Naval Aviation News  September 1965

WORCESTER, JOHN BOWERS

Name: John Bowers Worcester

Rank/Branch: O2/US Navy

Unit: Attack Squadron 195, USS BON HOMME RICHARD (CVA 31)

Date of Birth: 23 April 1941

Home City of Record: Big Rapids MI

Date of Loss: 19 October 1965

Country of Loss: North Vietnam

Loss Coordinates: 191900N 1052500E (WG437357)

Status (in 1973): Missing In Action

Category: 2

Acft/Vehicle/Ground: A4C

Other Personnel In Incident: (none missing)

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 01 April 1990 from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews.

REMARKS: RADIO CONTACT LOST

SYNOPSIS: LTJG John B. "Smiley" Worcester was a pilot assigned to Attack Squadron 195 onboard the USS BON HOMME RICHARD. He had been in the Vietnam theater for about six weeks, and had flown 14 combat missions. On October 19, 1965, Worcester launched in his A4C Skyhawk attack aircraft as the second plane in a two-plane section of A4Cs on an armed reconnaissance mission over North Vietnam.

The route was along a river valley and over rolling hills with peaks extending up to approximately 1800 feet mean sea level. The weather in the entire mission area was clear with unrestricted visibility. Some automatic weapons and anti-aircraft positions were known to exist along the mission route. The flight was conducted at altitudes between 5,000 and 7,000 feet above ground level.

At about 5:00 p.m. local time, LTJG Worcester expended part of his ordnance on a bridge. There was no enemy ground fire observed. The flight leader called "turning over point" and had visual contact with Worcester. He acknowledged over the radio that he had visual sight of the leader. The flight leader called "point 2" and received no response from LTJG Worcester. Calls were made on both attack primary and guard frequencies. The mission area was in Nghe An Province, North Vietnam. Worcester's last known location was about 75 miles northwest of the city of Vinh.

The flight leader retraced the entire route three times, but saw no trace nor indication of any kind of a crash or anti-aircraft artillery fire. A fighter pilot in the general area saw an explosion on the ground near the alternate rendezvous point, but was too far away to determine its origin.

Meanwhile, another section of aircraft circled the alternate rendezvous point at 10,000 feet looking for Worcester. This point was a prominent peninsula on the coast clearly visible from the entire mission area. All aircraft stayed in the area as long as fuel permitted. Search and rescue units were alerted and began their search efforts at that time. Darkness precluded further overland search.

The following morning at first light, all pilots who had been in the mission area when LTJG Worcester disappeared thoroughly searched the route again. All search results were negative. Photography along the mission route also failed to reveal any trace of the pilot or his aircraft. Worcester was declared Missing in Action.

Worcester was not among the prisoners of war that were released in 1973 by the Vietnamese. The Vietnamese deny any knowledge of him, though circumstances surrounding his incident indicate the strong probability that enemy forces knew his fate.

Alarmingly, evidence continues to mount that Americans were left as prisoners in Southeast Asia and continue to be held today. Unlike "MIAs" from other wars, most of the nearly 2500 men and women who remain missing in Southeast Asia can be accounted for. If even one was left alive (and many authorities estimate the numbers to be in the hundreds), we have failed as a nation until and unless we do everything possible to secure his freedom and bring him home.

John B. Worcester graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1963.

John B. Worcester was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander during the period he was maintained missing. :

Crossman, Gregory John

Name: Gregory John Crossman

Rank/Branch: O2/US Air Force

Unit: 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Ubon Airbase, Thailand

Date of Birth: 09 August 1941

Home City of Record: Sturgis MI

Date of Loss: 25 April 1968

Country of Loss: North Vietnam

Loss Coordinates: 173400N 1061800E (XE371435)

Status (in 1973): Missing In Action

Category: 2

Acft/Vehicle/Ground: F4D

Other Personnel In Incident: Albert C. Mitchell (missing)

REMARKS:

SYNOPSIS: Gregory Crossman believed there was a purpose in going to Vietnam.

After graduating from Western Michigan University, he entered the Air Force and subsequently received pilot training and his wings.

Crossman began a distinguished flying career. In January 1968, he was cited for "superior airmanship and devotion to duty" for knocking out a supply route and destroying a truck convoy near North Vietnam's Mu Gia Pass without benefit of flares or moonlight.

In February, 1968, Crossman was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for what the Air Force called one of the most important air strikes in a high-risk area of North Vietnam.

