PIERCE, WALTER MELVIN

Name: Walter Melvin Pierce
Rank/Branch: E3/US Army
Unit: Troop G, 2nd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry
Date of Birth: 17 March 1951
Home City of Record: Philadelphia PA
Date of Loss: 10 June 1970
Country of Loss: Cambodia
Loss Coordinates: 123806N 1065319E
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 4
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: Ground
Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing)

REMARKS:

SYNOPSIS: During May and June of 1970, the 11th Armored Cavalry (with the
exception of the detached 3rd Squadron) was under the operational control of
the 1st Cavalry Division and participated in the 1st's sweep across the
Cambodian frontier. The 1st had enjoyed strategic success in the missions
despite the 30 kilometer advance limit imposed on American military personnel.
The success of the 1970 Cambodian incursion was measured in part by the capture
of individual weapons sufficient to equip 55 full strength VC infantry
battalions, sufficient crew-served weapons to equip 82 to 90 VC battalions, and
enough small arms ammunition to provide a basic load for 52,000 soldiers. There
were over 10,000 known enemy casualties.

On June 10, 1970, PFC Walter M. Pierce was assigned to a unit that was inside
Cambodia well over the 30 kilometer limit. They were set up in a night
defensive position in Mondol Kiri Province, Cambodia, about 20 miles
west-southwest of the city of Chbar. At the border's closest point, this
location was over 50 kilometers inside denied territory.

That afternoon, while returning to the position with 2 other men, Pierce had to
cross a stream which was spanned by two bridges. The stream was deep and
extremely swift. PFC Pierce jumped into the stream with his boots and trousers
on with the intent of swimming the stream. He began to encounter difficulty and
started to drift downstream. The other two men attempted t rescue him, but were
unable to reach him. After going under 3 times, he disappeared, and an intense
search that afternoon and the following morning by the unit failed to locate
him.

Pierce's is one of the unfortunate accidental deaths that occur wherever people
are. The fact that he died an accidental death in the midst of war, and in the
midst of a dangerous mission is tragically ironic. He is listed among the
missing with honor, because his body was never found to be returned to the
country he served.

Others who are missing do not have such clear cut cases. Some were known
captives; some were photographed as they were led by their guards. Some were in
radio contact with search teams, while others simply disappeared.

Since the war ended, over 250,000 interviews have been conducted with those who
claim to know about Americans still alive in Southeast Asia, and several
million documents have been studied. U.S. Government experts cannot seem to
agree whether Americans are there alive or not. Distractors say it would be far
too politically difficult to bring the men they believe to be alive home, and
the U.S. is content to negotiate for remains.

Over 1000 eye-witness reports of living American prisoners were received by
1989. Most of them are still classified. If, as the U.S. seems to believe, the
men are all dead, why the secrecy after so many years? If the men are alive,
why are they not home?