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Shareware Supreme Volume 6 #1
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009
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H134.ZIP
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H134.TXT
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1989-11-11
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HUMMEL, JOHN FLOYD
Name: John Floyd Hummel
Rank/Branch: W1/US Army
Unit: Troop B, 7th Squadron, 1st Cavalry, 164th Aviation Group
Date of Birth: 10 August 1948 (Pecos TX)
Home City of Record: Barstow TX
Date of Loss: 06 March 1971
Country of Loss: Laos
Loss Coordinates: 164204N 1063359E (XD670470)
Status (in 1973): Missing In Action
Category: 1
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: AH1G
Other Personnel in Incident: William P. Milliner (missing)
REMARKS:
SYNOPSIS: On March 6, 1971, WO John F. Hummel, pilot, and WO William P.
Milliner, co-pilot, were flying an AH1G Cobra helicopter gunship (serial
#67-15464) as the wingman in a flight of two helicopters returning from a
combat support mission over Laos. While in route, the weather turned hazy. At
about 2000 hours, the wingman notified his troop's forward operation at Khe
Sanh, South Vietnam, that both gunships were planning to use a ground control
approach (GCA). That was the last radio contact with WO Hummel's aircraft.
The lead gunship contacted the Khe Sanh GCA and was told to climb to 5000 feet
and make a left 360 degree turn to a heading of 020 degrees. The wingman was
still with the lead aircraft at this time, but no radio contact could be
established with him.
Shortly after, the GCA control informed the lead aircraft to turn to a heading
of 070 degrees at 4000 feet. After a descending turn was initiated, WO Hummel's
aircraft passed over the top of the lead aircraft. This separation occurred in
the clear, and then the flight leader entered the cloud layer so no further
visual sighting of WO Hummel's aircraft occurred. The lead aircraft landed
safely.
Search and rescue efforts were begun for Hummel and Milliner, but had negative
results. Hummel and Milliner were listed Missing in Action. Some years later,
the Defense Intelligence Agency "rated" missing persons in Southeast Asia
according to the degree of suspected enemy knowledge, using a scale of 1 to 5.
Hummel and Milliner were classified "Category 1", meaning the U.S. had reliable
information that the enemy knew the fate of Hummel and Milliner. Category 1
does not suggest whether an individual was alive or dead at the time this
knowledge was obtained.
Another confusing aspect of the records of Hummel and Milliner is that the
Defense Department classifies their loss as "non-hostile". This information
does not seem to correlate with known enemy knowledge of their fates, unless
reports were received that the two survived the crash of their aircraft only to
stumble into enemy hands at a later time. Clarifying information is not
available in public records.
Nearly 600 Americans were lost in Laos during the war in Vietnam. Although the
Pathet Lao stated on several occasions that they held "tens of tens" of
American prisoners, Laos was not included in the negotiations ending American
involvement in the war, and the U.S. has never negotiated for the freedom of
these men since that time. Consequently, not one American held in Laos has ever
been released.
No one saw Hummel and Milliner die after their aircraft disappeared into the
clouds. As participants in missions over Laos, which were often classified and
dangerous, they were undoubtedly warned that they could be killed or captured.
They may not have dreamed they would be abandoned.