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.
MIAs in incident; Tahsequah, Meech; McFee, Claude Douglas
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)
Claude McFee is listed on the "HONOR ROLL OF FORGOTTEN AMERICANS" yet is noted as having died "while missing" by the National Archive.
03/13/2021
- KOREAN WAR
- UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
- Unaccounted For
Late in the afternoon on December 6, 1950, a B-26 Invader (tail number 44-34222) departed Iwakuni Air Base, Japan, with a crew of three. The briefed mission was a night intruder operation north of Seoul, Korea. Due to a solid cloud cover over most of Korea, they were forced to drop their payload based on an estimated time of arrival and began searching for targets of opportunity. Unable to see any terrain features, the pilot decided to return to base by way of Seoul and Teagu. Inclement weather interfered with navigation and radio equipment throughout the flight, making it difficult to stay on course. When the fuel was almost exhausted, the pilot was able to contact two ground stations in Japan, which provided a course to Japan. Unfortunately, before the Invader could reach land, the engines cut out and it became necessary to bail out. The next day, the navigator was rescued. Rescuers were unable to locate the pilot or the gunner, and both men remain unaccounted-for.
Staff Sergeant Claude Douglas McFee, who joined the U.S. Air Force from Texas, was assigned to the 8th Bombardment Squadron, 3rd Bombardment Group. He was the gunner aboard this Invader when it was lost. The surviving aviator from this loss reported that, he believes that the gunner exited the aircraft it crashed into the water. As this loss was very near to west coast of Japan, it is highly unlikely that SSgt McFee ever in enemy hands or seen at any known holding point, interrogation center, hospital, or permanent POW camp. He remains unaccounted-for. Today, Staff Sergeant McFee 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 Non-recoverable.
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.