RAYMOND, PAUL DARWINName: Paul Darwin Raymond Rank/Branch: O2/US Air Force Unit: 557th Tactical Fighter Squadron Date of Birth: 10 January 1943 Home City of Record: Deposit NY Date of Loss: 05 September 1967 Country of Loss: North Vietnam Loss Coordinates: 171100N 1065400E (YE021007) Status (in 1973): Missing in Action Category: 2 Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: F4C Other Personnel in Incident: Donald W. Downing; on another F4C nearby: Thomas P. Hanson; Carl D. Miller (all missing) Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 March 1991 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. REMARKS: SYNOPSIS: The Phantom, used by Air Force, Marine and Navy air wings, served a multitude of functions including fighter-bomber and interceptor, photo and electronic surveillance. The two man aircraft was extremely fast (Mach 2), and had a long range (900 - 2300 miles, depending on stores and mission type). The F4 was also extremely maneuverable and handled well at low and high altitudes. Most pilots considered it one of the "hottest" planes around. 1Lt. Paul D. Raymond and Maj. Carl D. Miller were F4 pilots who were sent on a combat mission over Quang Binh Province, North Vietnam on September 5, 1967. Raymond's bombardier/navigator on the flight was Capt. Donald W. Downing, while Miller's was 1Lt. Thomas P. Hanson. Both aircraft crashed on their missions near the coast of Vietnam. Raymond and Downing went down about 10 miles north of the city of Vinh Linh, while Miller and Hanson went down about 20 miles north of Vinh Linh. All four were classified Missing in Action, and it is believed the Vietnamese could account for them, alive or dead. 591 American Prisoners of War were released in 1973, but nearly 2500 were not. Thousands of reports have been received by the U.S. Government that indicate hundreds of Americans are still alive and held captive in Southeast Asia, yet the government seems unable or unwilling to successfully achieve their release. Policy statements indicate that "conclusive proof" is not available, but when it is, the government will act. Detractors state that proof is in hand, but the will to act does not exist. Whether the four airmen missing on September 5, 1967 survived to be captured is not known. Whether they are among those believed to be still alive today is uncertain. What cannot be questioned, however, is that America has a moral and legal obligation to secure the freedom of those who may still be illegally held by the communist governments of Southeast Asia. It's time we brought our men home. During the period they were maintained missing, Miller was promoted to the rank of Colonel, Downing to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, Hanson to the rank of Major and Raymond to the rank of Captain. Paul D. Raymond graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1965. From - Sun Aug 03 1997 From: Thomas Re: Captain Paul Darwin Raymond, USAF This e-mail may have been sent to the wrong individual. My name is Thomas and I am a member of the AFROTC. My Detachment number is 785 at the University of Memphis. This summer I attended Air Force Field Training at Dover AFB in Delaware. It was here that I was fortunate enough to be selected as Warrior of the Week. One of the honors involved in receiving this distinguished award was a POW/MIA bracelet. The name on my bracelet was CAPT. PAUL D. RAYMOND, USAF. I was also given a short synopsis on his background. It is as follows. "Captain Raymond is from Deposit, New York. He has a wife and one son. Captain Raymond ran track and wrestled while at the Air Force Academy and played baseball with Air Force friends. He won a physical fitness award at the Academy and was also on the Dean's list and the Commandant's list. Captain Raymond sang in the Air Force choir. He loved to play bridge, had deep faith, and loved life. Captain Raymond is missing in North Vietnam and was on an F4C at the time of the loss." After receiving this bracelet, we had the opportunity to go to Washington. It was here that I found his name on the Vietnam Wall and learned that his middle name was Darwin. By receiving this POW/MIA bracelet, it has sparked great interest in me. I, with your help, would like to try to get in touch with the family of Captain Raymond. If I have sent this transmission to the wrong person, Please pass it on to someone who might be able to help. If this is the right person, thank you for your help Sincerely Thomas