KOSH,  GERALD EMIL

RIP 27 Oct 2002

Name: Gerald Emil Kosh
Rank/Branch:  CIV
Unit: 
Date of Birth:25 October 1946
Home of Birth: Philadelphia, PA
Date of Loss: 19 January 1974
Country of Loss: Paracel Islands, South China Sea
Loss Coordinates: 
Status: Returnee
Category:
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: Ground
Missions: 
Other Personnel in Incident:  South Vietnamese Soldiers

Source: Compiled by P.O.W. NETWORK from one or more of the following: raw
data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA
families, published sources, interviews. Updated in 2017 with information from
Justin Jackson-Mann.

REMARKS: 740131 RELEASED BY CHINA

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Subject:   KOSH GERALD E. CIV 19-Jan-74. Released in Hong Kong 01/31/74
Date:   Thu, 21 Dec 2017 03:32:31 +0000 (UTC)
From:   Justin Jackson-Mann
 

Hi:
 

Gerald Emil Kosh (B. October 25, 1946 Philadelphia, PA) was a former U.S. Army
Special Forces Captain and a civilian adviser attached to the South Vietnamese forces
during a conflict against the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) with the Republic of
Vietnam (South Vietnam) in the Paracel Islands on January 19, 1974. The battle was
an attempt by the Republic of Vietnam Navy to expel the Chinese Navy from the vicinity.
 
He was captured with the Vietnamese on Pattle Island. He was described as a “regional
liaison officer” for the American embassy in Saigon on assignment with the South Vietnamese
Navy.  China released him from custody on January 31 without comment.
 
He died in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 27, 2002 according to 
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/72876246
 
He also has a webpage on the Military Times at 
http://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient.php?recipientid=28080 
and there is a newspaper article at 
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2002&dat=19740123&id=nfsqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UNoFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6167,1699413 
and 
https://news.google.com/newspapersnid=2199&dat=19740129&id=lIZhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=begFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5788,3609868 
 
Also, see this http://visiblecontents.blogspot.com/2012/07/gerald-emil-kosh.html
 
Wikipedia has an article on the battle at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Paracel_Islands

 
Sincerely,

 
Justin Jackson-Mann
El Segundo, CA

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http://www.nytimes.com/1974/01/25/archives/u-s-queries-china-on-fate-of-aide-lost-in-paracels.html

U. S. Queries China on Fate Of Aide Lost in Paracels

By BERNARD GWERTZMAN

 

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 The United States has privately asked China to provide information on the whereabouts of a missing American and to release some 100 South Vietnamese taken prisoner during last weekend's battle in the Paracel Islands, Administration officials said today....