| The Incident
On 04 March 1971 Capt. Michael
W. Marker, pilot of a JU21-A twin engine turbo prop (serial
number 18065, call sign Vanguard 216) departed Phu Bai, Republic
of Vietnam on an early morning combat support mission in the
vicinity of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). His crew that morning
consisted of WO1 Harold L. Algaard, co-pilot, SP5 Rodney D.
Osborne, technical observer, SP5 Richard J. Hentz, crewman, and
SP6 John T. Strawn, crewman. The pilot and crew were assigned to
the 138th Aviation Company, 224th Aviation Battalion, 509th RR
(Radio Research) Group, a cover designation for their real unit
in USASA.
"Radio Research" was actually a
secret cover designation for certain units operating under the
direction of the U.S. Army Security Agency Group, Vietnam. All
missions of this agency were highly classified. The 224th
Aviation Battalion was referred to as an aviation battalion in
Vietnam for security reasons only. The JU21A aircrew's actual
unit designation was 138th ASA Company, 224th ASA Battalion
(Aviation), U.S. Army Security Agency Group, Vietnam.
Two hours into the mission, at
0840 hours, radio and radar communication was lost. When the
aircraft failed to return from the mission at the appointed time,
search efforts were initiated and continued for 2 days over a 300
mile area, but proved negative. A reliable source indicated that
an aerial detonation in the vicinity of the DMZ occurred on 04
March 1971 at the same flight altitude and pattern flown by
Vanguard 216. Hostile threat in the area precluded any visits to
the suspected area of the crash. No trace was ever found of the
aircraft or the crew.
While the missing crew members
were initially listed as Missing In Action, a change in status to
Killed In Action, Body Not Recovered (KIA/BNR) occurred within 90
days of the incident. Regarding the status change, the families
were told that all information pertinent to the incident was
classified and would remain classified for ten years.
Since that date, the families
have been told that the aircraft was involved in electronic
surveillance, and their mission was top secret. The aircraft was
hit by enemy artillery and was downed over North Vietnam. A
"classified source" stated that the crew was killed. The rest is
classified.
Efforts through numerous
inquiries, including a Congressional inquiry in 1982, to reveal
what information was contained in the "classified source" have
been fruitless. Through the Congressional inquiry, it was learned
that information regarding the loss of Vanguard 216 would be
classified until the year 2010 A.D.
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