Although the finding isn't completely satisfying for the Ecklunds, a small
piece of Artie has given them some piece of mind.  "To some extent, we'll
always have questions.  But we've worried and stewed for some time, and if
this is all they're going to find, then at least we'll have some closure,"
said Ralph Ecklund.

  The family is planning a military funeral in April, 35 years after
their son's disappearance.

  ARRANGEMENTS

Visitation:  April 2, 2004      6:30 - 8 pm
Funeral:  April 3, 2004         10:30 am

at Hurd - Hendricks Funeral Home  (309) 289-4121
120 S. Public Square (downtown), Knoxville, Illinois

Interment at Oak Lawn Memorial Gardens, 5 miles north of Galesburg on Route
150

+ + + + + + + + + + ++ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

POW/MIA bracelets can be returned to the family or left at the WALL or at a
Memorial.

We are in contact with the Ecklund family.   Bracelets, cards, notes can be
mailed to:

Heart of Illinois POW/MIA Assoc.
ATTN:  Mr. & Mrs. Ralph Ecklund Family
P.O. Box 1193
Pekin, IL 61554-1193

Please include an appropriate note to this wonderful family.

Your mailings will be forwarded unopened to Mr. & Mrs. Ecklund.

Additionally, a note for the family can also be posted at LOVELETTERS,
http://www.pownetwork.org/bracelet.htm/LOVELETTERS

====================================

Funeral marks the end of a 'long road' for soldier's family

April 4, 2004

By CARRIE KEPPLE
of the Journal Star

KNOXVILLE - Tears of closure that those who knew and loved him longed to cry
finally fell Saturday.

Nearly 200 people, many of them war veterans, filled the pews inside Hurd
Hendricks Funeral Home to pay their respects to a Vietnam War soldier who
was once missing in action but now found - Maj. Arthur Gene "Artie" Ecklund.

The "kind-hearted," "hard-working" soldier was saluted with full military
funeral honors 35 years after his war service ended.

"It's been a long road," his father, Ralph "Bud" Ecklund, 83, said after the
services.

Artie Ecklund, a Galesburg native, was drafted into the Army in 1966. He
later trained as a Huey gun ship helicopter pilot and was sent to Vietnam in
1968.

On April 3, 1969, Artie was shot down by the Viet Cong. He was 25 years old.

The 10 years that followed were filled with confusion and unanswered
questions for his family. He was declared PFOD - Presumptive Finding of
Death - by President Carter on July 19, 1979.

But that wasn't enough for the Ecklund family.

For the next 25 years, the soldier's father and mother, Edith Ecklund,
became deeply involved in the POW-MIA group in Arizona, where they lived
from 1953 to 1983. Edith also served on the board of the National League of
Family, based in Washington, D.C. Through both organizations, the couple
traveled the country in support of the continuing search for missing Vietnam
vets, all the while hoping and praying for answers.

"We've been everywhere in the states but Alaska," Bud Ecklund said. They
credit good friends and family for the strength to continue the search for
so long.

The day of answers finally came.

On Aug. 7, 2003, Artie's remains were identified by a DNA test at the
Identification Laboratory in Hawaii.

"At least we got a part of him back here with us," Edith said.

After much debate over whether to accept his partial remains as closure,
Edith and Bud decided to put him to rest.

"We had done it long enough and done our best," Bud said.

The two said they chose to hold the services Saturday because it was the
35th anniversary of his disappearance.

"We'll always have him in our minds," Bud said.

"And we'll still fly our flags every day," Edith added.

Saturday's service was focused on how Artie fulfilled his duty and honor to
his country.

"He paid the ultimate price for freedom so we can be free," said Eric
Shuller, who spoke in his role as senior policy adviser for Illinois Lt.
Governor Pat Quinn.

"He was a soldier, a hero and a true American."

The Rev. Michel D. Clark, who led the service, said, "Many looked to Artie
for his leadership. He was among a generation of youth who risked and lost
their lives in the jungles of Vietnam. We gather to remember his life that
was lost."

After the service, six Army pallbearers carefully loaded Ecklund's casket to
start the procession to Oak Lawn Memorial Gardens in Galesburg.

There, military flags waved in the gusting wind while seven rifles were
fired in a three-volley salute. And trumpets playing "Taps" echoed through
the cemetery as surviving soldiers stood at attention.

Ecklund received the Air Medal Award and the Purple Heart medal for his
service to his country.

===============================