WOLFKILL GRANT FASSELL

RIP  June 14, 2017

Name: Grant Fassell Wolfkill
Branch/Rank: Civilian
Unit: Air America
Date of Birth:  29 November 1922
Home City of Record: Seattle WA
Date of Loss: 15 May 1961
Country of Loss: LAOS
Loss Coordinates: 193000 North  1030000 East
Status (in 1973):
Category:
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: H34
Missions:
Other Personnel in Incident: John McMorrow, Edward Shore, released
Refno: 0008

Source: Compiled by P.O.W. NETWORK from one or more of the following: raw
data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA
families, published sources, interviews and CACCF = Combined Action
Combat Casualty File. 2018

REMARKS: 08/17/62 RELEASED

No further information available at this time.

 

Subject: Update information
Date: Tue, 26 Dec 2017 06:58:01 +0000 (UTC)
From: Justin Jackson-Mann 
 
Hi:

I found the obituary for Grant Wolfkill http://www.pownetwork.org/bios/w/w134.htm with some more information about him at http://www.usmccca.org/archives/11156 which also has his photograph in case you want to add it to your site.
 
His full name was Grant Fassett Wolfkill.
 
His DOB is November 29, 1922.  He died on June 14, 2017 at his residence in Shelton, Washington at age 94.
 
He worked for NBC as a field producer. While with NBC, Grant was assigned to cover a pending peace conference in Laos. His helicopter was shot down over Laos, and he, the pilot Army Captain Edward R. Shore, Jr. and a Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class John P. McMorrow were captured, imprisoned and shackled for fifteen-months by the communist Pathet Lao.  He was released on  August 17, 1962 with Shore and McMorrow, along with Special Forces Sergeant Orville R. Ballenger and Army Major Lawrence R. Bailey, 
 
The aircraft information is at http://www.helis.com/database/cn/18772/ 

 
The Military Times has a webpage for Edward Shore https://www.pownetwork.org/bios/s/s171.htm  which gives his full name as Edward Riddick Shore, Jr. and has a photograph of him at http://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient.php?recipientid=27975 and his home of record is Knoxville Tennessee

 
Subject:   News article from the Adirondack Enterprise dated August 17, 1962
Date:   Sat, 6 Jan 2018 13:03:10 +0000 (UTC)
From:   Justin Jackson-Mann

 
 
Five Americans freed by Reds in Vietnam
VIENTIANE American , Laos (AP)—Five Americans and a Filipino held captive for more than a year by pro-Communist forces were released today.
The men, who had all grown beards during their captivity,  were cheered by a crowd of several hundred as they emerged from the twin-engine Soviet plane that brought them to Vientiane from Pathet Lao headquarters in the Plaine des Jarres.
Those released were Maj. Lawrence Bailey, Laurel, Md., assistant military attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Vientiane; John McMorrow, Brooklyn, N.Y.; John Shore Jr., Galloway, Tenn.; Sgt. Orville Ballenger, Columbus, Ohio;  NBC cameraman Grant Wolfkill of Shelton, Wash., and Lorenzo Frigillana of the Philippines...