Air Force Officer MIA From Vietnam War is Identified

[darrels joy]

Air Force Officer MIA From Vietnam War is Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

He is Air Force Col. Gregg Hartness of Dallas, Texas. He is to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C., on Sept. 14.

On Nov. 26, 1968, Hartness and lst Lt. Allen S. Shepherd, III, took off from Da Nang air base in South Vietnam, on a forward air control mission. While flying over Salavan Province in Laos, their O-2A 'Skymaster' was apparently struck by enemy fire and began to spin out of control. Shepherd bailed out and was rescued by an Air Force search and rescue team about nine hours later. He did not see Hartness bail out.

About 30 minutes after that rescue, the airborne team located the crash site of Hartness and Shepherd's aircraft about 200 meters (660 feet) south of the rescue pickup point. The aircraft had been burning, but no contact with Hartness could be established. Enemy forces in the area precluded further rescue attempts, and electronic searches of the loss location detected no signals from the lost aircraft or pilot.

Between 1993 and 2003, joint U.S.-Lao investigators interviewed more than 60 witnesses in 39 different settlements in Laos before selecting a site for excavation. In January and February of 2005, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, with assistance from the Lao government, excavated a site in Salavan Province. They recovered human remains, aircraft wreckage, life support equipment and personal effects.

[VIETNAM 1968]

Welcome Home Air Force Colonel Gregg Hartness.

May you finally REST IN PEACE in your HOMELAND where YOU BELONG:



To all of my Vietnam Veteran Brothers and Sisters I again state:


WELCOME HOME


VIETNAM 1968

[BLUEHAWK]

I'm glad he's coming home.

Here is some info about the aircraft he went down with.


"The O-2 is a military version of the Cessna Model 337 Super Skymaster. Distinguished by twin tail booms and tandem-mounted engines, it features a tractor-pusher propeller arrangement. Derived from the Cessna Model 336, the Model 337 went into production for the civilian market in 1965. In late 1966, the USAF selected a military variant, designated the O-2, to supplement the O-1 Bird Dog forward air controller (FAC) aircraft then operating in Southeast Asia. Having twin engines enabled the O-2 to absorb more ground fire and still return safely, endearing it to its crews. The O-2 first flew in Jan. 1967 and production deliveries began in March. Production ended in June 1970 after 532 O-2s had been built for the USAF.

Two series were produced: the O-2A and the O-2B. The O-2A was equipped with wing pylons to carry rockets, flares, and other light ordnance. In the FAC role the O-2A was used for identifying and marking enemy targets with smoke rockets, coordinating air strikes and reporting target damage. The O-2B was a psychological warfare aircraft equipped with loudspeakers and leaflet dispensers. It carried no ordnance.

The O-2A on display was assigned to the 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron at Da Nang, South Vietnam in the late 1960s. It was transferred to the Museum in December 1982.

SPECIFICATIONS
Span: 38 ft.
Length: 29 ft. 2 in.
Height: 9 ft. 5 in.
Weight: 4,900 lbs. loaded
Armament: Four wing pylons can carry rockets, flares, 7.62 mini-gun pods, or other light ordnance
Engines: Two Continental 10-360s of 210 hp. each
Crew: Two
Cost: $92,000
Serial number: 67-21331
C/N: 337M-0037

PERFORMANCE
Maximum speed: 199 mph.
Cruising speed: 144 mph.
Range: 1,060 miles
Service Ceiling: 19,300 ft."

USAF Museum Info

[Jerry D]

Welcome Home Colonel Gregg Hartness and may your family get the closure they have been waiting so long for