| The Incident
On June 24, 1972, First
Lieutenant McCarty and Capt. Charles A. Jackson were the crew of
an F-4D which was engaged by six MIGs over Nghia Lo Province and
shot down by an air to air missile. Capt. Jackson was captured on
the ground. The second aircraft in their flight with another two
man crew, Grant and Beekman, was also attacked by MIGs and shot
down over Vinh Phu Province. The crews of both aircraft were
declared missing in action.
There were conflicting reports
of contact with the crew of this aircraft. It was later concluded
that the reference to contact with those in incident 1882 was
incorrect and in fact referred to contact on the ground with the
aircrew of those in incident 1881. First Lieutenant Jackson was
captured, taught English to Vietnamese prison system cadre in
late 1972, and upon his release from captivity during Operation
Homecoming stated he did not believe that Lieutenant McCarty had
survived on the ground.
Following the shoot down, a
People's Army of Vietnam unit radioed that its MIG-21 aircraft
had downed two aircraft. U.S. intelligence analysts later
concluded that this report correctly pertained to the shoot down
of those involved in incident 1882 on 24 June and the two crewmen
from case 1882 also shot down on 24 June and captured on 25 June.
On 29 June 1972, the Vietnam News Agency reported Capt. Jackson
had been captured alive in Nghia Lo Province. Capt. Jackson
escaped from custody that night in 1972 but was recaptured in the
morning.
Lt. McCarty was not confirmed
alive in captivity. After Operation Homecoming he was declared
killed in action, body not recovered.
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