| SYNOPSIS: The McDonnell
F4 Phantom used by Air Force, Marine and Navy air wings served a multitude
of functions including fighter/bomber, interceptor, photo/electronic surveillance,
and reconnaissance. 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. It was selected for a number of state-of-the-art electronics
conversions, which improved radar intercept and computer bombing capabilities
enormously. Most pilots considered it one of the "hottest" planes around.
At 0130 hours on
12 November 1969, then Capt. Jon K. Bodahl, pilot and Capt. Harry W. Smith,
weapons systems officer; comprised the crew of an F4E, call sign
"Packard 01," that departed Korat Airbase, Thailand as the lead aircraft
in a flight of 2 on a Search and Rescue (SAR) mission. The mission's objective
was to recover a 2-man helicopter crew, call sign "Owl 07," that had been
shot down the day before.
The location of loss
was approximately 60 miles due west of the major communist port city of
Dong Hoi, North Vietnam; 1 mile south of Ban Senphan and 15 miles southwest
of the Lao/North Vietnamese border, Khammouan Province, Laos. Another description
of the loss location placed it 6 kilometers south-southwest of Ban Phanop,
600 meters southeast of Ban Senphan and 300 meters east of Route 23. The
Nam Mo River ran parallel to and approximately 1 mile south of Route 23.
To the west of the loss location, a tributary of the Nam Mo River branched
off and meandered to the south-southeast through the jungle covered valley.
The highest terrain
feature within 5 miles of the loss location was 2,300 feet with 6,000 foot
mountains to the north, then the mountain range wrapped around to both
the east and west. The area in which the downed helicopter crew was hiding
was relatively level and densely forested surrounded by villages. In the
early morning hours, low stratus clouds collected around the mountaintops.
In the valley it was clear with only a slight haze existing in the immediate
target area. Visibility was 8 to 10 miles.
The on site Forward
Air Controller (FAC), call sign "King 07," directed Packard flight to attack
an enemy helicopter operating near the area where the rescue attempt to
recover the first of the two downed airmen was in progress. The fighter
crews reported sighting
the enemy
aircraft on two passes, but neither Phantom was able to get an unobstructed
shot at it. Flying low over jungle tree tops, they continuously maneuvered
to gain an acceptable angle of attack while dodging intense enemy 37mm
anti-aircraft artillery ground fire.
Packard flight was
forced to break off the attack to refuel from an orbiting airborne tanker.
When the flight returned, they were again cleared in to attack the enemy
helicopter. This time Capt. Bodahl followed his wingman in on the target.
At 0455 hours as they pressed through their pass, the recovered crewmen
of Owl 07 who was now safely onboard the rescue helicopter, "Jolly Green
09," reported that Packard 01 "seemed to explode in midair" as it
continued to draw enemy AAA fire on its last pass. Another report received
from a different vantage point stated that "the fighter exploded after
either being hit by ground fire or impacting the ground." In the early
morning light and confusion of the battle, no parachutes were seen and
no beepers heard.
All SAR efforts to
rescue the second crewman of the downed helicopter were temporarily suspended
while an initial search for the missing F4E Phantom crew commenced. The
wreckage of the fighter was found 2 meters south of a ford along the Nam
Mo River. Both visual and electronic searches continued throughout the
day. No trace was found of Capt. Bodahl or Capt. Smith. An electronic search
continued for several more days, but all proved unsuccessful. In spite
of the witness statements, the Air Force believed there was a possibility
that one or both men could have survived only to be captured immediately.
Because of this, both men were listed Missing in Action.
All during the SAR
efforts for Owl 07 and Packard 01, other aircraft under the control of
the FAC assaulted communist AAA sites, automatic and heavy weapons positions,
and troop concentrations hidden in the dense jungle. US aircraft used bombs,
rockets, CBU-22s (cluster bomb units) and strafing runs in an effort to
contain the communists' ability to further interfere with overall US operations.
These efforts were successful enough that another rescue attempt to recover
the second crewman from Owl 07 was attempted. He was successfully extracted;
however, in the process of doing so, an A1H was shot down and it's pilot,
Major
Gerald R. Helmich, was also listed Missing in Action.
.
.
UPDATE:
Major
Gerald R. Helmich was declared killed in action in 1978.He
was also promoted
to Colonel. His name above and in this paragraph contain links to pages
about him, please check them out.
Jon Bodahl and Harry
Smith are among nearly 600 Americans who disappeared in Laos. Many of these
men were known to be alive on the ground. The Laotians admitted holding
"tens of tens" of American Prisoners of War, but these men were never negotiated
for, either by direct negotiation between our countries or through the
Paris Peace Accords which ended the War in Vietnam since Laos was not a
party to that agreement.
Since the end of
the Vietnam War well over 21,000 reports of American prisoners, missing
and otherwise unaccounted for have been received by our government. Many
of these reports document LIVE American Prisoners of War remaining captive
throughout Southeast Asia TODAY.
Fighter pilots in
Vietnam were called upon to fly in many dangerous circumstances, and they
were prepared to be wounded, killed or captured. It probably never occurred
to them that they could be abandoned by the country they so proudly served.
.
Links to other Jon Keith Bodahl sites
Virtual
Wall Memorial
Service
Report
Air Force Appreciation
Day
Every year when September
rolls around, our town has a celebration which is known as "Airforce Appreciation
Day". This day is exactly what it implies,a day for the "town" to show
our appreciation for the Air Force. The Air Base here is located only a
few miles from our town and the road it is on is called "Air Base Road".
People start lining
the streets quite early to get a good seat for the parade which begins
at 11:00am. Local and out of town businesses make floats and have
entries in the parade. The Air Force Base provides a part of the parade
as well with tanks and military vehicles. The parade usually lasts for
between one and one and one half hours.
When the parade is
over, people begine to head for the park. Carl Miller Park is always FILLED
with people that day. There is a free meal that is served which usually
consists of fried chicken, beans, corn on the corb, rolls and other goodies.
People can purchase their favorites from the various booths that are set
up as well. There are games, entertainment, music and much more. The celebration
lasts all day.
When I was younger,
in the early 70's, I remember going to Air Force Appreciation day and there
was a booth right on the outside of the park. The booth was giving away
"free" stickers, balloons, buttons and yellow ribbons. As a child, it didn't
matter to me what was on them, they were free. Each of these items read
"POWs/MIAs" on them, at that time I had no clue what it meant. All of the
children I was with were glad to accept the free stuff though.
On August 10, 1999,
a friend of mine and I had the very sad task of digging a grave to bury
a lost pet of mine. While digging I noticed something buried in the dirt.
I pulled it out and it was one of the items that I had been given at the
"MIA's/POWs" booth all those years ago. Now, at the age of 36 it held a
different meaning for me. Though the items I had received in the past all
of those years ago, had been free to me and others, what they stood for
was the lack of freedom which some of America's soliders were experiencing
by being either a prisoner of war or by being missing in action.
My decision to adopt
a POW/MIA came while I was reading about an adopted POW on a site I was
surfing. I immediately started doing research into the subject of POWs
and MIAs, before I was even given the name of my MIA soldier.
 
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