Capt. John T. McDonnell, US Army ​Đại úy John T. McDonnell, Quân đội Hoa Kỳ

On March 6, 1969, Captain McDonnell was the pilot of an AH-1G Cobra helicopter that was hit by hostile fire and crashed in Thua Thien Province at 14:30 local time. The crash site has been reported at 16o 13' 46" N 107o 58' 22" E (UTM grid: ZC177968) Northwest of Da Nang.

Another helicopter was shot down searching for McDonnell and his co-pilot, killing all three crewmen. The next day, McDonnell’s copilot was rescued, but McDonnell was missing. His fate remains a mystery linked to the following reports:

  • An American pilot was reported captured and taken prisoner near the crash time and place. He had a broken and bleeding arm and was taken to a People's Army of Vietnam 4th Regimental Headquarters, which received instructions to transport McDonnell to the Tri Thien Hue Military Region Headquarters. The prisoner allegedly wrote a note that a reward would be given if he were taken to Hue and released. The captor crossed out Hue and wrote Hanoi. Other witnesses report the prisoner had a leg wound and died while being transported.

  • It has been reported by a squad leader with the 5th Company, 14th Antiaircraft Battalion NVA 2nd Yellow Star Division, that two POWs were observed with the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) on three different occasions between May and July 1971. The first sighting took place in early May or June, 1971, when the source saw the two POWs eating lunch with personnel of the Military Staff and political offices, North Vietnamese Army (NVA) 2nd Yellow Star Division, Doan 2 Sao Vang, at the 13th Commo-Liaison Station (WD876558), 33rd Binh Tram, NVA 559th infiltration line (Doung Day 559) in Savannakhet Province, Laos. The second time the source briefly saw the same POWs in July 1971. The third time was also in July 1971 when the source saw the POWs sitting in a hut in the division's base camp area. The source was told that the POWs had been captured by the NVA 2nd Division in the Quang Nam Province, South Vietnam.

  • It has been reported that Nguyen Thanh Son, Commanding Officer for the 157 Co. 21st Bn, 2nd Div, had seen an American Captain in captivity on four separate occasions between August 1972 and February 1973. Nguyen Thanh Son reported seeing the American artillery officer in a MR-5 Prisoner of War Camp near Ba-To in the Quang Ngai Province. He reported that the American captain, under the "threat of death," was teaching Vietminh forces how to use a 105 mm howitzer. Nguyen Thanh Son stated that Sr. LT. Hinh, a MR-5 interpreter, assisted him on the four occasions he conversed with the American Captain. These Americans were not returned home at the end of the war.

  • Capt. McDonnell’s ID has been located in the Hue Military Museum (HMM). How the ID card ended up at the HMM is not well established.

Additional information on Captain McDonnell’s POW/MIA can be found at:

https://sites.google.com/site/johntmcdonnellarchive/

“Your assistance is kindly requested to determine what occurred after the helicopter crash. If you were a 2nd Yellow Star Division soldier, 2nd Division soldier, or living in and around the Thua Tien Hue and Da Nang Province border please let us know what you witnessed or if you have any recommendations for finding out what transpired. Was Captain McDonnell injured from the crash and did he die shortly thereafter? Did he survive the crash and remain in Vietnam after the US withdrew its troops in March 1973? Thank You:” John McDonnell (son)

The family would also like to speak with Nguyen Thanh Son, who reported the unrepatriated American prisoners, and, if his report is accurate, anyone who knows what happened to these Americans after 1973.

“Với sự trợ giúp của bạn, chúng tôi trân trọng cầu xin bạn xác nhận điều gì đã xảy ra sau khi máy bay trực thăng bị tai nạn. Nếu bạn là bộ đội Sư đoàn 2 Sao Vàng hoặc đã sống trong vùng ranh giới hai tỉnh Thưa Thiên Huế và Đà Nẵng, xin vui lòng cho chúng tôi biết những điều mà bạn đã chứng kiến hoặc bạn có những đề nghị nào cho việc tìm hiểu những sự việc đã xảy ra. Liệu Đại úy John T. McDonnell có bị thương hay bị chết ngay trong vụ tai nạn đó không? Có phải Anh ấy đã sống sót trong vụ tai nạn và ở lại Việt Nam sau khi Hoa Kỳ rút quân vào tháng ba năm 1973? Xin cảm ơn.” John McDonnell (con trai)

Gia đình cũng muốn được nói chuyện với ông Nguyen Thanh Son, người đã có báo cáo về các tù binh Mỹ chưa hồi hương, và, nếu như báo cáo của ông chính xác, chúng tôi cũng muốn tiếp xúc với bất cứ ai biết điều gì đã xảy ra với những người Mỹ này sau 1973.