Douglas Lee O'Neill - American Hero - My Adopted POW-MIA Brother

Douglas Lee O'Neill

American Hero

My Adopted POW-MIA Brother

I could have gone to Canada

I could have stayed in school

But I was brought up differently

I couldn't break the rules

-Words from Still In Saigon by Dan Daley, and sung by the Charlie Daniels Band-

"Electronic Rubbing" courtesy of The VVMF--The Virtual Wall

O'NEILL, DOUGLAS LEE

Name: Douglas Lee O'Neill
Rank/Branch: W3/US Army
Unit: Headquarters & /Headquarters Detachment, 37th Signal Battalion, 1st
Signal Brigade
Date of Birth: 03 August 1948 (Teaneck NJ)
Home City of Record: Bayonne NJ
Loss Date: 03 April 1972
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 164458N 1071109E (YD330530)
Status (in 1973): Missing In Action
Category: 4
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: UH1H
Refno: 1814

Source: Compiled from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews. Updated by the P.O.W. NETWORK in 1998.

Personnel in Incident: April 2: Robin F. Gatwood; Wayne L. Bolte; Anthony Giannangeli; Charles A. Levis; Henry M. Serex; (all missing from the EB66). LtCol. Iceal Hambleton (rescued after 12 days from EB66). Ronald P.
Paschall; Byron K. Kulland; John W. Frink (all missing from UH1H rescue helicopter), Jose M. Astorga (captured and released in 1973 from UH1H). April 3: William J. Henderson (captured and released in 1973 from OV10A
rescue craft); Mark Clark (rescued after 12 days from OV10A rescue craft). April 6: James H. Alley; Allen J. Avery; Peter H. Chapman; John H. Call; William R. Pearson; Roy D. Prater (all KIA/BNR from HH53C "Jolly 52" rescue chopper). Also in very close proximity to "Bat 21"on April 3: Allen D. Christensen; Douglas L. O'Neill; Edward W. Williams; Larry A. Zich (all missing from UH1H). April 7: Bruce Charles Walker (evaded 11 days); Larry F. Potts (captured & died in POW camp) (both missing from OV10A).

REMARKS:

SYNOPSIS: On the afternoon of April 2, 1972, two Thailand-based EB66 aircraft (Bat 21 and Bat 22), from the 30th Air Division, were flying pathfinder escort for a cell of B52s bombing near the DMZ. Bat 21 took a direct SAM hit and the plane went down. A single beeper signal was heard, that of navigator Col. Iceal Hambleton. At this time it was assumed the rest of the crew died in the crash. The crew included Maj. Wayne L. Bolte, pilot; 1Lt. Robin F. Gatwood, LtCol. Anthony R. Giannangeli, LtCol. Charles A. Levis, and Maj. Henry M. Serex, all crew members. It should be noted that the lowest ranking man aboard this plane was Gatwood, a First Lieutenant. This was not an ordinary crew, and its members, particularly Hambleton, would be a prize capture for the enemy because of military knowledge they possessed.

It became critical, therefore, that the U.S. locate Hambleton, and any other surviving crew members before the Vietnamese did - and the Vietnamese were trying hard to find them first.

An Army search and rescue team was nearby and dispatched two UH1H "slicks" and two UH1B "Cobras". When they approached Hambleton's position just before dark, at about 50 feet off the ground, with one of the AH1G Cobra gunships flying at 300 feet for cover, two of the helicopters were shot down. One, the Cobra (Blue Ghost 28) reached safety and the crew was picked up, without having seen the other downed helicopter. The other, a UH1H from F Troop, 8th Cavalry, 196th Brigade, had just flown over some huts into a clearing when they encountered ground fire, and the helicopter exploded. Jose Astorga, the gunner, was injured in the chest and knee by the gunfire. Astorga became unconscious, and when he recovered, the helicopter was on the ground. He found the pilot, 1Lt. Byron K. Kulland, lying outside the helicopter. WO John W. Frink, the co-pilot, was strapped in his seat and conscious. The crew chief, SP5 Ronald P. Paschall, was pinned by his leg in the helicopter, but alive. WO Franks urged Astorga to leave them, and Astorga was captured. He soon observed the aircraft to be hit by automatic weapons fire, and to explode with the rest of the crew inside. He never saw the rest of the crew again. Astorga was relesed by the North Vietnamese in 1973.

