ACREE, CLIFFORD M.

Name: Clifford M. Acree
Rank/Branch: O5/US Marine Corps
Unit: VMO2
Age: 39
Home City: Oceanside CA
Date of Loss: 18 January 1991
Country of Loss: Kuwait
Loss Coordinates:
Status: Released 03/05/91
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: OV10

Other Personnel in Incident: Guy Hunter, Jr. (released)

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 09 March 1991 from one
or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources,
published sources, interviews. Updated by the POW NETWORK 2002.

REMARKS: OPERATION DESERT STORM

SYNOPSIS: The OV10 Bronco was among the aircraft most feared by the Viet
Cong and NVA forces during the Vietnam war, because whenever the Bronco
appeared overhead, an air strike seemed certain to follow. Although the
glassed-in cabin could become uncomfortably warm, it provided splendid
visibility. The two-man crew had armor protection and could use machine guns
and bombs to attack, as well as rockets to mark targets for fighter bombers.
This versatility enabled the plane to fly armed reconnaissance missions, in
addition to serving as vehicle for forward air controllers.

LtCol. Clifford Acree and Chief Warrant Officer Guy L. Hunter, Jr. were the
crew of an OV10 Bronco in the Middle East when U.S. air forces were again
called into action in January 1991. Acree was the pilot of the aircraft
while Hunter was the observation officer. The two were assigned to Marine
squadron VM02, of which Acree was the commander. Both had been stationed at
Camp Pendleton, California, prior to being sent to the Persian Gulf. During
the first wave of offensive strikes against Iraqi military targets, the
aircraft was flying a reconnaissance mission was downed by a surface-to-air
missile (SAM) and both Acree and Hunter were captured by Iraqi forces. Their
location is uncertain, as various reports state southern Kuwait or Iraq.

On January 20, 1991, Hunter and Acree appeared on Iraqi television in an
apparent propaganda effort by their Iraqi captors. First the voice
interviews, followed by the videotapes were released by Cable News Network
(CNN). Hunter and Acree appeared to be speaking under extreme duress. Also
on January 20, the Iraqis stated that their POWs would be used as "human
shields" to protect their important military targets from strikes by Allied
forces.

On March 6, 1991, Hunter and Acree were released by the Iraqis. Although the
military personnel released have said very little publicly, some have stated
that they were well-treated. Most of the POWs were held near an intelligence
complex at Basra.

Clifford M. Acree will soon rejoin his wife, Cindy. Acree has an 11-year-old
daughter, Stephany, from a former marriage who lives with her mother in San
Diego. Acree is the son of Marvin "Bill" and Delia Acree, and has a sister,
Brayman, of Lynnwood, Washington. Acree grew up in the Seattle, Washington,
area and attended Shoreline Community College there.

In 2000, Cynthia Acree with Col. Cliff Acree, USMC released THE GULF BETWEEN US -
Love and Terror in Desert Storm. The book traces the 7 month they were apart.