On April 25, 1968 the plane on which he was "back seater" to Col. Albert Mitchell when the two departed Ubon Airbase in Thailand on a daring radar raid over one of the most active surface to air missile (SAM) sites in North Vietnam, dodging heavy anti-aircraft fire as they partially knocked out a Soviet fighter plane base along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

The aircraft disappeared without a trace when it broke formation to veer over a truck convoy heading for the key North Vietnamese supply route. Although there is strong indication that the Vietnamese know what happened to Mitchell and Crossman, they deny knowledge of their fates. The last known location of the aircraft was about 5 miles northwest of the city of DongHa in Quang Binh Province, North Vietnam.

Mounting evidence indicates that Americans are still alive being held prisoner of war in Southeast Asia. The Vietnamese pledged to return all prisoners of war and provide the fullest possible accounting of the missing in the peace accords signed in 1973. They have not done either.

The United States government pledged that the POW/MIA issue is of "highest national priority" but has not achieved results indicative of such a priority. Crossman, Mitchell and the nearly 2500 Americans who remain unaccounted for in Southeast Asia deserve our best efforts to bring them home, not our empty words.

VA-115 Arabs '65-'66 Vietnam combat cruise aboard Kitty Hawk.

Front row: Ray Letourneau, Bill Tromp, Bob Arthur, Bob Bond, Brev Moore, Glenn Kalember, Jim Salter, Dave Butler, Ron Rosequist, Kip Tinker.

Back row: Fred Irwin, Chuck Turner, Jack Murphy (Flt Surg), Jerry Tabrum, Cliff Johns, Manny Benero (Ops), M.C. Cook (CO), Hank Bailey (XO), Bob Simonic, Jack Jones, Bob Marvin, Hal Gulledge, Brian Eakin, Art Hoover.

Tromp, William Leslie

Name: William Leslie Tromp

Rank/Branch: O2/US Navy

Unit: Attack Squadron 115, (VA115), USS Kitty Hawk

Date of Birth: 24 August 1941

Home City of Record: Fennville MI

Date of Loss: 17 April 1966

Country of Loss: North Vietnam

Loss Coordinates: 181800N 1060859E (XF215236)

Status (in 1973): Prisoner Of War

Category: 5

Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: A1H

Other Personnel In Incident: (none missing)

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project with the assistance of one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews.

Date Compiled: 15 March 1990

REMARKS: NO GOOD INFO EVER CAPTURED

SYNOPSIS: William Tromp an A1 Skyraider pilot assigned to Attack Squadron 115 (VA115) onboard the aircraft carrier USS KITTY HAWK (CVA 63). On April 17, 1966, he and his wingman launched at 10:00 p.m., on a coastal armed reconnaissance mission which took them about 150 miles north of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) near the city of Vinh. A target was located in a river mouth southeast of Ha Tinh, and after expending his bomb load, Tromp radioed his wingman not to make his briefed run because there were missiles in the area. Both aircraft broke off the attack and headed out to sea and safety.

A moment later, Tromp radioed, "I have some kind of emergency...", and asked the wingman to turn on his running lights. Tromp radioed, "I have your lights in view." At that time, Tromp had turned his aircraft towards the Gulf of Tonkin for more favorable rescue conditons.

Shortly afterwards, radio contact was lost with the aircraft. Subsequent searches by both sea and air were conducted, but produced no sign of either the aircraft or the pilot.

The following weekend, Hanoi announced the capture of three American pilots on April 17, and it was believed that this report related to William Tromp, as he was the only U.S. pilot lost that day. In 1973, two of the three pilots named were released, but Tromp was not, nor did the Vietnamese account for him.

After 1973, the Defense Department told Tromp's parents that his original status of Prisoner of War had been "wrong", and he was reclassified Missing In Action. No further information has been received regarding William Tromp, although classified information relating to his case has been given to the Vietnamese for review in hopes that they will be forthcoming with information.

When the war ended, and 591 Americans were released in Operation Homecoming in 1973, military experts expressed their dismay that "some hundreds" of POWs did not come home with them. Since that time, thousands of reports have been received, indicating that many Americans are still being held against their will in Southeast Asia. Whether Tromp is among them is not known. What is certain, however, is that if only one American remains alive in enemy hands, we owe him our best effort to bring him home.

This photo was taken from the doorway of Maintenance Debriefing in the late afternoon. During the time I served at Ubon, this was the official parking area of the 497th TFS. Later, after the flightline was extended westward, the 497th TFS aircraft moved into the revetments and Able area became a transient parking ramp.

