WHAT I CAN DO - I WILL -

The Christian and Missionary Alliance first arrived in South Vietnam in 1911. By the end of the Vietnam War there were over 138 missionaries throughout the country. Three weeks before Saigon fell, the church began moving its personnel out of the country. The last missionary to leave South Vietnam left on the next to last helicopter that lifted off the roof of the American Embassy on 29 April 1975.

The Ban Me Thuot Leprosarium was located in dense jungle terrain in Darlac Province, South Vietnam, near the provincial capitol of Ban Me Thuot. The Leprosarium was jointly financed by The Christian and Missionary Alliance, the Mennonite Central Committee and American Leprosy Missions, Inc. There were 56 Alliance church groups in the areas outlying Ban Me Thuot in 1962.

The Leprosarium had a staff of nine, including Rev. Archie Mitchell, the administrative officer; Dr. Ardel Vietti, a surgeon, Daniel A. Gerber, and nurses, Misses Craig, Deets, Kingsbury and Wilting. There were two others on staff, as well as the Mitchell's four children, who also lived at the Leprosarium.

Late afternoon on Wednesday, 30 May 1962, a group of about 12 armed Viet Cong entered the Leprosarium compound and abducted Dan Gerber, Dr. Vietti and Rev. Mitchell. The nurses were sternly lectured on their betrayal of the Vietnamese people and assured that they deserved immediate death, but were not molested or abducted. Mrs. Mitchell and her four children were not harmed. The VC ransacked all the buildings for anything they could use - linens, medicines, clothing and surgical instruments. About 2200 hours, the Viet Cong finally left, taking their three prisoners with them.

When the three were captured, the U.S. pledged all of its resources in order to see that everything possible was done to get them back safely in 1962.

At the time, U.S. and South Vietnamese intelligence discovered their probable location, but were never able to rescue the three. Reports have continued to surface on them through the years since 1962. Some of the members of their families believe them to be still alive.

Although the U.S. has given the Vietnamese information on Gerber, Vietti and Mitchell, the Vietnamese deny any knowledge of them.

Ardel Vietti, a twin, was born on 5 November 1927 in Ft. Worth, Texas. Her father was a geologist and provided Ardel, her sister and brother with a comfortable youth, as well as the experience of living in South America for several years. Ardel attended Rice Institute, Nyack Missionary College (one summer), and attended medical school at the University of Texas. Following her residency, she applied for foreign service with C&MA and was certified for appointment to the Ban Me Thuot Leprosarium in Vietnam.

Mr. Gerber, Dr. Vietti and Mr. Mitchell were taken prisoner on May 30, 1962 while at a leprosarium near the South Vietnamese mountain town of Banmethuot. In November 1962, documents which stated that the three individuals captured on May 30th were killed were taken from hostile forces 50 kilometers southwest of the leprosarium. Mr. Gerber's passport was recovered in February 1963; missing were pages containing his name and photograph.

The three civilians were reported captured. Returning U.S. POWs had no information on their presence in the Vietnamese prison system.

Since April 1989, the Joint Casualty Resolution Center has interviewed subjects in Vietnam concerning this incident. All information obtained to date confirms that the three were captured and killed because they were suspected of being American spies. Their remains were reportedly disinterred in 1980 by unidentified persons, and they cannot now be located.

All Biographical and loss information on Vietnam Era POW/MIA's provided by Operation Just Cause have been supplied by Chuck and Mary Schantag of POW/NET. Please check with POW/NET regularly for updates. Additional info (if source is not mentioned above) was obtained from Task Force Omega, Inc.