Anderson, Gregory, SSgt.

b. Aug. 27, 1947 d. Jan. 28, 1970

On 28 January 1970 an F-105G “Wild Weasel” aircraft of the 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron, tail number 63-8329 and call sign SEABIRD 02, was shot down within North Vietnam. There are different stories with respect to why it was there:

• Hobson’s “Vietnam Air Losses” and the POW Network say the aircraft was part of a SAM supression flight protecting an RF-4C photo-recon aircraft, but
• The Task Force Omega (TFO) site claims the Wild Weasel aircraft were on a dedicated SAM “hunt and destroy” mission.

In either case, the flight came under attack from the NVA air defenses and responded in kind. Hobson says SEABIRD 02 “was hit by AAA and burst into flames” while pulling off after a strike run, while TFO claims SEABIRD 02 “was struck by an air-to-air missile from a MiG-21”. The POW Network is noncommittal, saying simply that SEABIRD 02 was shot down. Regardless of the exact cause, SEABIRD 02’s two crewmen were forced to eject in the vicinity of the Mu Gia Pass.

Although other US aircrews spotted two good parachutes and heard two emergency beeper signals, they could not establish voice communications with the downed crewmen. Search and Rescue efforts were initiated at once, with HH-53B JOLLY GREEN rescue helicopters and supporting aircraft dispatched from Udorn and Nakon Phanom airfields in Thailand. The HH-53s were placed in a holding position about 20 miles northwest of the crash site while other aircraft attempted to locate Mallon and Panek.

Two MiG-21s, reportedly from the NVAF’s 921st Flight Regiment, made a single pass at the holding area and were able to hit one of the HH-53s (serial # 66-14434, call sign JOLLY GREEN 71) with an air-to-air missile (the NVAF pilot reportedly was Vu Ngoc Dinh, a North Vietnamese ace with 6 kills). JOLLY GREEN 71 exploded and disintegrated in flight, involving its six crewmen in an apparently unsurvivable crash.

All eight men initially were classed as “Missing in Action”:

• F-105G 63-8329, 354th TFS:
  • Capt Richard J. Mallon, Portland, OR, pilot
  • Capt Robert J. Panek, Chicago, IL, EWO.

HH-53B 66-14434, 40th ARRS:

• • Major Holly G. Bell, Beaumont, TX, pilot;
  • Capt Leonard C. Leeser, Floral Park, NY, copilot;
  • SMSgt William D. Pruett, Bluefield, VA, pararescueman;
  • MSgt William C. Sutton, Goldsboro, NC, pararescueman;
  • SSgt William C. Shinn, Woodland, CA, flight engineer; and
  • SSgt Gregory L. Anderson, Wheaton, IL, 601st Photo Sqdn photographer

The Air Force convened a Board of Inquiry to consider the facts and circumstances surrounding the loss of JOLLY GREEN 71; in April 1970 the Board concluded that the crash was not survivable and the status of the six crewmen was changed to Killed in Action/Body not Recovered.

There are conflicting reports with respect to the SEABIRD 02 crew. Official reports indicate that neither the aircraft wreckage or the two crewmen were located, but the POW Network site includes an unofficial report attributed to another member of the 354th TFS that “both men were seen in a clearing within the hour, being surrounded [by enemy troops], stripped to their shorts, and holding their hands in the air.” However, in 1992 National Security Agency radio intercepts were declassified; those intercepts included North Vietnamese radio messages to the effect that neither Mallon nor Panek survived the shootdown. In any case Mallon and Panek were not reported as captured by the North Vietnamese and the POWs released in 1973 had no knowledge of them. The Secretary of the Air Force approved Presumptive Findings of Death for the two men, Mallon on 23 September 1975 and Panek on 6 July 1978.

On 15 December 1988 a number of human remains were repatriated. Of these, 33 were ultimately identified, including the remains of Captain Richard Mallon (announced 18 Apr 1989), Captain Robert Panke (04 May 1989), and Major Holly Bell (01 Jun 1989). As of 02 Oct 2005 the remains of the other five men from JOLLY GREEN 71 have not been recovered.

Compiled from several sources, including
the POW Network
Task Force Omega
and VHPA/USAF records.