STEWART, PETER JOSEPH
Identified, 04/06/18
| Name: Peter Joseph Stewart Rank/Branch: O5/US Air Force Unit: 8 TFW Headquarters Date of Birth: 12 August 1918 Home City of Record: Winter Haven FL Date of Loss: 15 March 1966 Country of Loss: North Vietnam Loss Coordinates: 212300N 1030000E (TJ928640) Status (in 1973): Missing In Action Category: 2 Acft/Vehicle/Ground: F4C Refno: 0274 Other Personnel In Incident: Martin J. Scott (missing) |
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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: POSS DEAD IR 1516032672
SYNOPSIS: On March 15, 1966, Capt. Martin R. Scott was the pilot of an F4C
Phantom fighter/bomber assigned a mission over North Vietnam. His
bombardier/navigator on the flight was veteran pilot LtCol. Peter J.
Stewart. The flight departed Ubon Airfield, Thailand, in the late afternoon
for the armed reconnaissance flight that would take them over the city of
Dien Binh Phu in North Vietnam. Scott and Stewart were number 2 in a
two-plane flight.
About one mile south of the Dien Bien Phu airport, the flight leader spotted
two trucks on the main highway and directed the number two crew to make a
low bombing pass. Moments later, the leader observed what he described as an
dense explosion resembling a napalm drop in the target area. Repeated
attempts to raise the number 2 plane failed. Scott and Stewart were declared
missing.
Because the plane went down in a heavily populated area deep in enemy
territory, an organized search for Scott and Stewart was not possible. There
was no evidence of survival.
In 1972, the Defense Department received a report from a refugee who stated
he was shown the crash site and the graves of the two pilots. He stated that
Stewart's plane was the only plane shot down in that area, but could not
specify the date or year. The DOD added, "POSS DEAD IR1516032672" to Scott's
records. This report was disproven in 1986 on the basis that Scott's plane
was not the only plane shot down in the area (in fact there were several),
but the data remark remained, and the Air Force cannot verify why the "only
plane" statement was made.
In 1985, a returned POW recalled that Peter Stewart's name was one of those
passed around in POW camps before Americans were released in 1973. In 1975,
the Stewart family identified a photo of a prisoner of war as Peter Stewart.
Whether Scott's name was ever mentioned as a possible POW is not known.
Whether Scott and Stewart survived the crash of their plane on March 15,
1966 will not be known with certainty until either they themselves or their
remains are returned. Although over 10,000 reports concerning Americans
alive in Southeast Asia have been received by the U.S. Government, we have
yet to discover the formula that would secure the freedom of these men.
Martin Scott and Peter Stewart could be among them. Isn't it time we brought
these men home?
Peter J. Stewart and Martin J. Scott were both promoted to the rank of
Colonel during the period they were maintained Missing in Action.
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http://www.henrymarkholzer.com/an_enormous_crime.html AN ENORMOUS CRIME: THE DEFINITIVE ACCOUNT OF AMERICAN POWs ABANDONED IN SOUTHEAST ASIA By Bill Hendon and Elizabeth A. Stewart
In the Twentieth Century the
The fate of live American POWs in World War II was comparatively easy to establish, because the Japanese were vanquished, they surrendered unconditionally, and virtually all the territory they had occupied came under American or allied control. After the surrender, there were few, if any, places the Japanese could hide live American prisoners of war, nor any reason they would want to.
Not so in
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From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
Air Force Col. Peter J. Stewart, missing from the Vietnam War, has now been accounted for.
http://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/Recent-News-Stories/Article/1486578/
On March 15, 1966, Stewart, a member of Headquarters, 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, was the pilot of a two-seater F-4C aircraft, the second in a flight of two on an armed reconnaissance mission over northern Vietnam. The lead aircraft spotted two vehicles as the flight approached the target area and Stewart responded he was going to strafe the trucks. The lead aircraft, while maneuvering to engage the targets, lost sight of Stewart's aircraft, but saw a bright orange explosion over the trucks. The flight lead immediately attempted to contact Stewart's aircraft without result. No parachutes or emergency signals were seen, and all subsequent attempts to contact Stewart and his aircraft commander were unsuccessful. An organized search was not possible due to hostilities in the area. Stewart was subsequently declared missing in action. His status was later amended to deceased.
