Bio, Pietsch, Robert E.

Missing Airmen From Vietnam War Accounted For

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of two U.S. servicemen, missing from the Vietnam War, have been accounted for and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors.

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Robert E. Pietsch, 31, of Pittsburgh, Pa., and Maj. Louis F. Guillermin, 25, of West Chester, Pa.,will be buried as a group Oct. 16, in a single casket representing the two servicemen at Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D.C. Guillermin's individual remains weres buried Oct. 5, 2013, in Broomall, Pa.

On April 30, 1968, Guillermin and Pietsch were on an armed-reconnaissance mission when their A-26A Invader aircraft crashed in Savannakhet Province, Laos. Witnesses saw an explosion on the ground and did not see any signs of survivors. Search and rescue efforts were unsuccessful, and Guillermin and Pietsch were listed as Missing in Action.

In 1994, a joint U.S./Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR) team, lead by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), surveyed the crash site in Savannakhet Province, Laos. The team recovered human remains and evidence, but was unable to fully survey the site due to the presence of dangerous unexploded ordinance.

In 2006, joint U.S./LPDR teams assisted by Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel cleared the site and gathered additional human remains and evidence, such as personal effects and crew-related equipment.

The remains recovered were analyzed by scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory using circumstantial evidence and forensic analysis, such as mtDNA comparisons. Portions of the remains were individually identified as Guillermin through an mtDNA match from a hair sample from Guillermin's medical file. The rest of the remains recovered were not individually identified, but correspond to both Pietsch and Guillermin.

There are more than 1,640 American service members still unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War.

More years passed, but in 1994, a team of U.S. and Laotian personnel led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting
Command surveyed the crash site. No one knew for ...

Subject:	Maj Robert Pietsch 5-1-68
Date:	Sat, 8 Feb 2020 11:05:02 -0500
From:	MARY LYNN SMITH <marylynn.smith@gmail.com>

I still have the Bracelet I wore in high school in the 70’s. I am 60 now. I wore it for years. I prayed for the safe return of Maj Pietsch as well as my uncles who served in Vietnam in the army. My uncles came home. If the family of a Robert would like the bracelet, please let me know. His sacrifice, as well as the sacrifice of every service member, should be remembered and honored. I am sorry for your tremendous loss. Sincerely, Mary Lynn Smith-Ytuarte Marylynn.smith@gmail.com

LT COL ROBERT EDWARD PIETSCH

Conflict
Service
Status
Date of Accounting

VIETNAM WAR
UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
Accounted For
05/31/2013

On May 31, 2013, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now DPAA) identified the remains of Lieutenant Colonel Robert Edward Pietsch, missing from the Vietnam War.

Lieutenant Colonel Pietsch entered the U.S. Air Force from Pennsylvania and was a member of the 609th Air Commando Squadron. On April 30, 1968, he piloted an A-26A Invader carrying one other crew member on an armed-reconnaissance mission to enemy targets in Laos. While over the Savannakhet Province, the Invader was shot down by enemy fire, killing Lt Col Pietsch. His remains could not be recovered at the time. In 1994, a joint U.S./Laotian team surveyed the crash site and recovered human remains but was unable to fully survey the site due to unexploded ordnance. In 2006, explosive ordnance disposal personnel cleared the site, and the team was able to gather additional evidence. Modern forensic technology was eventually able to identify Lt Col Pietsch among the remains recovered.

Lieutenant Colonel Pietsch is memorialized in the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

If you are a family member of this serviceman, you may contact your casualty office representative to learn more about your service member.

Lt Col ROBERT EDWARD PIETSCH