| The Incident
On 03 January 1971, a flight of
two aircraft departed Korat Air base Thailand for an operational
mission over Laos. Both aircraft were the reconnaissance version
of the Phantom fighter bomber aircraft. The crew aboard the lead
aircraft was Major James H. Ayres, pilot, and Capt. Charles W.
Stratton, weapons systems officer.
During the mission, which took
the flight over Savannakhet Province, Laos, Ayres' aircraft was
seen to crash and explode in a ball of fire prior to its second
pass over the target area. No parachutes were observed, and no
emergency radio beeper signals were detected. The loss occurred
about 8 miles southeast of the city of Ban Muong Sen.
After the war ended, 591
Americans were released from communist prison camps in Southeast
Asia, but NOT ONE American held in Laos was released. Even though
family members of the men still missing did their best to keep
their men's plight in the public eye, these "tens of tens" were
largely forgotten.
In 1988, the U.S. agreed to
"grease the wheels" for the humanitarian construction of medical
clinics to help improve U.S./Laos relations. In return, the Lao
agreed to excavate crash sites on a regular basis. Still, no
acknowledged negotiations have occurred which would free any
living American POWs in Laos.
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