Bio, Holm, Arnold E. Jr.

Name: Arnold Edward Holm, Jr.
Rank/Branch: O3/US Army
Unit:
Date of Birth: 05 March 1944 (New London CT)
Home City of Record: Waterford CT
Date of Loss: 11 June 1972
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 162326N 1072407E (YD565135)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 3
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: OH6A
Refno: 1874

Source: Compiled 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 in 2020.

Other Personnel In Incident: Wayne Bibbs; Robin R. Yeakley (missing from one
OH6A); James E. Hackett; James R. McQuade, Richard D. Wiley (missing from
second OH6A).

SYNOPSIS: By December 1971, U.S. troops in-country had declined dramatically
- from the 1968 peak of nearly 55,000 to less than 30,000. The enemy,
temporarily on the defensive by the moves into Cambodia in 1970 and Laos in
1971, began deploying new NVA forces southward in preparation for another
major offensive.

In March 1972, the Vietnamese launched a three-pronged invasion of the
South. One NVA force swept south across the DMZ, its goal apparently the
conquest of the northern provinces and the seizure of Hue. A second NVA
force drove from Laos into the Central Highlands, and a third effort
involved a drive from Cambodia into provinces northwest of Saigon.

Fierce fighting ensued on all three fronts, with NVA success the greatest in
the northern provinces. Fighting continued until by June, the North
Vietnamese began withdrawing from some of their advance positions, still
holding considerable amounts of South Vietnamese territory in the northern
provinces.

On June 11, 1972, Capt. Arnold Holm, pilot, PFC Wayne Bibbs, gunner, and SP4
Robin Yeakley, passenger, were aboard an OH6A observation helicopter flying
from Camp Eagle to the Northern Provinces of South Vietnam on a visual
reconnaissance mission. The function of their "Loach" chopper was searching
out signs of the enemy around two landing zones (LZ's). The OH6 joined with
the AH1G Cobra gunship as "Pink Teams" to screen the deployment of air
cavalry troops. On this day, Holm's aircraft was monitoring an ARVN team
insertion.

During the mission, Holm reported that he saw enemy living quarters,
bunkers, and numerous trails. On his second pass over a ridge, at about 25'
altitude, the aircraft exploded and burned. It was reported that before the
aircraft crashed that smoke and white phosphorous grenades began exploding.
After the aircraft impacted with the ground, it exploded again. Other
aircraft in the area received heavy anti-aircraft fire. No one was seen to
exit the downed helicopter, nor were emergency radio beepers detected.

In another OH6A (tail #67-16275), 1Lt. James R. McQuade, pilot, and SP4
James E. Hackett, gunner, tried to enter the area of the crashed OH6A, but
encountered heavy fire and their aircraft was also shot down. McQuade's
aircraft was hit, and the intensity of the resulting fire caused white
phosphorous and smoke grenades carried aboard the aircraft to explode prior
to hitting the ground. The aircraft continued to burn after impact and no
crewmen left the ship before or after the crash.

No ground search was made for survivors or remains of either aircraft
because of hostile fire in the area.

There are unanswered questions remaining from Vietnam. Of the nearly 2500
Americans who did not return alive or dead, experts venture that hundreds
may still be alive. Thousands of reports have been received concerning them.
Whether the two OH6A crews are among those seems unlikely. But one can
imagine their willingness to deploy on one more combat team to bring those
who are alive home to freedom.

Search for missing Waterford native to resume in Vietnam
Remains of Arnold Holm may be in different location

A Pentagon team, armed with new information about the site where Waterford
native Arnold E. Holm Jr. was shot down over Vietnam in 1972, will search
for remains in a recovery effort next spring.....

Vietnam MIA honored
Family, friends and townspeople hear what's being done to find Arnold Holm.

WATERFORD -- Bill Cavalieri stood at the fence looking out over the football
field, his face buried in his hands hiding the tears.

