Shaffer
11-06-02, 03:02 PM
The remains of three U.S. soldiers previously unaccounted for
from the war in Vietnam have been identified and will be buried
as a group at Arlington National Cemetery on Friday, Nov. 8.
They are Capt. Ronald D. Briggs, Philadelphia, Sgt. 1st
Class Robert C. O'Hara, Lost Nation, Iowa; and Maj. David E.
Padgett, Washington, Ind.
On Feb. 6, 1969, Padgett and O'Hara were crewmembers on
a UH-1H Huey helicopter, flying Briggs and three other soldiers
on an emergency resupply mission in South Vietnam. While
enroute from a landing zone in the Quang Tri province, the crew
radioed that the flight was returning due to poor weather
conditions and reduced visibility. When the flight did not
return, a search and rescue mission was initiated, but was
unsuccessful in locating the missing aircraft.
In December 1993, a joint U.S. and Vietnam investigation team,
led by the Joint Task Force-Full Accounting, interviewed several
local informants in Quang Tri province. One claimed to possess
the remains of a missing serviceman. Two months later, the
remains were repatriated to U.S. officials and submitted to the
U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory Hawaii (CILHI) for
analysis.
On July 16, 1995, another joint U.S. and Vietnam team
interviewed a witness who gave information about a helicopter
crash site in the Huong Hoa District. After investigating the
site, the team recovered aircraft debris, personal artifacts,
and human remains that corresponded to the missing aircraft and
its crewmembers. This additional evidence was also transported
to CILHI.
From July 1996 to October 1996, additional remains, personal
artifacts, and aircraft debris were recovered from the crash
site. Some of the remains were submitted by CILHI to the Armed
Forces DNA Identification Laboratory for mitochondrial DNA
analysis. By analyzing dental records and comparing the DNA of
skeletal fragments found at the crash site to that of maternal
family members, CILHI scientists were able to make
identifications of the missing servicemen. The remains of three
others from the same incident were previously identified.
from the war in Vietnam have been identified and will be buried
as a group at Arlington National Cemetery on Friday, Nov. 8.
They are Capt. Ronald D. Briggs, Philadelphia, Sgt. 1st
Class Robert C. O'Hara, Lost Nation, Iowa; and Maj. David E.
Padgett, Washington, Ind.
On Feb. 6, 1969, Padgett and O'Hara were crewmembers on
a UH-1H Huey helicopter, flying Briggs and three other soldiers
on an emergency resupply mission in South Vietnam. While
enroute from a landing zone in the Quang Tri province, the crew
radioed that the flight was returning due to poor weather
conditions and reduced visibility. When the flight did not
return, a search and rescue mission was initiated, but was
unsuccessful in locating the missing aircraft.
In December 1993, a joint U.S. and Vietnam investigation team,
led by the Joint Task Force-Full Accounting, interviewed several
local informants in Quang Tri province. One claimed to possess
the remains of a missing serviceman. Two months later, the
remains were repatriated to U.S. officials and submitted to the
U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory Hawaii (CILHI) for
analysis.
On July 16, 1995, another joint U.S. and Vietnam team
interviewed a witness who gave information about a helicopter
crash site in the Huong Hoa District. After investigating the
site, the team recovered aircraft debris, personal artifacts,
and human remains that corresponded to the missing aircraft and
its crewmembers. This additional evidence was also transported
to CILHI.
From July 1996 to October 1996, additional remains, personal
artifacts, and aircraft debris were recovered from the crash
site. Some of the remains were submitted by CILHI to the Armed
Forces DNA Identification Laboratory for mitochondrial DNA
analysis. By analyzing dental records and comparing the DNA of
skeletal fragments found at the crash site to that of maternal
family members, CILHI scientists were able to make
identifications of the missing servicemen. The remains of three
others from the same incident were previously identified.