The following day, Nail 38, an OV10A equipped with electronic rescue gear enabling its crew to get a rapid "fix" on its rescue target entered Hambleton's area and was shot down. The crew, William J. Henderson and Mark Clark, both parachuted out safely. Henderson was captured and released in 1973. Clark evaded for 12 days and was subsequently rescued.

On April 3, the day Nail 38 was shot down, a UH1H "slick" went down in the same area carrying a crew of four enlisted Army personnel. They had no direct connection to the rescue of Bat 21, but were very probably shot down
by the same SAM installations that downed Bat 21. The helicopter, from H/HQ, 37th Signal Battalion, 1st Signal Brigade, had left Marble Mountain Airfield, Da Nang, on a standard resupply mission to signal units in and
around Quang Tri City. The crew, consisting of WO Douglas L. O'Neill, pilot; CW2 Larry A. Zich, co-pilot; SP5 Allen D. Christensen, crew chief; and SP4 Edward W. Williams, gunner; remain missing in action.

On April 6, an attempt was made to pick up Clark and Hambleton which resulted in an HH53C helicopter being shot down. The chopper was badly hit. The helicopter landed on its side and continued to burn, consuming the entire craft, and presumably, all 6 men aboard. The crew of this aircraft consisted of James H. Alley; Allen J. Avery, John H. Call III, Peter H. Chapman, William R. Pearson, and Roy D. Prater. Search and rescue noted no signs of survivors, but it is felt that the Vientamese probably know the fate of this crew because of the close proximity of the downed aircraft to enemy locations.

On April 7 another Air Force OV10A went down in the area with Larry Potts and Bruce Walker aboard. Walker, the Air Force pilot of the aircraft, evaded capture 11 days, while it is reported that Potts was captured and died in
Quang Binh prison. Potts, the observer, was a Marine Corps officer. Walker's last radio transmission to search and rescue was for SAR not to make an attempt to rescue, the enemy was closing in. Both men remain unaccounted for.

Hambleton and Clark were rescued after 12 incredible days. Hambleton continually changed positions and reported on enemy activity as he went, even to the extent of calling in close air strikes near his position. He was tracked by a code he devised relating to the length and lie direction of various golf holes he knew well. Another 20 or so Americans were not so fortunate.

In July 1986, the daughter of Henry Serex learned that, one week after all search and rescue had been "called off" for Bat 21, another mission was mounted to recover "another downed crewmember" from Bat 21. She doesn't know whether or not it is her father or another man on the EB66 aircraft. No additional information has been
released. When the movie "Bat 21" was released, she was horrified to learn that virtually no mention of the rest of the crew, including her father, was made.

In Vietnam, to most fighting men, the man that fought beside them, whether in the air or on the ground, was worth dying for. Each understood that the other would die for him if necessary. Thus, also considering the critical
knowledge possessed by Col. Hambleton and some of the others, the seemingly uncanny means taken to recover Clark and Hambleton are not so unusual at all.

What defies logic and explaination, however, is that the government that sent these men to battle can distort or withold information to their families, and knowingly abandon hundreds of men known or strongly suspected to be in enemy hands.

Thousands of reports have been received by the U.S. Government indicating that Americans are still alive, in captivity in Southeast Asia. It has been 17 years for those who may have survived the 1972 Easter crashes and rescue attempts. How much longer must they wait for their country to bring "peace with honor" to them and bring them home?

If you've ever seen the painting "Reflections" of the Vietnam Wall in Washington, you've seen the man standing there with his hand on the wall mourning his dead father or brother who was killed. What he doesn't see is the reflection from the other side, showing that relative, with His hand on the wall, touching the hand of his survivor. That painting inspired the following story.

