home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Shareware Supreme Volume 6 #1
/
swsii.zip
/
swsii
/
009
/
F037.ZIP
/
F037.TXT
< prev
Wrap
Text File
|
1990-04-18
|
3KB
|
61 lines
FREDERICK, WILLIAM VANDERVOS
Remains Returned - ID Announced 03 January 1990
Name: William Vandervos Frederick
Rank/Branch: O3/US Air Force
Unit:
Date of Birth: 01 June 1933
Home City of Record: Deerfield OH
Date of Loss: 05 July 1967
Country of Loss: North Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 213200N 1065400E (YJ019804)
Status (in 1973): Prisoner of War
Category: 2
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: F105D
Other Personnel In Incident: (none missing)
Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 01 April 1990 with the assistance of
one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources,
correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews.
REMARKS:
SYNOPSIS: Captain William V. Frederick was the pilot of an F105 Thunderchief
fighter-bomber sent on a mission over North Vietnam on July 5, 1967. His mission
took him into the Haiphong area southeast of Hanoi, one of the primary strategic
targets being attacked as part of the ongoing Rolling Thunder bombing operation
begun two years before.
The F105 Thunderchief ("Thud"), in its various versions, flew more missions
against North Vietnam than any other U.S. aircraft. It also suffered more
losses, partially due to its vulnerability, which was constantly under revision.
Between 1965 and 1971, the aircraft was equipped with armor plate, a secondary
flight control system, an improved pilot ejection seat, a more precise
navigation system, better blind bombing capability and ECM pods for the wings.
While near Haiphong, Capt. Frederick's aircraft went down. Circumstances of loss
caused Joint Casualty Resolution Center (JCRC) to maintain Captain Frederick as
a Prisoner of War.
In November 1973, JCRC received a message from Randolph Airforce Base
instructing them to remove all references pertaining to PW status and place
Captain Frederick in MIA classification. This message was routed through the
highest channels, and contained the names of 10 other men. Although the Air
Force maintained that this was an administrative cleanup procedure, some
analysts feel it was a deliberate effort to downplay these cases as confirmed
prisoner of war cases.
No substantial information surfaced about Capt. Frederick for over twenty years.
Then in early January 1990, the U.S. announced that it had positively identified
Capt. Frederick's remains from among a group of remains returned to U.S. control
by the Vietnamese. William V. Frederick, dead or alive, was a prisoner of war
for nearly 23 years.
Evidence continues to mount that hundreds of Americans are still alive in
Southeast Asia. Clearly, William V. Frederick is not among them. But as long as
even one American remains held against his will, we must do everything possible
to bring him home.