WHITE, JAMES BLAIR

Remains Returned
Identification announced 07/14/17

Name: James Blair White
Rank/Branch: O3/US Air Force
Unit: 357th Tactical Fighter Squadron
Date of Birth: 14 March 1942
Home City of Record: St. Petersburg FL
Date of Loss: 24 November 1969
Country of Loss: Laos
Loss Coordinates: 193500N 1033100E (UG318745)
Status (in 1973): Missing in Action
Category: 4
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: F105D
Refno: 1529
Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing)


Pre-capture photo

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 01 September 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 2000 with information from the National
Alliance of Families. 2020.

REMARKS:

SYNOPSIS: The F105 Thunderchief ("Thud"), in its various versions, flew more
missions against North Vietnam than any other U.S. aircraft. It also
suffered more losses, partially due to its vulnerability, which was
constantly under revision.

Capt. James B. White was the pilot of an F105D assigned a mission north of
the Plain of Jars region of Xiangkhoang Province, Laos, on November 24,
1969. This area was long controlled by the communist Pathet Lao and a
continual effort had been made by the secret CIA-directed force of some
30,000 indigenous tribesmen to strengthen anti-communist strongholds there.
The U.S. committed hundreds of millions of dollars to the war effort in
Laos. Details of the "secret war" in Laos were not released until August
1971.

White was flying as the number two aircraft from his base at Takhli,
Thailand. According to the Air Force, White simply failed to return to base,
and no other details are given. White was classified Missing in Action, and
it is uncertain if the enemy could account for him.

Because Laos was "neutral", and because the U.S. continued to state they
were not at war with Laos (although we were regularly bombing North
Vietnamese traffic along the border and conducted assaults against communist
strongholds thoughout the country at the behest of the anti-communist
government of Laos), and did not recognize the Pathet Lao as a government
entity, the U. S. did not negotiate for Americans lost in Laos.

The Pathet Lao stated that they would release the "tens of tens" of American
prisoners they held only from Laos. At war's end, however, no American held
in Laos was released.

Mounting evidence indicates that hundreds of Americans are still alive in
captivity in Southeast Asia. One of them could be James B. White. He proudly
served his country. He deserves better than abandonment.

James Blair White graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in
1964. He was promoted to the rank of Major during the period he was missing.
 

From - Sun Jan 23 08:18:39 2000
From: Lynn OShea <lynnpowmia@prodigy.net>

This really doesn't pertain to his POW/MIA status but does show the tragedy
suffered by one military family.

James White's brother was Astronaut Edward H. White.  Edward White (an AF
Col.)  was killed on January 27, 1967, along with Astronauts Gus Grissiom
and Roger Chaffee, when a fire swept through their Apollo spacecraft during
training session.

The father was a retired AF General, at the time.  He lost both his children.

From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 14 July, 2017 11:47
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Airman Missing From Vietnam War Accounted For (White)

 

Dear Sir/Ma'am,

 

Air Force Maj. James B. White, missing from the Vietnam War, has now been

accounted for.

 

http://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/Recent-News-Stories/Article/1247773/
airman-missing-from-the-vietnam-war-accounted-for-white/

 

On Nov. 24, 1969 Capt. James B. White, a member of the 357th Tactical

Fighter Squadron, was aboard an F-105D aircraft, in a flight attacking enemy

troops. During the mission, weather conditions deteriorated and contact with

White was lost after his first pass. On Nov. 28, an Air America helicopter

sighted wreckage, thought to be White's aircraft. A Laotian ground team

searched the area and found small pieces of wreckage, but no remains were

recovered. White was subsequently declared missing in action.

 

Interment services are pending; a formal notification will be released 7-10

days prior to scheduled funeral services.

 

The support from the government of Laos was vital to the success of this

recovery.

 

For more information about DPAA, visit www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media

at www.facebook.com/dodpaa, or call 703-699-1420.

 

From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 11 June, 2018 13:28
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Airman Accounted-For From The Vietnam War To Be Buried With Full Military Honors

 

Dear Editor

 

Air Force Maj. James B. White, accounted for on June 16, 2017, will be

buried June 19 in West Point, New York.