FROM THE OTHER SIDE
By Patrick Camunes

At first there was no place for us to go to until someone put up that Black Granite Wall. Now, everyday and night, my Brothers and Sisters wait to see the many people from places afar file in front of this Wall. Many stopping briefly and many for hours and some that come on a regular basis. It was hard at first, not that it's gotten any easier, but it seems that many of the attitudes towards that war that we were involved in have changed. I can only pray that the ones on the other side have learned something and more Walls as this one needn't be built.
Several members of my unit and many that I did not recognize have called me to the Wall by touching my name that is engraved upon it. The tears aren't necessary but are hard even for me to hold back. Don't feel guilty for not being with me, my Brothers. This was my destiny as it is yours, to be on that side of the Wall. Touch the Wall, my Brothers, so that we can share in the memories that we had. I have learned to put the bad memories aside and remember only the pleasant times that we had together. Tell our other Brothers out there to come and visit me, not to say Good Bye but to say Hello and be together again, even for a short time and to ease that pain of loss that we all share.
Today, an irresistible and loving call comes from the Wall. As I approach I can see an elderly lady and as I get closer I recognize her........its Momma! As much as I have looked forward to this day, I have also regretted it because I didn't know what reaction I would have. Next to her, I suddenly see my wife and immediately think how hard it must have been for her to come to this place and my mind floods with the pleasant memories of 30 years past. There's a young man in a military uniform standing with his arm around her......My God!......it's.....it has to be my son. Look at him trying to be the man, without a tear in his eye. I yearn to tell him how proud I am, seeing him standing tall, straight and proud in his uniform.
Momma comes closer and touches the Wall and I feel the soft and gentle touch I had not felt in so many years. Dad has crossed to this side of the Wall and through our touch, I try to convey to her that Dad is doing fine and is no longer suffering or feeling pain. I see my wife's courage building as she sees Momma touch the Wall and she approaches and lays her hand on my waiting hand. All the emotions, feelings and memories of three decades past flash between our touch and I tell her that it's all right. Carry on with your life and don't worry about me......I can see as I look into her eyes that she hears and understands me and a big burden has been lifted from her.
I watch as they lay flowers and other memories of my past. My lucky charm that was taken from me and sent to her by my CO, a tattered and worn teddy bear that I can barely remember as I grew up as a child and several medals that I had earned and were presented to my wife. One of them is the Combat Infantry Badge that I am very proud of and I notice that my son is also wearing this medal. I had earned mine in the jungles of Vietnam and he had probably earned his in the deserts of Iraq.
I can tell that they are preparing to leave and I try to take a mental picture of them together, because I don't know when I will see them again. I wouldn't blame them if they were not to return and can only thank them that I was not forgotten. My wife and Momma near the Wall for one final touch and so many years of indecision, fear and sorrow are let go. As they turn to leave I feel my tears that had not flowed for so many years, form as if dew drops on the other side of the Wall.
They slowly move away with only a glance over their shoulder. My son suddenly stops and slowly returns. He stands straight and proud in front of me and snaps a salute. Something makes him move to the Wall and he puts his hand upon the Wall and touches my tears that had formed on the face of the Wall and I can tell that he senses my presence there and the pride and the love that I have for him. He falls to his knees and the tears flow from his eyes and I try my best to reassure him that it's all right and the tears do not make him any less of a man.
As he moves back wiping the tears from his eyes, he silently mouths, God Bless you, Dad...... God Bless, YOU, Son...... We WILL meet someday but in the meanwhile, go on your way...... There is no hurry..... There is no hurry at all. As I see them walk off in the distance, I yell out to THEM and EVERYONE there today, as loud as I can......... THANKS FOR REMEMBERING and as others on this side of the Wall join in..... I notice that the U.S. Flag, that so proudly flies in front of us everyday, is flapping and standing proudly, straight out in the wind today....
...... THANK YOU ALL FOR REMEMBERING!!!

