GREEN, GERALD

Name: Gerald Green
Rank/Branch: O2/US Navy
Unit:
Date of Birth: 09 July 1939
Home City of Record: Ft. Morgan CO
Date of Loss: 12 September 1965
Country of Loss: North Vietnam/Over Water ** (See text)
Loss Coordinates: 200459N 1054959E (BL300500) ** (See text)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 5
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: F8E

Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing)

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 April 1990 from one or more of the
following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with
POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews.

REMARKS: CRASH O/W - SAR FAILED - J

SYNOPSIS: The Vought F8 "Crusader" saw action early in U.S. involvement in
Southeast Asia. Its fighter models participated both in the first Gulf of Tonkin
reprisal in August 1964 and in the myriad attacks against North Vietnam during
Operation Rolling Thunder. The Crusader was used exclusively by the Navy and
Marine air wings (although there is one U.S. Air Force pilot reported shot down
on an F8) and represented half or more of the carrier fighters in the Gulf of
Tonkin during the first four years of the war. The aircraft was credited with
nearly 53% of MiG kills in Vietnam.

The most frequently used fighter versions of the Crusader in Vietnam were the C,
D, and E models although the H and J were also used. The Charlie carried only
Sidewinders on fuselage racks, and were assigned such missions as CAP (Combat
Air Patrol), flying at higher altitudes. The Echo model had a heavier reinforced
wing able to carry extra Sidewinders or bombs, and were used to attack ground
targets, giving it increased vulnerability. The Echo version launched with less
fuel, to accommodate the larger bomb store, and frequently arrived back at ship
low on fuel. The RF models were equipped for photo reconnaissance.

The combat attrition rate of the Crusader was comparable to similar fighters.
Between 1964 to 1972, eighty-three Crusaders were either lost or destroyed by
enemy fire. Another 109 required major rebuilding. 145 Crusader pilots were
recovered; 57 were not. Twenty of these pilots were captured and released. The
other 43 remained missing at the end of the war.

Lt.JG Gerald Green was the pilot of an F8E assigned a mission over North
Vietnam on September 12, 1965. At a point in Thanh Hoa Province, about 15 miles
west of the city of Phat Diem, Green's aircraft was shot down. The aircraft
crashed. Rescue efforts failed to recover Green, and little hope was held out
for his survival. Green was declared Killed/Body Not Recovered.

(NOTE: Grid coordinates (BL30050) do not correlate with coordinates given above
(200459N 1054959E). Coordinates place the loss in Thanh Hoa province some 10
miles inland, while other records indicate that Green ditched over water. The BL
grids support an over/water loss, but not off the coast of North Vietnam. BL
grids are located off the coast of South Vietnam in the South China Sea. It is
impossible for the aircraft to have gotten from one point to another, and it is
assumed that the BL grids are incorrect. Therefore, since Defense Department
records indicate an over/water loss, it is assumed that the aircraft was hit and
turned out to sea to facilitate an easier rescue, and probably went down near
the coast of North Vietnam in the Thanh Hoa region.)

Since the war ended, nearly 10,000 reports relating to Americans missing,
prisoner or unaccounted for in Southeast Asia have been received by the U.S.
Government. Many authorities who have examined this largely classified
information are convinced that hundreds of Americans are still held captive
today. Fighter pilots in Vietnam were called upon to fly in many dangerous
circumstances, and were prepared to be wounded, killed, or captured. It probably
never occurred to them that they could be abandoned by the country they proudly
served.