It was here some 40 years ago that he and his friend and classmate Arnold
Holm did battle on the gridiron as co-captains of the Waterford High School
Lancers football team....

=====================
Vietnam MIA pilot may be found after 30 years
April 6, 2003
Eyewitness News via www.wfsb.com

WATERFORD -- For nearly 31 years, a Waterford man has been struggling to
discover what happened to his best friend, missing in action in Vietnam.
Now, there is new hope in the search.

Arnie Holm has been missing in action since his plane went down in Vietnam
in June of 1972. ....

Vietnam MIA honored
Family, friends and townspeople hear what's being done to find Arnold Holm.
By RAY HACKETT
Norwich Bulletin

WATERFORD -- Bill Cavalieri stood at the fence looking out over the football
field, his face buried in his hands hiding the tears.....

rhackett@norwichbulletin.com
Originally published Saturday, April 5, 2003
Copyright c2003 Norwich Bulletin

Gear Found On Ridge In Vietnam Could Point Way To Pilot From State Who
Crashed In '72

More than 34 years after he rode his helicopter in an explosive plunge into
the Vietnam jungle, the wreckage from U.S. Army Capt. Arnold "Dusty" Holm's
fatal descent has been discovered.....

Jul. 28--Knowing where U.S. Army Capt. Arnold "Dusty" Holm's remains can be
found isn't enough.....

NORWICH - The search for the remains of Waterford native Arnold Holm hit yet
another snag today, stealing some of the joy that came with an announcement
earlier this week his helicopter crash site had finally been found after 34
years.....

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/connecticut/ny-bc-ct--vietnamsearch0126jan26,0,397972.story
Excavation plans set in search for remains of Vietnam soldiers
Newsday, NY - 5 hours ago
WATERFORD, Conn. - The remains of a local Vietnam soldier missing in action
since 1972 along with two crewmates could be identified and returned to the
US ...

http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-remains0126.artjan26,0,5320021.story
Search Set For Vet's Remains
Hartford Courant, United States - 15 hours ago
By JESSE A. HAMILTON | Washington Bureau Chief January 26, 2008 The
excavation for a Waterford veteran's remains in Vietnam has finally been scheduled, ...

Remains Found In Vietnam Could Be Waterford Pilot's

By JESSE A. HAMILTON | Washington Bureau Chief

August 6, 2008

WASHINGTON - The remains of Capt. Arnold "Dusty" Holm, a Waterford Army pilot shot down in a Vietnam battle 36 years ago, might be among a handful of human bone fragments recovered in a U.S. military excavation recently completed near Hue City.

The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command team found a scant handful of human bone fragments,....
Contact Jesse A. Hamilton at jhamilton@courant.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CPT ARNOLD EDWARD HOLM JR.

Return to Service Member Profiles

Conflict
Service
Status
Date of Accounting

VIETNAM WAR
UNITED STATES ARMY
Accounted For
03/23/2011

On March 23, 2011, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now DPAA) identified the remains of Captain Arnold Edward Holm Jr., missing from the Vietnam War.

Captain Holm joined the U.S. Army from Connecticut and was a member of Troop F, 8th Cavalry Regiment. On June 11, 1972, he was the pilot of an OH-6A Cayuse helicopter carrying two other crew on a reconnaissance mission in Thua Thien-Hue Provence, Vietnam. While passing over a ridge in the target area, the OH-6A crashed and exploded, killing all three occupants. Enemy presence in the area prevented immediate search and recovery efforts at the crash site. Between 1993 and 2008, joint U.S. and Vietnamese search teams conducted investigations that eventually led to the identification of the OH-6A's crash site and the recovery of remains there. In 2011, modern forensic techniques were able to identify CPT Holm's remains from among those found at the site.

Captain Holm is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

If you are a family member of this serviceman, you may contact your casualty office representative to learn more about your service member.

CPT ARNOLD EDWARD HOLM Jr.

Unit
Historical Country of Loss
South Vietnam
Current Country of Loss
VIETNAM
Home of Record CT