Project CHECO Southeast Asia Report. Joint Personnel Recovery in Southeast Asia
Abstract
More than a decade of direct American military action in Indochina without a significant pause. for an exchange of prisoners or search for those missing in action ended in January 1973 with the repatriation of American prisoners of war held by the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) and the Provisional Revolutionary Government (PRG) of South Vietnam (Viet Cong). In the wake of Operation Homecoming, however, 2,409 Americans, including 21 civilians remained unaccounted for. The total was divided almost equally between those listed as missing in action (MIA) and those labeled presumed dead but body not recovered (BNR). The number included 977 Air Force (MIA = 690, BNR = 287), 706 Army (MIA = 347, BNR = 359), 409 Navy (MIA = 132, BNR = 277), and 296 Marine (MIA = 105, BNR = 191) personnel, and 21 US civilians (MIA = 13, BNR = 8). Seventy-eight percent of all MIA/BNR incidents were connected with crash sites. The large Air Force total suggested a major difficulty in any proposed casualty resolution (CR) operations: the need to locate and examine crash sites scattered over remote sections of Indochina. Most BNR status Army, Navy, and Marine personnel were also connected with aircraft crashes.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1976
- Accession Number
- ADA486919
Entities
People
- Arthur P. Geesey
- Edward P. Brynn
Organizations
- Pacific Air Forces