Have
You Ever
Stopped To Wonder
Have you
ever stopped
to wonder
where
the missing
ones could be
the ones
who left
their lives behind
to fight
for Americans
to live free
Have
you ever stopped
wonder
about
their lives
now torn apart
the ones
who never
made it home
but live
on in someone's
heart
Have
you ever stopped
to wonder
how many
lonely
hearts still yearn
for the
ones who
were left behind
and keep
praying
they will return
Have
you ever stopped
to wonder
that the
hurt just
won't go away
when the
only thing
there is to hold
is their
absence
every day
Have you
ever stopped
to wonder
if the
time will
ever really come
that our
POWS and
MIAs
will
finally be
on their way home
Written for all
POWs and MIAs
- Dedicated to my
adopted MIA
Jon
Keith Bodahl
and his family.
Author
of "Have You Ever Stopped To Wonder"
Sharon
Schafer © Copyright 2003-2007
Written
June 26, 2003
If you
are a family
member of a friend of Jon Keith Bodahl
and
would like to
e-mail me, I would love to learn more
about
him.
.
.
Please
use the subject
line "Jon Keith Bodahl"
when
mailing me.
THANK YOU!
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.
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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