Fri, Jan 16, 2004
Mohawk Flightcrewman Missing from Vietnam War Identified
A serviceman missing in
action from the Vietnam War has been identified and returned to his
family for burial. He is Army Capt. Clinton A. Musil Sr. of
Minneapolis, Minn.
On May 31, 1971, Musil was aboard an OV-1A Mohawk flying a
daylight reconnaissance mission over Savannakhet Province in Laos.
Though enemy antiaircraft artillery was known to be in the area,
none of the crewmembers in other aircraft noted any attack on
Musil's aircraft.
Several people did see a large fireball when the Mohawk crashed.
Attempts to contact him by radio were unsuccessful, and search and
rescue efforts were precluded by enemy forces in the area.
During two investigations in 1993 and 1995, U.S. and Lao
specialists learned of a potential crash site from local residents.
The purported site was located on a steep slope, and appeared to
correlate within 200 meters with the loss location in U.S. wartime
records.
The site had been scavenged, but the team found small pieces of
aircraft wreckage and possible human remains. Following the
recommendations of the investigators, other U.S. and Lao teams
excavated the site twice in 2001 and once in 2002. During these
three excavations, they recovered aircraft wreckage, personal
effects, aircrew-related items and human remains.
The recovered remains were identified in 2003 by the Central
Identification Laboatory through skeletal analysis and
mitochondrial DNA. The remains of a second crew member have yet to
be identified. The Defense Department's POW/Missing Personnel
Office establishes policy and directs the effort to account for the
more than 88,000 missing in action from all conflicts. Of these,
1,871 are from the Vietnam War.
Welcome home Captain, your country is proud of you... rest
well.
More News
Aero Linx: Model Aeronautical Association of Australia MAAA clubs are about fun flying, camaraderie and community. For over 75 years, the MAAA has been Australia’s largest fl>[...]
Touchdown Zone Lighting Two rows of transverse light bars located symmetrically about the runway centerline normally at 100 foot intervals. The basic system extends 3,000 feet alon>[...]
“Discovery and innovation are central to our mission at Virgin Galactic. We’re excited to build on our successful record of facilitating scientific experiments in subor>[...]
How To Get A Story On Aero-TV News/Feature Programming How do I submit a story idea or lead to Aero-TV? If you would like to submit a story idea or lead, please contact Jim Campbel>[...]
Student Pilot Reported That During Rotation, “All Of A Sudden The Back Of The Plane Kicked To The Right..." Analysis: The student pilot reported that during rotation, “>[...]