Frank Elkins was a fellow Naval Aviator and squadron-mate of mine from VA-44, the A-4 RAG (training squadron) at NAS Cecil Field, Jacksonville, Florida. Frank was shot down on 10/13/66 over North Vietnam. He was declared MIA until a Presumptive Finding of Death was issued in October, 1977. His remains were identified and returned to the U.S. in January, 1990. With Frank's widow's (Marilyn) permission, the Naval Institute Press in 1973 published Frank's diary, "The Heart of a Man". This is an excellent and moving testimony to life's values and to Frank's beautiful wife. I believe Marilyn is still residing in California. THE ACTION Then-Lieutenant Frank Elkins was assigned to Attack Squadron 164 (VA-164) embarked in USS ORISKANY. On October 12, 1966, he was on a strike mission near the city of Tho Trang, about five miles from the coast of Nghe An Province, when his A-4E Skyhawk was hit by a Surface-to-Air missile (SAM). It was not known what happened to Elkins after the crash of his aircraft, and he was classified Missing in Action. In March 1990, the Vietnamese "discovered" the mortal remains of Elkins and returned them to U.S. control. From the POW Network

 

A memorial from his former squadronmate, Timothy J. Lynch tlynch@bellsouth.net  17 Mar 2001

Contact Us

© Copyright 1997-2019 www.VirtualWall.org, Ltd ®(TM)

Last update 08/15/2019.