Bio, Mangino, Thomas A.

Name: Thomas Angelo Mangino
Rank/Branch: E4/US Army
Unit: Company A, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry, 196th Light Infantry Brigade
Date of Birth: 16 March 1944 (Lyons OH)
Home City of Record: Alliance OH
Loss Date: 21 April 1967
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 152118N 1084704E (BS622987)
Status (in 1973): Missing In Action
Category: 2
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: Sampan
Refno: 0646

Other Personnel In Incident: Paul A. Hasenback; David M. Winters; Daniel R.
Nidds; (all missing)

HASENBACK, PAUL ALFRED (Spelling is different depending on the source:
WALL - BECK, POW/CIA records BACK)

Source: Compiled 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

SYNOPSIS: On April 21, 1967, SP4 Thomas A. Mangino, leader; PFC Paul
Hasenback, PFC David M. Winters and PFC Daniel R. Nidds, riflemen; were
returning from a combat patrol in the second of two sampans 100 meters apart
near Chu Lai, Quang Ngai Province, South Vietnam.

Just before arriving at their destination, a Vietnamese civilian was seen
moving in his sampan toward the sampan carrying SP4 Mangino's squad. Another
sampan with 3 Vietnamese women was moving toward the first sampan, in which
the platoon leader rode. The first sampan started to leak, so proceeded
faster around and headed toward the beach. The Vietnamese women were still
following the first sampan. The distance between the two sampans carrying
the Americans was 200-250 meters.

The last time the platoon leader saw Mangino's sampan, the Vientamese
civilian was talking with SP4 Mangino's squad. The platoon leader's sampan
arrived at the beach 45 minutes later, and waited 20 minutes, then reported
to the command post that Mangino's sampan had not yet arrived.

Two hours after the platoon leader's sampan beached, SP4 Mangino's sampan
had still not arrived, so search efforts were begun. Two platoons searched
the area, and a helicopter searched from the air using a loud speaker. All
efforts were unsuccessful in locating Mangino and his squad.

Navy divers searched the river area without success. All aboard Mangino's
sampan knew how to swim. The Army strongly suspects that the enemy knows
what happened to Mangino and his squad.

Although returned POWs did not report having seen the men lost on the
sampan, Nidd's photo was identified by a refugee as having been a prisoner
of war. The circumstances surrounding their loss indicates the strong
possibility, at least, that the enemy forces knew their fates.

Mangino and his squad are among nearly 2500 in Southeast Asia who did not
return from the war. Unlike "MIAs" from other wars, most of these men can be
accounted for. Further, and even more significant, mounting evidence
indicates that there are hundreds of them still alive in captivity.

Refugees fleeing Southeast Asia have come with reports of Americans still
held in captivity. There are many such reports that withstand the closest
scrutiny the U.S. Government can give, yet official policy admits only to
the "possibility" that Americans remain as captives in Southeast Asia.

Until serious negotiations begin on Americans held in Southeast Asia, the
families of nearly 2500 Americans will wonder, "Where are they?" And the
families of many, many more future fighting men will wonder, "Will our sons
be abandoned, too?"

                                                                [r0646.97
                                PROJECT X
                         SUMMARY SELECTION RATIONAL

RATIONALE FOR SELECTION: When last seen, all of the men were alive and
unhurt in a sampan, and all could swim. An extensive search found nothing.
One informant report indicates possible capture, but there have been no
subsequent reports of death for any of the individuals in this incident.

1. On 21 April 1967, SP4 Thomas Mangino squad leader, and PFC's Paul A.
Hasenbeck, David M. Winters and Daniel R. Nidds, riflemen,- were returning
from a combat patrol in Quang Ngai Province in South Vietnam in the second
of two sampans. Just before arriving at their destination, in the vicinity
of grid coordinates BS 622 987, a Vietnamese civilian was seen moving in
his sampan toward the sampan with SP4 Mangino's squad. Another sampan with
three Vietnamese women was moving toward the first sampan in which the
platoon leader rode. The first sampan started to leak, so proceeded faster
around a jetty toward the beach. The Vietnamese women were still following
the first sampan, as they had loaned it to the platoon. The distance
between the two sampans carrying the platoon was now 200 to 250 meters. The
last time the platoon leader saw the second sampan the Vietnamese civilian
was talking with SP/4 Mangino's squad. The first sampan arrived on the
beach 45-minutes later. The platoon leader waited 20 minutes more and then
reported to the command post that the second sampan had not arrived.

2. Two hours after the first sampan beached, SP4 squad still had not
arrived, so a search effort was begun. Two platoons searched the area, and
helicopters, one with a loudspeaker, searched from the air. All efforts
were unsuccessful. Naval divers searched in the area of the last sighting
(vicinity BS 622 987) without success. All personnel on board the second
sampan could swim. (Ref 1)

3. An informant reported that on 5 May (1967) he had seen four US prisoners
of war who had been captured at (GC) 630 005 by a Viet Cong unit on the
date of this incident. (This information correlates well by time and
location, although there is no other information available for
verification. (Ref 2)

4. During the existence of JCRC,, the limited information available
precluded any efforts toward the resolution of this case. These
individuals' names and identifying data were turned over to Four-Party
Joint Military Team with a request for any information available. No
response was forthcoming.

5. SP4 Mangino, and PFC Winters are currently carried in the status of
Missing in Action. PFC Hasenbeck and PFC Nidds are carried in the
presumptive status of Dead, Body Not Recovered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SSG THOMAS ANGELO MANGINO

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Conflict
Service
Status

VIETNAM WAR
UNITED STATES ARMY
Unaccounted For

On April 21, 1967, two groups of four Americans each were aboard two sampans (small wooden boats) on the Tra Bong River near Quang Ngai Province making a return trip from a forward combat patrol. During the journey, the first sampan developed a leak, and the boat accelerated around a peninsula in order to reach shore as fast as possible; however, this broke visual contact between the two boats. The first sampan reached shore and waited for the second sampan, but it never appeared. The second sampan was last seen being escorted by a group of Vietnamese fishermen. Immediate searches of the area were unsuccessful in locating the missing boat or the four men who were aboard it. Extensive dives in the river and aerial searches were conducted in the days following the disappearance but were similarly unsuccessful.

Staff Sergeant Thomas Angelo Mangino entered the U.S. Army from Ohio and served in Company A, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 196th Light Infantry Brigade. He was aboard the second sampan when it went missing, and attempts to locate him or his remains following the incident were unsuccessful. Today, Staff Sergeant Mangino 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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SSG THOMAS ANGELO MANGINO

Unit CO A 4BN 31 INF 196 LT INF BDE
Historical Country of Loss
South Vietnam
Current Country of Loss
VIETNAM
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