WOGAN, WILLIAM MICHAEL

Name: William Michael Wogan
Rank/Branch: E4/US Army
Unit: Company D, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division
Date of Birth: 15 october 1947 (Brooklyn NY)
Home City of Record: Glen Oaks NY
Date of Loss: 16 February 1969
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 163140N 1071442E (YD395292)
Status (in 1973): Missing in Action
Category: 4
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: Ground
Refno: 1387

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: (none missing)

REMARKS:

SYNOPSIS: William M. Wogan was a rifleman assigned to Company D, 1st
Battalion, 506th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division. On February 16, 1969,
his unit was operating in Thua Thien Province about 15 miles south southeast
of the city of Quang Tri. The unit had secured a small landing zone to
evacuate wounded personnel.

After loading casualties into a helicopter at the landing zone, Wogan, who
had been helping, stepped away from the helicopter as it prepared to lift
off. Some 30 seconds later, a ground explosion occurred, killing and
wounding an unspecified number of people. It was later determined that the
explosion was probably caused by a 250 pound bomb. The explosion reportedly
occurred where Wogan was standing.

A search of the area located Wogan's ruck sack and other personal items, but
searchers found no trace of Wogan. The area was later searched again, and
pieces of a uniform were found, but no remains that could be identified as
those of William M. Wogan were ever found.

Even though it was thought that Wogan was standing at the location of the
explosion, it was not certain, so he was not immediately declared dead.
There was still the chance that he had survived. Wogan was classified
Missing in Action.

Since the war ended, nearly 10,000 reports making up "several million"
documents have been received by the U.S. Government related to Americans
missing, prisoner and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War. Many authorities
who have seen much of this information are convinced that hundreds of
Americans remain alive today, held in captivity.

Whether Wogan survived to be captured is unknown. What is certain, however,
is that as long as even one man remains alive, we owe him our best efforts
to bring him home.

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02/2020

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000Ka5REAS

SFC WILLIAM MICHAEL WOGAN

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Specialist 4 (SP4) William Michael Wogan, who joined the U.S. Army from New York, was a member of Company D, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. On February 16, 1969, he was acting as a rifleman with his unit which had just secured a landing zone in South Vietnam, in the vicinity of grid coordinates YD 395 292. A helicopter landed there to pick up casualties, and SP4 Wogan stepped away as it prepared to lift off. A few second later, an explosion occurred in the area where SP4 Wogan was standing. Specialist 4 Wogan was not seen again after the explosion, and a search of the area found only his rucksack and identification card. His remains were never recovered, and he is still unaccounted for. After the incident, the U.S. Army promoted SP4 Wogan to the rank of sergeant first class. Today, Sergeant First Class Wogan is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual's case to be in the analytical category of Non-recoverable.

If you are a family member of this serviceman, DPAA can provide you with additional information and analysis of your case. Please contact your casualty office representative.

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