Dan Cullen, Ubon 1967-68, 8th FMS (Field Maintenance Squadron)

Mitchell, Albert Cook

Name: Albert Cook Mitchell

Rank/Branch: O4/US Air Force

Unit: 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Ubon Airbase, Thailand

Date of Birth: 15 December 1928

Home City of Record: New York NY

Date of Loss: 25 April 1968

Country of Loss: North Vietnam

Loss Coordinates: 173400N 1061800E (XE371435)

Status (in 1973): Missing In Action

Category: 2

Acft/Vehicle/Ground: F4D

Other Personnel In Incident: Gregory J. Crossman (missing)

REMARKS:

SYNOPSIS: Gregory Crossman believed there was a purpose in going to Vietnam.

After graduating from Western Michigan University, he entered the Air Force, and subsequently received pilot training and his wings.

Crossman began a distinguished flying career. In January 1968, he was cited for "superior airmanship and devotion to duty" for knocking out a supply route and destroying a truck convoy near North Vietnam's Mu Gia Pass without benefit of flares or moonlight.

In February, 1968, Crossman was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for what the Air Force called one of the most important air strikes in a high-risk area of North Vietnam.

On April 25, 1968 the plane on which he was "back seater" to Col. Albert Mitchell when the two departed Ubon Airbase in Thailand on a daring radar raid over one of the most active surface to air missile (SAM) sites in North Vietnam, dodging heavy anti-aircraft fire as they partially knocked out a Soviet fighter plane base along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

The aircraft disappeared without a trace when it brokeformation to veer over a truck convoy heading for the key North Vietnamese supply route. Although there is strong indication that the Vietnamese know what happened to Mitchell and Crossman, they deny knowledge of their fates. The last known location of the aircraft was about 5 miles northwest of the city of Dong Ha in Quang Binh Province, North Vietnam.

Mounting evidence indicates that Americans are still alive being held prisoner of war in Southeast Asia. The Vietnamese pledged to return all prisoners of war and provide the fullest possible accounting of the missing in the peace accords signed in 1973. They have not done either.

The United States government pledged that the POW/MIA issue is of "highest national priority" but has not achieved results indicative of such a priority.

Crossman, Mitchell and the nearly 2500 Americans who remain unaccounted for in Southeast Asia deserve our best efforts to bring them home, not our empty words.

SPEICHER, MICHAEL SCOTT

Name: Michael Scott Speicher
Rank at Loss/Branch: Lt.Cdr./US Navy
Rank in 2002: Commander
Unit: USS SARATOGA
Age at Loss: 33,
Born: March 1958
Age in 2002: 44
Home City of Record: Jacksonville FL
Date of Loss: 17 January 1991
Country of Loss: Unknown
Loss Coordinates:
Original Status: Missing in Action
Status Changed to KIA/BNR May 1991

Acft/Vehicle/Ground: FA18

Status changed BACK to MIA 01/10/01

The U.S. Navy has changed the status of Gulf War pilot Scott Speicher from missing in action to missing-captured 10/11/2002

Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing)

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 09 March 1991 from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, published sources, interviews. Updated by the P.O.W. NETWORK.

REMARKS: OPERATION DESERT STORM

SYNOPSIS: Scott Speicher was raised in Kansas City. When he was in high school, the Speicher family moved to Jacksonville, Florida. Scott continued his education at Florida State University, receiving a degree in accounting and management.

Speicher went on to join the U.S. Navy and receive flight training. During the Mid-East Crisis, Speicher was one of 2,500 airmen assigned to the USS SARATOGA in the Red Sea. Speicher was part of a fighter squadron and flew the F18 "Hornet" fighter/bomber.

On January 18, 1991, Speicher's aircraft was hit by an Iraqi SAM (surface-to-air missile) and crashed during the first Coalition offensive of the war dubbed "Operation Desert Storm." Initial reports by Defense Secretary Dick Cheney stated that Speicher had been killed. One military source said reports indicated the aircraft had "exploded to bits" in the sky, apparently having suffered a direct SAM hit.

Iraqi officials soon announced the capture of American pilots. It was originally believed the chances of Speicher's ejection were slim, but the books were not closed on Speicher. He was the first American to be listed Missing in Action. Most recent media reports indicate that he was probably "confirmed killed." Although Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney has said Speicher was killed, he is still officially listed missing in action.

The Methodist church in Florida where Scott Speicher has been a Sunday School teacher has held prayer and candlelight vigils for his safety. They have not given up hope that he is still alive.

In the first days of March, 1991, 21 American POWs were released by the Iraqis. Scott Speicher has not yet been released.

Those who recall the abandonment of American POWs in World War II, Korea and Vietnam are watching carefully, determined that men like Speicher will be returned alive, or fully accounted for, before American troops leave the Middle East when hostilities cease.

