Data Sources - Air Force Manual No. 200-25A, Department of the Air Force, Washington, October 16, 1961 page 1. Sanitized copy. National Archives KOREAN Conflict Casualty File (KCCF) 1950-1954.
Others in incident; Shields, Thomas L.; Webb, Edward Arvil; West, Carl Emmons; Hamblin, Robert W.; Penninger, Roger William; Wahlgren, Edward Charles; O'Neal, Julius Elliot
03/92 -- Korea, and the men yet to be accounted for -- the "official list" -- is a list of U.S. servicemen known to have been
held as prisoners of war by the red Chinese and North Koreans from the Korean War
but not released or accounted for by the communists, as released on May 27,
1957 at a hearing of the House Subcommittee on the Far East and Pacific by the Department
of Defense.
The lists, the printed minutes of the May 27, 1957 hearing and the
"sense of congress" resolution were subsequently buried in the
archives. The original list had 450 names compiled from American POWS who were
repatriated by the Reds, as well as from photographs released by the Reds, Chinese
radio propaganda broadcasts, and letters written home by captured men. The "revised" list was narrowed down in august of 1961 to 389 men, and
all were arbitrarily declared dead by the military services, the USG still
lists them as "unaccounted for".
Names and ranks only were released at the time, and printed in "The
Spotlight" on August 27, 1979, along with the above information and background.
Further information has been compiled by the P.O.W. Network from the Hawaii POW/MIA
Korean Memorial records, National Archives documentation, and public United
States Air Force documentation, and changes made to the original published
information. (FEBRUARY 1992)
Joseph Stephen Dougherty is listed on the "HONOR ROLL OF FORGOTTEN AMERICANS" yet is listed as having "died while missing" by the National Archive.
03/12/2021
- KOREAN WAR
- UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
- Unaccounted For
Early in the morning, on October 23, 1951, a B-29 Superfortress (serial number 44-70151/call sign Charlie 1) departed Kadena Air Base, Japan with thirteen-member crew. The briefed mission was a 10 ship (plus fighter support), 3-flight daylight Short Range Navigation (SHORAN) bombing operation, targeting the Namsi Airfield, southwest of Kusong, Korea. This Superfortress was the lead aircraft in the third flight. As the lead flight (Able) approached the initial point, enemy MiG-15s attacked the formation. With the formation under heavy attack and Charlie leader more than a mile off target, the pilot decided to head for a secondary target. At that moment, the aircraft was hit with 40 mm cannon fire from the attacking MiG-15s, resulting in heavy damage; there were large holes both wings and the one of the four engines was on fire. Although the aircraft was barely controllable and rapidly descending, the pilot managed to fly the Superfortress over the Korea Bay, near Chinnampo. before giving the order to bailing out. Of the 13 crewmembers on board, as many as seven were able to jump, or were thrown clear of the aircraft. In the hours that followed, Air-Sea Recue pulled four survivors from the water. A fifth crewman, the Shoran operator, was seen floating face-up in the water but rescuers were unable to recover the body. Search efforts continued for several days without results.
Staff Sergeant Joseph Stephen Dougherty Jr., who entered the U.S. Air Force from Pennsylvania, was assigned to the 370th Bombardment Squadron, 307th Bombardment wing. He was the radio operator aboard this Superfortress when it was lost. Although SSgt Dougherty was observed exiting the aircraft, he was not one of the survivors rescued from the water. No returning POWs mentioned contact with SSgt Dougherty, nor was he seen at any known holding point, interrogation center, hospital, or permanent POW camp. He remains unaccounted-for. Today, Staff Sergeant Dougherty 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 Deferred.
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.