Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 June 1990 from one or more of the
following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with
POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews.

REMARKS:

SYNOPSIS: On February 6, 1969, CW2 Charles I. Stanley, pilot; 1Lt. David E.
Padgett, aircraft commander; SP5 Robert C. O'Hara, crew chief;
PFC Eugene F. Christiansen, door gunner; LtCol. Donald E. Parsons, 1Lt. Ronald D. Briggs, and
Maj. Vu Vanh Phao, ARVN, all passengers, were aboard a UH1H (serial #67-17499)
on a resupply mission in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam.

While in route from Landing Zone Vandergrift to LZ Tornado, 1Lt. Padget
contacted the LZ Tornado radio operator at about 1100 hours and stated that due
to poor weather conditions and poor visibility, the flight was returning to LZ Vandergrift.

At that time, the radio operator at LZ Tornado could hear the helicopter
northeast of his location, which sounded as if it were heading in a northerly
direction. When the aircraft failed to return to LZ Vandergrift, a coordinated
search and rescue operation was initiated and continued for seven
consecutive days, finding nothing.

However, on the morning of February 7, Crown, an airborne control aircraft,
reported receiving radio beeper signals several times from the general vicinity
of where Lt. Padgett's aircraft was last reported. The beeper signals were
estimated to emanate from that general direction. The source of the signals was
never determined.

The area in which the aircraft was estimated to go down has been dubbed
"Antenna Valley" and is located west of Cam Lo and on the backside of Camp Carrol.
The area was occupied by NVA regulars, and was never cleared. On-site search
was not possible at that time.

On September 4, 1969, an ARVN source reported that in August he had seen
LTC Parsons, Maj. Phao, LT Briggs, and four other unidentified American POWs in
a hospital in Laos. The U.S. Army determined that the four unidentified Americans
could possibly be Christiansen, Stanley, Padgett and O'Hara.

On July 5, 1972, an NVA rallier reported seeing two caucasian POWs in the
vicinity of a T-35 commo-liaison station on the 499th infiltration corridor in Laos.
The two POWs were being taken to North Vietnam. This information was
tentatively correlated to LT Padgett and PCF Christiansen.

In September 1970, LTC Parson's wife and friends identified him in a North
Vietnamese film of a protestant service in a POW environment. CW2 Stanley's
mother made a tentative identification of her son in the same film.

In December 1979, an alleged "gun-runner", Sean O'Toolis reported that he had
the fingerprints of Robert O'Hara, and that O'Hara was at that time being held
south of Hanoi near Bong Song. O'Toolis' information was summarily dismissed by
the U.S. Government and he was thoroughly discredited, thus it is not clear how
much credence can be given to his information.

The reports relating to the crew of the UH1H that went down on February 6, 1969
are typical of the over 10,000 reports received by the U.S. Government relating
to Americans prisoner, missing or unaccounted for in Southeast Asia. After
reviewing "several million documents" and conducting "over 250,000 interviews"
the USG has been unable to state categorically that Americans are still alive.

Many authorities, however, including a former Director of Defense Intelligence
Agency, have reluctantly concluded that there are many Americans still held
against their will in Southeast Asia.

Families who receive these reports are especially tortured. With no means to
prove or disprove them, the tormen is indescribable. When they turn to their
government, they are usually met with the "mindset to debunk" described by one
high official in Congressional hearings. When they approach Vietnam, they are
told the person they seek is unknown to them. Yet the reports continue to flow
in, month after month, year after year. And year after year, families wait.

And year after year, American servicemen wait -- wondering if their country will
ever bring them home.

Since the war ended, over 10,000 reports relating to missing Americans in
Southeast Asia have been received by the U.S., convincing many authorities
that hundreds remain alive in captivity. Ronald Daniel Briggs could be among
them. If so, what must he think of us? Can't you help us either bring him
home or have our government get full accounting for him and so many others?
You can help by contacting your President, Vice President, Senators,
Congressmen and Representatives and asking them "Where Is Ronald D. Briggs,
and what are you doing to get him home?"

To obtain E-Mail addresses for the Senate, Congress and the White House

Go To: Pres. and VP - "http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/EOP/html/principals.html"