HUBLER, GEORGE LAWRENCE

Name: George Lawrence Hubler
Rank/Branch: O3/US Marine Corps
Unit: VMFA 235, MAG 11
Date of Birth: 06 September 1942
Home City of Record: Moab VT
Date of Loss: 23 February 1968
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 155908N 1082227E (BT190690)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 5
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: F8E
Refno: 1057
Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing)

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 April 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 2020.


REMARKS:

SYNOPSIS: The Vought F8 "Crusader" saw action early in U.S. involvement in
Southeast Asia. Its fighter models participated both in the first Gulf of
Tonkin reprisal in August 1964 and in the myriad attacks against North
Vietnam during Operation Rolling Thunder. The Crusader was used exclusively
by the Navy and Marine air wings (although there is one U.S. Air Force pilot
reported shot down on an F8) and represented half or more of the carrier
fighters in the Gulf of Tonkin during the first four years of the war. The
aircraft was credited with nearly 53% of MiG kills in Vietnam.

The most frequently used fighter versions of the Crusader in Vietnam were
the C, D, and E models although the H and J were also used. The Charlie
carried only Sidewinders on fuselage racks, and were assigned such missions
as CAP (Combat Air Patrol), flying at higher altitudes. The Echo model had a
heavier reinforced wing able to carry extra Sidewinders or bombs, and were
used to attack ground targets, giving it increased vulnerability. The Echo
version launched with less fuel, to accommodate the larger bomb store, and
frequently arrived back at ship low on fuel. The RF models were equipped for
photo reconnaissance.

The combat attrition rate of the Crusader was comparable to similar
fighters. Between 1964 to 1972, eighty-three Crusaders were either lost or
destroyed by enemy fire. Another 109 required major rebuilding. 145 Crusader
pilots were recovered; 57 were not. Twenty of these pilots were captured and
released. The other 43 remained missing at the end of the war.

Capt. George L. Hubler was the pilot of an F8E conducting a non-combat
flight off the coast of South Vietnam's Quang Nam province near Da Nang on
February 23, 1968. According to U.S. Marine Corps records, Hubler's aircraft
was involved in a mid-air collision and crashed at sea. There are no other
individuals missing at this location on February 23, 1968, so it is assumed
that all others were rescued or recovered.

Since the war ended, nearly 10,000 reports relating to Americans missing,
prisoner or unaccounted for in Southeast Asia have been received by the U.S.
Government. Many authorities who have examined this largely classified
information are convinced that hundreds of Americans are still held captive
today. Fighter pilots in Vietnam were called upon to fly in many dangerous
circumstances, and were prepared to be wounded, killed, or captured. It
probably never occurred to them that they could be abandoned by the country
they proudly served.


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01/2020

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt00000001UdrEAE

CAPT GEORGE LAWRENCE HUBLER

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Captain George Lawrence Hubler entered the U.S. Marine Corps from Utah and was a member of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 235, Marine Air Group 11, 1st Marine Air Wing. On February 23, 1968, he was the pilot of a single-seat F-8E Crusader (bureau number 150857, call sign "Combat 23") on a combat mission off the coast of South Vietnam. During the mission, his Crusader collided in mid-air with another aircraft in the vicinity of (GC) 49P BT 190 690, southeast of Da Nang off the coast of Quang Nam Province. No further radio contact was made with Capt Hubler following the collision. The crew of the other aircraft successfully parachuted and were rescued; however, search efforts failed to locate Capt Hubler and he remains unaccounted for. Today, Captain Hubler 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.

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