LILLUND, WILLIAM ALLEN

Name: William Allen Lillund
Rank/Branch: O2/US Air Force
Unit:  13th Tactical Fighter Squadron
Date of Birth: 17 March 1939
Home City of Record: Fortuna CA
Date of Loss: 04 October 1967
Country of Loss: North Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 212000N 1051000E (WJ211812)
Status (In 1973): Missing In Action
Category: 4
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: F105F
Refno: 0847
Other Personnel in Incident: Morris L. McDaniel, Jr. (missing)

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 October 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 F105 Thunderchief (or "Thud") performed yoeman service on many
diversified missions in Southeast Asia. F105s flew more combat missions over
North Vietnam than any other USAF aircraft and consequently suffered the
heaviest losses in action. They dropped bombs by day and occasionally by
night from high or low altitude and some later versions (F105D in Wild
Weasel guise) attacked SAM sites with their radar tracking air-to-ground
missiles. This versatile aircraft was also credited with downing 25 Russian
MiGs.

Maj. Morris L. McDaniel had flown nearly 100 combat missions when he and
Capt. William A. Lillund were sent on a bombing mission into North Vietnam.
McDaniel was looking forward to returning home to his wife and three
children.

McDaniel and Lillund were flying an F105F "Wild Weasel" toward a target area
northwest of Hanoi. His last contact with American forces was when he made a
pre-strike refueling shortly before reaching the target area. His last known
location was approximately 10 miles northwest of the city of Phu Tho in Vinh
Phu Province, North Vietnam.

In 1973, 591 other American prisoners of war from North Vietnam. McDaniel
and Lillund were not among them. There were hundreds of men who were known
or suspected to be prisoners who were not released.

When American involvement ended in Vietnam, nearly 2500 Americans remained
prisoner, missing and unaccounted for. Unlike MIAs from other wars, the
large majority of these men can be accounted for. Further, the U.S.
Government has received over 10,000 sighting reports related to these
missing Americans. Many officials believe that Americans are still held in
captivity, yet we seem unable to achieve their freedom.

Morris L. McDaniel, Jr. was promoted to the rank of Colonel and William A.
Lillund to the rank of Major during the period they were maintained Missing
in Action.


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01/2020

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000KYizEAG

MAJ WILLIAM ALLAN LILLUND

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On October 4, 1967, an F-105 Thunderchief (tail number 63-8346, call sign "Splendid") carrying two crew members departed Korat Air Base, Thailand, on a night low-level strike mission over enemy targets in North Vietnam. The last known contact with the aircraft occurred just after it refueled over northern Thailand and headed towards its target, and it was not seen again. When the aircraft failed to return to base on schedule, electronic search efforts were conducted. The next day, search and rescue teams flew over the Thunderchief's flight path but failed to locate a crash site or either of the crew members.

Captain William Allan Lillund, who joined the U.S. Air Force from California, served with the 13th Tactical Fighter Squadron. He was the electronic warfare officer aboard the Thunderchief when it disappeared, and his remains were not recovered. After the incident, the Air Force promoted Capt Lillund to the rank of Major (Maj). Today, Major Lillund 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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