In June 2017, DPAA identified the remains of the aircraft commander, Col. Martin R. Scott.
The support from the government and the people of Vietnam was vital to the success of this recovery.
Stewart's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with others unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for. |
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http://www.newschief.com/news/20180527/peace-for-family-winter- haven-air-force-colonel-identified-52-years-after-jet-went-down
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From:
Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US)
<kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Dear Editor,
Air Force Col. Peter Stewart, accounted for on Feb. 28, 2018, will be buried June 18 in Winter Haven, Florida.
Stewart, 47, born in Glasgow, Scotland, and raised in Winter Haven, was killed during the Vietnam War.
His son, James D. Stewart, is available for interviews at (863) 521-1511.
The Department of Defense has the attached photo of Stewart on file.
For more information, contact:
SFC Kristen Duus Chief of External Communications Public Affairs NCOIC- D.C. Directorate Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency 2300 Defense Pentagon Washington, D.C 20301-2300 (703) 699-1420
OR:
Chuck Prichard, APR Director, Public Affairs Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) (703) 699-1169 charles.l.prichard.civ@mail.mil
/////
On March 15, 1966, Stewart, a member of Headquarters, 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, was the pilot of a two-seater F-4C aircraft, the second in a flight of two on an armed reconnaissance mission over northern Vietnam. The lead aircraft spotted two vehicles as the flight approached the target area and Stewart responded he was going to strafe the trucks. The lead aircraft, while maneuvering to engage the targets, lost sight of Stewart's aircraft, but saw a bright orange explosion over the trucks. The flight lead immediately attempted to contact Stewart's aircraft without result. No parachutes or emergency signals were seen, and all subsequent attempts to contact Stewart and his aircraft commander were unsuccessful. An organized search was not possible due to hostilities in the area. Stewart was subsequently declared missing in action. His status was later amended to deceased.
In November 2014, a joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) recovery team conducted recovery operations at a possible F-4C crash site in Dien Bien District, Dien Bien Province. Material evidence and possible osseous material was recovered and sent to the Central Identification Laboratory for analysis. Additional recovery operations were conducted in late 2015 and late 2016, and all recovered remains were sent to the laboratory for analysis.
In June 2017, DPAA identified the remains of the aircraft commander, Col. Martin R. Scott.
From October to December 2017, a joint U.S./S.R.V. team continued excavating the crash site, recovering human remains and material evidence. To identify Stewart's remains, DPAA used dental analysis, which matched his records, as well as material and circumstantial evidence.
The support from the government and the people of Vietnam was vital to the success of this recovery.
Today there are 1,597 American servicemen and civilians that are still unaccounted for from the Vietnam War. Stewart's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with others unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil or call (703) 699-1420.
Additionally, Stewart's personnel profile can be viewed at https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000BTclEAG
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http://www.theledger.com/news/20180617/remains-of-airman-listed-mia-in-vietnam-returned-home-to-winter-haven
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https://www.dvidshub.net/news/281632/after-52-years-mia-colonel-laid-rest-florida
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02/2020
https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000BTclEAG
On April 6, 2018, the Defense POW/MIA Agency (DPAA) identified
the remains of Colonel Peter Joseph Stewart, missing from the
Vietnam War.
Colonel Stewart, who joined the U.S. Army from Florida, served
with Headquarters, 8th Tactical Fighter Wing. On March 15, 1966,
he piloted a two-seat F-4C Phantom II (tail number 64-0732, call
sign "Boron 02") on an armed reconnaissance mission over Dien
Bien Phu, North Vietnam. While making a strafing run on two
vehicles located in the target area, Col Stewart's aircraft
crashed near the target, killing him. The active enemy presence
prevented a ground search for his remains, and he was not
recovered at the time. In 2014, a joint U.S./Vietnamese recovery
team excavated the crash site, with several further excavations
occurring between 2014 and 2017. Human remains were recovered
from the site and were eventually identified as those of Col
Stewart.
Colonel Stewart 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.
