Life support NCO digs for clues to the past

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Susan Stout
  • 944th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  Even though more than 30 years have passed since the Vietnam War, more than 1,800 servicemembers are still missing in action.

In an effort to search and recover evidence of persons missing in action, Tech. Sgt. Joe Baker, 302nd Fighter Squadron life support craftsman, volunteered to go to Vietnam to assist the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command.

Based in Hawaii, the JPAC's mission is to achieve the fullest possible accounting of all Americans missing as a result of our nation's previous conflicts.

During Sergeant Baker's 40 days in Vietnam, he and eleven other team members from various branches of service, including civilians, dug at two sites bagging and tagging evidence to send to the Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii for processing.

At their first site, 30 Vietnamese villagers helped dig in a remote area of Quang Nam Province, about 25 miles southwest of DaNang near the Laotian border. With the help of the villagers, the team was able to open and close the case in 10 days.

They determined, based on the evidence they recovered including canteen tops; jungle boot metal plates; ammunition pouches; M-16 rounds and magazines; and a web belt with blood and enemy rounds, that a team of troops assigned to the special observation group were dropped at a landing zone from a helicopter. As they headed into the jungle, they were overtaken by fire. Two of the team members were able to move downhill and were picked up by a helicopter but couldn't return for the third person.

At the second site, the team spent seven days digging. Due to eight straight days of rain, the team didn't get as far as they would have liked, Sergeant Baker said.

They were, however, able to conclude that four American and three Republic of Vietnam troops were dropped off at a landing zone and attacked by village militia. The seven of them fired until they ran out of ammunition. The case remains open.

Sergeant Baker thought he would have mixed emotions about traveling to Vietnam, but he found the people very good natured.

"I have a whole new respect for Vietnam veterans since this experience," he said. "These missions are worth it because our comrades in arms are being accounted for and we're able to close the door on some of the cases." 

According to Sergeant Baker, his team dug a total of appoximately 585 square meters of earth and was able to dig more than any other team on the JFA, even though they faced eight straight days of rain.

Despite the hard work of digging 10 to 12 hours a day in 85 to 90 degree temperatures with 90 percent humidity, Sergeant Baker said he'd go back tomorrow if he could. He has already volunteered for another mission with JPAC.

For more information about JPAC, visit their Web site at http://www.jpac.pacom.mil.