 

White, 27, of St. Petersburg, Florida, was killed during the Vietnam War.

 

His wife, Sharon Cook, is available for interviews at (727) 686-6875.

 

The Department of Defense has no photos of White on file.

 

For more information, contact:

 

SFC Kristen Duus

Chief of External Communications

Public Affairs NCOIC- D.C. Directorate

Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

2300 Defense Pentagon

Washington, D.C 20301-2300

(703) 699-1420

Kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil

 

OR:

 

Chuck Prichard, APR

Director, Public Affairs

Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA)

(703) 699-1169

charles.l.prichard.civ@mail.mil

 

/////

 

On Nov. 24, 1969, White, a member of the 357th Tactical Fighter Squadron,

was aboard an F-105D aircraft, in a flight attacking enemy troops.  During

the mission, weather conditions deteriorated and contact with White was lost

after his first pass.  On Nov. 28, an Air America helicopter sighted

wreckage, thought to be White's aircraft.  A Laotian ground team searched

the area and found small pieces of wreckage, but no remains were recovered.

White was subsequently declared missing in action.

 

In August 1998, a Laotian villager led a joint U.S./Lao People's Democratic

Republic (L.P.D.R.) team to a crash site.  The team searched the site and

found wreckage and material evidence, possibly correlating the site to

White's incident. 

 

In the spring of 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2016, joint U.S./L.P.D.R. teams

excavated an F-105D crash site associated with the loss and recovered

possible human remains and material evidence.  After each excavation,

remains were sent to the Central Identification Laboratory, where they were

consolidated. 

 

To identify White, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical

Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, dental and

anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.

 

The support from the government of Laos was vital to the success of this

recovery.

 

Today there are 1,597 American servicemen and civilians who are still

unaccounted for from the Vietnam War.  White's name is recorded on the

Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in

Honolulu, along with others unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War. A rosette

will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

 

For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account

for missing Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the

DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at

www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

 

White's personnel profile can be viewed at

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000BTSREA4
http://www.tampabay.com/news/military/veterans/Fifty-years-after-he-disappeared-over-Laos-remains-of-Northeast-High-grad-return-home_169158382
 

Fifty years after he disappeared over Laos, remains of Northeast High grad return home

 

Howard AltmanTimes staff writer
Published: 
Updated: June 18, 2018 at 06:24 PM
 

ST. PETERSBURG — In November 1969, at a hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, Air Force Capt. James White and his wife Sharon enjoyed their last night out together, dining on hotel room service with family friends Neil and Janet Armstrong.

It was four months after Armstrong took the first walk on the moon. On a whirlwind global tour, he was visiting the younger brother of Air Force Lt. Col. Ed White, a former neighbor and one of three astronauts who had died two years earlier when fire engulfed the Apollo 1 capsule at Cape Kennedy....
http://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1555375/vietnam-fighter-pilot-finally-comes-home/
 
According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, White, a 357th ... with veterans, POW/MIA supporters, friends and members also attended.

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

02/2020

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000BTSREA4

MAJ JAMES BLAIR WHITE

Return to Service Member Profiles

On July 14, 2017, the Defense POW/MIA Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Major James Blair White, missing from the Vietnam War.

Major White, who joined the U.S. Air Force from Ohio, served with the 375th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 355 Tactical Fighter Wing. On November 24, 1969, he was the pilot of an F-105 Thunderchief (tail number 61-0060, call sign "Shark 02") in a flight of two aircraft on a strike mission over the Plain of Jars in Xiangkhoang Province, Laos. As he attacked the target, weather conditions deteriorated, and Maj White's aircraft crashed for unknown reasons after pulling off the target into heavy cloud cover. He did not survive the incident, and searchers located a crash site four days later but could not locate his remains. Between 2010 and 2016, excavations were conducted at the crash site and human remains were recovered. Modern forensic techniques were eventually able to identify the remains as those of Maj White. 

Major White is memorialized on 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.