DOUGLAS, THOMAS EVAN

Name: Thomas Evan Douglas
Rank/Branch: E4/US Marine Corps
Unit: HMM 362, MAG 36
Date of Birth: 08 November 1938
Home City of Record: Northwest Warren OH
Date of Loss: 22 November 1965
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 151605N 1085022E (BT720060)
Status (in 1973): Missing In Action
Category: 2
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: UH34D
Refno: 0195

Other Personnel In Incident: Richard A. Miller; Victor J. Pirker; Francis E.
Visconti (all missing)

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 October 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 2020.

REMARKS:

SYNOPSIS: On November 22, 1965, Capt. Francis E. Visconti was the pilot of a
UH34D helicopter flying with other aircraft on a combat mission in South
Vietnam. Bad weather forced Visconti's aircraft out to sea about halfway
between Chu Lai and Quang Ngai, and he was separated from the rest of the
group.

Also onboard the aircraft were Capt. Richard A. Miller, Cpl. Thomas E.
Douglas, and Cpl. Victor J. Pirker, all from the same unit. The helicopter
went down and all four Marines were classified Missing in Action. The
casualty is listed as battle related, which means the aircraft was probably
hit by enemy fire. The U.S. believes that the Vietnamese could account for
the four men.

There has been no word of any of the crew of that ill-fated chopper since
that day. The Vietnamese have denied any knowledge of them.

Evidence mounts that Americans are still alive in Southeast Asia. There have
been hundreds of eye-witnesses who have said they personally saw them. It is
not known whether any of the crew of the UH34 helicopter survived and are
among those said to be alive and still held prisoner, but someone's brother,
son, husband, or father is alive. We owe them our very best effort to bring
them home.

Richard A. Miller and Francis E. Visconti were promoted to the rank of
Major, Thomas E. Douglas to the rank of Staff Sergeant during the period
they were maintained missing.

=======================
Subj:POW / MIAs
Date:4/20/2003 2:49:50 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From:OutAGas88

Hello, I'm the daughter of Thomas E. Douglas. The name on your MIA / POW
braclet. I just wanted to tell you how touched I am to find out there are
still people wearing a braclet with my dads name on it. Our goverment wants
to forget about all these men how they are still unaccounted for, but people
like you refuse to forget. And its awsome to find out that you are only
about 1 hour from me. When my family took our vac. last summer we stopped in
washington, so my kids could see the WALL. And at one of the little stands ,
I was looking through all the braclets that they had, and to my surprise, I
found one with my dads name on it. It was the only braclet they had from
Ohio. Was that not a blessing from GOD ??? I started to cry my eyes out
standing there , the man working took the braclet out of the little bag and
handed it to me. He said that was the least he could do. I put it on and
vowed never to take it off, until my dad comes home where he belongs. This
is so very hard for me, beacuse I feel that the USG took such a very
important part of my life away from me. I was only 1 year old when my dad
left, so I dont really know him , but bottom line, hes my DAD , and I love
him so very much. I will never give up hope. It may not be in this life but
1 day I will be with him , and then no one will ever take him away again. So
I just want to say from the very bottom of my heart , THANK YOU again for
not forgetting the "forgotten." My love goes out to you. If you would like
to e-mail me some time , my e-mail address is  outagas88@aol.com And my name
is Deanna. I will be looking forward to hearing from you.

                                                   Sincerely,

                                                        Deanna

 

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01/2020

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt00000001U9tEAE

GYSGT THOMAS EVAN DOUGLAS

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On November 22, 1965, a UH-34D Choctaw (bureau number 147180) carrying four crew members participated in a troop lift of Marines into Trach Tru, a South Vietnamese outpost south of Quang Ngai. On the return trip, heavy enemy fire and declining weather caused hazardous flying conditions. The helicopter flew over water along the shore to avoid enemy ground fire, and the flight was eventually diverted to Chu Lai. The Choctaw made routine radio contact when it was nearing Chu Lai, in the vicinity of (GC) 49P BT 720 060, but was not heard from again after that check-in. Intensive searches failed to find a crash site or any crew members.

Corporal Thomas Evan Douglas, who joined the U.S. Marine Corps from Ohio, served with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 362, Marine Air Group 36, 1st Marine Air Wing. He was a crew member aboard the Choctaw when it disappeared on November 22, 1965, and his remains were not recovered. After the incident, the Marine Corps promoted Cpl Douglas to the rank of Gunnery Sergeant (GySgt). Today, Gunnery Sergeant Douglas 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 Active Pursuit.

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.

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