At a loss for words? Not sure what to tell the President or your Congressman? Well, here are three examples that you can use in their entirety (just copy and paste), or use parts of them to construct your own letter.
Example #1:
"Dear Senator, what is being done to determine the fate of SFC Daniel R Phillips-USASF, who was last seen fighting his way through the perimeter during the seige of LangVei on 2/7/68? No remains were ever found although there was an intensive search of the area later on, and no one saw him fall. There is no evidence that he was killed and he is known to have been capable of surviving under harsh conditions. Please advise me of any action that is being taken by you or any other elected appointed official to determine his fate.
In the event there is nothing being done, please explain why not, and tell me how you personally plan to correct this and prevent it from ever happening again."
Example #2:
"Dear Sir, I am attaching the pertinent information on Col Harold Kahler, of Lincoln, Nebraska. Col Kahler has been missing in action since 1969!! We want to make you aware that his family, his friends, and myself, one among many to take up the Cause, find this an outrage, and completely unacceptable. I demand that you take a bit of time to look into this matter--to help us find the Col, and if not to return him safely to his family, then to put this issue to rest once and for all. It is appalling to think you have given up on a human life. An American human life! One who bravely and selflessly fought for YOUR freedom.
I shall tiredlessly continue to inquire in his behalf until my questions have been satisfied."
Example #3:
"Dear Sir, What is being done to determine the fate of Col Harold Kahler, USAF, who was last seen over Sam Neua, Laos, June 14, 1969?
This is an American pilot who has remained on the MIA list for 28 years. Doesn't his devotion to his country award him the priviledge and honor of being buried in his own homeland soil if he is in fact deceased? Should, by any miracle, Kahler remain alive, should he be left behind in a foreign country knowing his country abandoned him? Do his family and loved ones not deserve to know the fate of their son, brother, friend and loved one nor be allowed to put a closure to this after so many years?
Please advise me of any action that is being taken by you or any other elected or appointed official to determine his fate. In the event there is nothing being done, please explain why not, and tell me how you personally plan to correct this and prevent it from ever happening again."

Actions of Our Elected Officials:
April 3, 1973: Pathet Lao (Laotian Communist) forces declare they are holding more than 100 American POWs and are prepared to give a full accounting of them The U.S. government responds 9 days later declaring they are all dead -- without ever talking to the Laotians about the POWs they admit holding!
1970-1976: After the French pay an unspecified sum of money to the Vietnamese, the communists release POWs captured in 1954! The North Vietnamese had claimed all of then had died.
August 19, 1986: The Wall Street Journal reports the White House knew in 1981 Vietnam wanted to sell an unspecified number of live POWs for $4 billion. The White House decided the offer was genuine -- and ignored it!
September 30, 1986: The New York Times reports a Pentagon panel estimates up to 100 live American POWs are held in Vietnam alone.
October 7, 1986: CIA Director William Casey says: "Look, the nation knows they (the POWs)are there, everybody knows they are there, but there's no grounds well of support for getting them out. Certainly, you are not suggesting we pay for them, surely not saying we could do anything like that with no public support."
January 1988: A cable from the Joint Casualty Resolution Center states that during General Vessey's visit to Hanoi, "The Vietnamese people were prepared to turn over 7 or 8 live American POWs if Vessey told then what they wanted to hear. All the prospective returnees were allegedly held in a location on the Lao side of the border."
September 1990: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee's Interim Report on POW/MIA's in Southeast Asia concluded that despite public assurances in 1973 that no POWs remained in the region, the Defense Department ". . . in April 1974 concluded beyond a doubt that several hundred American POWs remained in captivity in Southeast Asia."
October 1990: Vietnamese Foreign Minister Nguyen Co Thach admits Vietnam still holds American POWs but is willing to release "as many as 10 live American POWs." His offer, like others before it, is ignored by Secretary of State James Baker III.
February 1991: Colonel Millard Peck, Chief of the Pentagon's Special Office for Prisoners of War and Missing in Action, resigns in protest of being ordered by policy makers in the POW/MIA Inter-Agency Group not to investigate live-sighting reports of American POWs!
April 25, 1991: Senator Bob Smith addresses the Senate and reveals that, of more than 1,400 eyewitness sightings of live POWs, NONE has ever received an on-site investigation!
May 23, 1991: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee's Examination of U.S. Policy Toward POW/MIAs concludes that the U.S. has ignored thousands of American POWs, and left them to rot in Soviet slave labor camps and North Korean and Vietnamese prisons. "Any evidence that suggested an MIA might be alive was uniformly and arbitrarily rejected."
Summer 1991: A flood of new evidence of live POWs pours from Southeast Asia: pictures, handwriting samples, hair samples, blood samples, fingerprints, foot-prints, maps and other physical proof. The Bush administration disregards the evidence and attempts to discredit it by rumor and innuendo. Some of the photos are scientifically validated -- and have never been scientifically diisproven!
All these facts are a matter of public record and clearly indicate that we have some serious problems in the POW/MIA arena that our elected officials refuse to acknowledge.

