Erin Miller - Wisconsins 37: the Lives of Those Missing in Action in the Vietnam War

Foreword by
Major General Don Logeman,
U.S. Air Force (Ret.)

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Jefferson, North Carolina

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGUING DATA ARE AVAILABLE

BRITISH LIBRARY CATALOGUING DATA ARE AVAILABLE

e-ISBN: 978-1-4766-3161-5

2018 Erin Miller and John B. Sharpless. All rights reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Front cover photograph of helicopter in Vietnam jungle 2018 iStock; detail of POW/MIA flag

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com

For Mike, Merl, Bill, Norm, Tom, Richard,
Robert, Paul, Don, Junior, William, Chuck, Jim,
Dick, Paul, Donnie, Paul, Dale, John, Rick, Ray,
Roy, Randy, Jim, Roy, James, David, Todd, Harold,
Biff, Dale, Pete, Wotsy, Al, Neil, Jim, and Bob,
and for those who remember them.

But of others there is no memory; they have perished as though they had never existed, they and their children after them. But these also were good men, whose deeds have not been forgotten.

Ecclesiasticus 44:910

For you see we are all brothers, known to each other or not, and each, in turn, deserves an amen, or any word of recognition on his passing or in remembrance of that time. There is a special bond between us that time cannot break, it is the bond of war, of tears, of joy that holds each others names thru the years. I guess there is one thing I can say after all. Our dear lord Jesus blesses us so that the load is not heavy, as we will carry each others names to our graves.

Norm Pruett, SP. E5, Crew Chief, 1st plt. Widow Makers, 71st AHC, 16th CAG, Chu-Lai

Ive said many times that I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to write this book. It would not have been possible without the kindness and generosity of the many family members, servicemen, friends, and classmates involved. To avoid erroneously omitting any names, I will refrain from listing the nearly three hundred individuals who contributed, but will instead express my deepest gratitude for their time and help.

I do want to specifically thank the families who worked with me on Wisconsins 37 for sharing their memories, stories, pictures, and mementoes of their loved ones. It has truly been my privilege to know these men, and I am grateful for the opportunity. My thanks to Dave Allard, Denny Higgins, Cindy Hawkins, Sean Allen and the entire Allen family, Jane Kirkpatrick, Suzanne Redenius, Andy, Peter, and Jim Billipp, Nancy Konkol, Cindy Schmitz, Carol Grable, Greg Bush, Dorothy Fraczyk, Jerry Swanson, Darryl Downing, Nancy Greve, Beth Annen, Diana Imhoff, Sue and Tom Adler, Vivan Fellenz, Cheryl Clancy, Diane Zelzer, Dawn Cooper, Deborah Shoenick, Ann Fischer, Myron Frazier, Nancy Roehre, Lynn Schmitt, Jody Gee, Duane Gorsuch, Ron Hentz, Janice Kostello, Bob Brown, Karel Bretsch, Jeanne Wallrath, Don La Haye, Donna Leet, Mike Greenwood, Mary Black, Cynthia Manning and the Soulier family, Mike Schmidt, June Ellen Fettig, Mike Trudeau, Bobbie and Fran Connolly, Mike and Darlene VanBendegom, Mary Christie, Susan Ambrose, the Wilke family, the Kubley family, and Jerry Johnson.

Since I have no military experience, the last three years have been a hands-on approach to learning terminology, order of command, and weaponry and equipment. I thank especially the many service members who answered what must have seemed to them very basic questions regarding military life, reviewed chapters for inconsistencies, and mentally returned to Vietnam to share their memories of their fallen comrades. Special thanks to Ralph Dresser, Jim and Elaine McNeil, Ron Milam, Pat Forster, Mike St. Clair, Jim Herak, Terry Cox, Dave Wall, and Steve McComb, who took time to read through multiple chapters for accuracy.

Thanks also to Marg Sumner for her attention to detail and careful editing of this manuscript, and to Michael Seidel.

Thank you to Dave Mellon and Ken Davis for many things, but especially for their advice throughout this project.

I am extremely grateful to Don Logeman for kindly providing a foreword for this book.

I owe a debt of gratitude to John B. Sharpless, not only for his advice and his editing skills, but also for his willingness to encourage a 21-year-old student who wanted to write a book. Thank you for not turning me away.

Finally, thank you to my parents: To my father, David Miller, for reading and re-reading the pages in this book and for the many hours spent discussing what should go into those pages, and to my mother, Jody Miller, for masterfully editing every photograph. They were my sounding boards and biggest supporters.

by Major General Don Logeman, U.S. Air Force (Ret.)

Fifty years ago, my fighter squadron of twenty aircrews climbed into our brand new F-4 Phantom jets and flew from Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, to Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand. We were sent there to fly combat missions against North Vietnam. I was fortunate, indeed blessed, to be assigned to the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing at Ubon. The Wolfpack, our Wings nickname, was commanded by then-Colonel Robin Olds, a World War II fighter ace and one of Americas premier fighter pilots. He commanded and led usand he taught us to fly combatwith supreme confidence and extraordinary flying skills. Not surprising, a lot of wide-eyed anxieties and breathtaking memories from my 138 combat missions faded with the passage of many years. But those vivid memories came rushing back to me as I read the biographies in this book.

Erin Miller is a young historian from Madison, Wisconsin, not far from where I grew up in Fond du Lac. In 2015 Erin learned that a family friend had a brother who was missing in action from the Vietnam War. In the process of researching the specific circumstances of his loss, she discovered a list of 37 Wisconsin men also listed as missing in Southeast Asia. She was determined to document their tragic and heroic stories and share them with us all. Her biographical sketches reveal not only the courageous stories of their ultimate sacrifices, but also give us a glimpse into their personal lives growing up in the Midwest. We are witness to their youthful energy, their character, and the core family values that they brought with them from Wisconsin to their military service. Although each of these 37 warriors were different from one another, they all shared a common thread of devotion to country, family, and service to others above self.

One of these patriotic young men, Captain Roy Kubley, and I were friends and classmates at the University of Wisconsin. We were commissioned second lieutenants, entered active duty together in the Air Force, and learned to fly from the same instructor during pilot training in Oklahoma. Roy was a superb pilotand he was an even better person. He is my oldest sons godfather. His brief but distinguished military career became the inspiration for my own flying career of nearly 34 years, and I think about him often.

As you read Erin Millers biographies, you will undoubtedly be reminded of other lost warriors from past conflicts whom you have personally known or have read about in other publications. Erin has deftly painted each of these heart-rending stories into an individual portrait of selfless courage and tragic loss. Her collection of memories is yet another stark reminder of the priceless treasure of our youth and of the many freedoms we enjoy in America that should never be taken for granted. They have been handed down to us through generations, and they are being protected for us even today, at very great cost.