Scott Speicher and his wife Joanne have two children, a daughter, age 3, and a son, age 1. All live in Jacksonville, Florida. Speicher's father, Wallace Speicher, was a Navy pilot in World War II.

As of May 1997, Michael Speicher is still unaccounted for. His status, Missing in Action, changed to KIA shortly after his incident. Although the USG has excavated what they believe to have been the plane's crash site, no remains were found. The USG also stated, prior to the excavation, that all men were accounted for.

Not Forgotten, Ever: U.S. Navy Pilot Still Unaccounted For After 14 Years In Iraq

Friends of Captain Michael "Scott" Speicher, a Navy pilot who was captured after being shot down in the first Gulf war, have created a new website as a show of renewed faith and spirit in the search for this still-unaccounted for American hero. Despite recent negative news releases in the media regarding Captain Speicher's current Missing In Action/Captured status, friends of the missing hero are showing that not only have they not lost hope for his homecoming, but are instead displaying the tenaciousness that has become their trademark. The site, created by the Friends Working to Free Scott Speicher group, offers a glimpse at Captain Speicher as a "real" person by using pictures and relevant news articles as well as a song written for the Navy pilot, and a public forum where interested parties can communicate their thoughts on Speicher's situation

Jacksonville, FL (PRWEB) June 21, 2005 -- Do you think the world has given up hope for missing/captured Navy pilot, Captain Michael Scott Speicher? If so, think again. Despite all the negative reports coming out of the media recently, Scott's friends and supporters—in a spirit of renewed strength—have launched a brand new website to educate others about this true American hero, missing since the first Gulf war. You can find the new site at http://www.freescottspeicher.org.

Some of what makes this new website unique is its capacity to offer a comprehensive biography of Scott Speicher the friend, the family man, the hero—and the prisoner of war. With links to a vast array of available transcripts, documents and news items, the site also offers never-before-seen photos, a forum that allows opinions and ideas to be shared, and even a song that was written for Scott by members of Friends and can be downloaded in MP3 format.

The search is still on for Captain Speicher, but many citizens of the U.S. aren't even aware of who he is. That is the primary reason for launching the new website—to allow Michael "Scott" Speicher to enter the homes of the American public as a real, living, breathing person. Someone who smiles, laughs, loves, and has friends—friends who have made it their life's mission to see that he comes home to a waiting nation who knows just who he is, assuring that his sacrifices will never be forgotten.

Scott Speicher's jet was launched off the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga in the Red Sea on the first night of Operation Desert Storm—January 17, 1991. When his squadronmates returned to the ship after completing their missions, Speicher was not with them. Hoping against hope that he'd diverted to Riyadh Saudi Arabia—possibly for refueling—his friends awaited news that would confirm their worried hope. Butt when word came, it wasn't the news they'd hoped for. Instead, they heard then-Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney say words that still bring a feeling of sick dread to those closest to Speicher. Cheney dispassionately spoke at that news conference about America's first official casualty of the war, and after mentioning a downed Navy pilot, was asked to give that airman's status. "A death, "' he replied bluntly. The world—including the U.S. Navy—assumed Cheney knew this to be a fact. That day, Michael Scott Speicher was left behind without so much as a cursory search to determine the truth of his fate.

But then questions arose when his plane was found a couple years later—nearly intact on that central-western Iraqi desert floor. It became evident that he'd ejected well before his F/A-18c Hornet had hit the ground. The U.S. later excavated the site, but Speicher's remains were not found. So where was Speicher? In the years since, witnesses who have seen him in captivity have come forth on his behalf. Speicher's initials, M.S.S., have been found written on walls and beams in several different locations in Iraq. In each case, they were written in the same exact handwriting, in the same exact format. But Speicher himself was nowhere around.

Now, fourteen years later, the questions remain. Where is Scott Speicher? When will he be rescued and brought home? Friends Working to Free Scott Speicher seeks to find answers to those questions, and to remind the American public of one of their own, still awaiting a rescue that has never come.

Scott's friend and one of the founding members of the group, Nels Jensen, has been quoted as saying, "The most important thing about the new website is that it lets the world know that Scott Speicher is a real person; an American hero. He's not just a statistic. We must not forget his sacrifice to this great nation he's still fighting for." We have not forgotten Scott Speicher. We will not forget. Ever.

For more information please contact Angela Santana, Friends Working To Free Scott Speicher Member and Webmaster at

541-990-1150 or by email at e-mail at angela@freescottspeicher.org

For further information please see: http://freescottspeicher.org