KENNEDY, JOHN WILLIAM
Remains returned from searches 1992/1993. Id'd 06/25/96

Name: John William Kennedy
Rank/Branch: 02/US Air Force
Unit: 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron (USAF/ALO JAKE, HHC 23 Inf. Div.)
Date of Birth: 01 May 1947
Home City of Record: Arlington VA
Date of Loss: 16 August 1971
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 152500N 1081100E (AT978062)
Status (in 1973): Missing in Action
Category: 4
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: O2A
Refno: 1768
Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing)

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 01 April 1990 with the assistance
of 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 1998.

REMARKS:

SYNOPSIS: Like his brother before him, Jack Kennedy graduated from the
Virginia Military Institute and joined the Air Force. He received his wings
in October 1970, and was assigned to the 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron
at Chu Lai in South Vietnam.

Jack normally flew the Grumman OV1 Mohawk in its A version, which was fitted
with a panoramic camera capable of horizon-to-horizon coverage. The plane
obtained aerial views of small targets - hill masses, road junctions, or
hamlets - in the kind of detail needed by ground commanders. The aircraft
was generally unarmed and carried a crew of two.

On August 16, 1971, Jack was flying an O2A, solo, on a visual reconnaissance
mission over Quang Tin Province near the border of Laos when radio contact
was lost. The area in which he was flying was rugged, mountainous terrain
covered with thick jungle and was a known location of enemy ground forces.
There was no crash site located, and no known eye witnesses.

Army Intelligence reported that the 31st North Vietnamese Regiment was
active in the area and had an American prisoner. Because Kennedy was the
only American reported missing in that area at that time, there is a strong
possibility that he was captured.

When prisoners were released in 1973, Jack Kennedy was not one of them. He
is one of over 2300 whose fates remain uncertain. Since the end of the war,
nearly 10,000 reports have been received, presenting an overwhelming case
that Americans are still being held captive in Southeast Asia. One of them
could be Jack Kennedy. It's time we brought them home.


Jack's brother, Daniel, also served in Vietnam from December 1972 through
December 1973 and flew over 50 combat missions. He returned to his family at
the end of his tour.