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Shareware Supreme Volume 6 #1
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M093.ZIP
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1989-11-11
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MUNDT, HENRY GERALD II
Name: Henry Gerald Mundt II
Rank/Branch: O2/US Air Force
Unit:
Date of Birth: 25 May 1943
Home City of Record: Abilene TX
Date of Loss: 08 May 1969
Country of Loss: Laos
Loss Coordinates: 152000N 1070500E (YB236975)
Status (in 1973): Missing in Action
Category: 2
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: F4C
Other Personnel in Incident: William J. Brashear (missing)
REMARKS:
SYNOPSIS: Maj. William J. Brashear and 1Lt. Henry G. Mundt probably thought
they were fortunate to have been selected to fly the F4 Phantom fighter jet.
The Phantom, used by Air Force, Marine and Navy air wings, served a multitude
of functions including fighter-bomber and interceptor, photo and electronic
surveillance. 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. The F4 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.
On May 8, 1969 Mundt was the pilot and Brashear the bombardier/navigator on
board an F4C assigned a mission over Laos. As they were over Attopeu Province,
near Chavane, the aircraft was shot down.
The U.S. Air Force placed both men in the category of Missing in Action. The
Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) further refined that category according to
enemy knowledge, concluding that there was ample reason to believe the enemy
knows the fate of 1Lt. Mundt and Maj. Brashear.
The families of Brashear and Mundt understood that the two could have been
captured by either Pathet Lao forces or North Vietnamese, and waited for the
war to end.
When peace agreements were signed, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger informed
the families of the men prisoner and missing that their men would soon come
home. When asked specifically if the agreements included all countries
(Vietnam, Cambodia, China and Laos), Kissinger replied, "What do you think took
us so long."
When 591 American prisoners were released in the spring of 1973, it became
evident that Kissinger had lied to the families. No prisoners held by the
Chinese, Lao or Cambodians were released, even though the Pathet Lao had stated
on a number of occasions that they held "tens of tens" of Americans. Kissinger
had not negotiated for these men.
In Laos alone, nearly 600 Americans are Prisoner of War or Missing in Action.
Since 1975, nearly 10,000 reports relating to Americans still missing in
Southeast Asia, convincing many authorities that hundreds of Americans are
still held in captivity. William Brashear and Henry Mundt could be among them.
It's time we brought our men home.
(Henry G. Mundt II graduated from Texas A & M in 1964)