HINES, VAUGHN MAURICE
Name: Vaughn Maurice Hines Rank/Branch: E3/US Army Unit: 244th Aviation Company, 1st Aviation Brigade Date of Birth: 16 February 1947 (Klamath Falls OR) Home City of Record: Arcadia CA Date of Loss: 08 November 1967 Country of Loss: South Vietnam/Over Water Loss Coordinates: 083929N 1051727E (WQ320570) Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered Category: 5 Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: OV1C Refno: 0898
Other Personnel In Incident: Lawrence Chris Suttlehan (remains recovered)
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 1998.
REMARKS:
SYNOPSIS: On November 8, 1967, Maj. Lawrence C. Suttlehan, pilot, and PFC Vaughn M. Hines, observer, were in an OV1C (tail #603746, call sign Delta Hawk 5) on an aerial reconnaissance mission off the southern coast of Vietnam.
There were numerous naval craft offshore in the area, and the aircraft was observed to make several low level passes over some of them. On one low level pass, the aircraft was seen to start a climb and roll to the left engine in an inverted position. A recovery back to the right was attempted, but the left wing struck the water and the aircraft crashed and disintegrated.
One of the naval craft was on the scene of the crash within 2 minutes, but the aircraft had already disappeared beneath the water. There was some floating wreckage and debris which the crew off the boat retrieved. The debris identified the crew of the aircraft as being Suttleman and Hines. Some remains were also recovered and identified as those of Maj. Suttleman.
A search for Hines was continued, but proved unsuccessful. An over water/at sea casualty resolution operation was conducted during the period of July - September 1973 to determine the feasability or desirability of expanding such operations to be used in cases such as this. Based on the combined factors of cost and lack of any positive results whatsoever, the at sea operations were terminated. It was determined that there was no hope of recovering Hines' body.
Vaughn Hines is listed with honor among the missing because no remains were found. His case seems quite clear. For others who are listed missing, resolution is not as simple. Many were known to have survived their loss incident. Quite a few were in radio contact with search teams and describing an advancing enemy. Some were photographed or recorded in captivity. Others simply vanished without a trace.
Reports continue to mount that we abandoned hundreds of Americans to the enemy when we left Southeast Asia. While Hines may not be among them, one can imagine his willingness to fly one more mission to gather the intelligence needed to secure their rescue and flight to freedom.