McDonnell Douglas F-4E #2
by Arthur Eggers
Title
McDonnell Douglas F-4E #2
Artist
Arthur Eggers
Medium
Digital Art - Color Print
Description
On January 3, 1971, Lt Col James H. Ayres, of Pampa, Texas, and Lt Col Charles W. Stratton, of Dallas, Texas crewed an F-4E Phantom II, 34th Tactical Fighter Squadron aircraft departing Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base on a nighttime strike mission of enemy targets in Savannakhet Province, Laos. Shortly after Ayres initiated a target run, the crew of other aircraft in the flight observed a large explosion. The two airmen were lost when their F-4E (tail number 66-0380) was shot down during a night strike near Ban Namalou village, about 44 kilometers northeast of Muong Phalane, Laos. No one witnessed an ejection or heard beeper signals, and communication was lost with the aircraft. Hostile activity in the area prevented search and rescue attempts. In 2001, a joint U.S./Lao People's Democratic Republic (L.P.D.R.) team, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), traveled to Savannakhet Province and interviewed Laotian citizens about their knowledge of aircraft crash sites. One of the men led the team to what was believed to be the Ayres and Stratton crash site. Later that year, another U.S./L.P.D.R team began excavating the site. The team recovered human remains and aircrew-related items. Between 2002 and 2005, joint teams visited the site six more times to complete the excavation, recovering more human remains and crew-related items. The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of two U.S. servicemen, missing in action from the Vietnam War, were identified and returned to their families for burial with full military honors. Lt Col Ayres' remains were repatriated and he was laid to rest on August 22, 2007 in Pampa, Texas. Lt Col Stratton's remains were buried on October 9, 2007 in Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery.
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February 22nd, 2015
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