Here is a copy of my letter to President Clinton, Senators, and House of Representatives:

Dear ...,
I am curious as to what is being done to locate W3 Douglas Lee O'Neill-US Army who has been assumed MIA since 3 April 1972. It is my understanding that he was a pilot on board a UH1H helicopter with CW2 Larry A. Zich, co-pilot; SP5 Allen D. Christensen, crew chief; and SP4 Edward W. Williams, gunner. Their helicopter went down and they remain missing in action. Also from my understanding there has been no word of these men especially W3 Douglas Lee O'Neill.

What efforts are being made to find this hero of ours and return him home where he belongs? What is being done to determine his fate so his loved ones can have some peace? How long does his family have to wait to find where he is and if he is still alive? How long does it take for them to have him home? This has gone on long enough.. he has been missing for 27 years now! Can you imagine what it must be like to live for 27 years without knowing if your loved one was alive or dead? Could you sleep at night not knowing if he was okay? I know that I wouldn't be able to.

Evidence mounts that Americans are still alive in Southeast Asia. There have been hundreds of eye-witnesses who have said they personally saw them. It is not known whether any of the crew of the UH1H helicopter survived and are among those said to be alive and still held prisoner, but someone's brother, son, husband, or father is alive. We owe them our very best effort to bring them home. I can only hope that someday soon we will have all of the soldiers home with their loved ones... that is the right thing to do. So why isn't the goverment doing anything about that.. and if they are, then what are they doing?

Any information as to what rescue/recovery efforts being made to locate W3 Douglas Lee O'Neill would be appreciated. You may have been getting alot of requests on behalf of W3 O'Neill, that is due to the fact that we are ready for him to be brought home. We want him where he belongs... On American Soil. The O'Neill family deserves the chance to say good bye to their loved one. Don't you think it is time we let them do that? I certainly do. It is distressing to me as an American, that the country he served so faithfully has taken a cavalier attitude toward determining what happened to him. You may also be wondering why all the sudden interest in our POW/MIA soldiers. For years, the majority of Americans lay silent on this issue and the government must have assumed that we just did not care. The truth is, most Americans were never made aware of the number of POW/MIA discrepancies or live sighting reports. We believed all the POWs had come home and none of our loyal men were left unaccounted for. Now we know.. We are learning much more about this situation and the way it was handled and why it has been handled in such a disturbing manner. At this point in time the "why" is not important. Getting the answers however is important. It is vital to the morale and to the future of the nation. We need your help!

Please advise me of any action that is being taken by you or any other elected or appointed official to determine his fate. We already know the stock answers that the Defense POW/MIA Office is forced by circumstance to provide. Please tell us something we don't already know. In the event there is nothing being done, please help us to understand why not, and tell me how you personally plan to correct this and prevent it from happening to another generation of American Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen ever again. We need to get these forgotten soldiers home where they belong.
Sincerely,
Mr. Timothy Jay Beeck, Sr.

Point & click here to see the letter I received from NJ Senator Robert Torricelli

Point & click here to see the letter I received from the Department of the Army

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