12 Nov 2001 Thank You from one who wears his MIA bracelet, K. Freitas E-Mail address not available

 

7 Jun 2004 It is June 7, 2004 and I am a 59 year old Vietnam era veteran (Army). For several years, I wore an MIA bracelet inscribed with Col. Leslie Hauer's name and date of loss. Durin gthe 1970s, I placed the bracelet in my jewelry box. From time to time I would take it out and think of him, unclear as to his fate. Recently, the Internet allowed me the opportunity to determine what had become of Col Hauer. I cried when I read his story and thought of his lonely fate in a hostile place. I am blessed to have survived that terrible era and in my heart hold great thanks for those who sacrificed themselves for me, my country and for those in a foreign nation who yearned to be free. I will try to find Col. Hauer's family, in the event they wish to have this bracelet. If not, it will hold a place of honor in my home and be passed to my daughter, lest we ever forget. God bless you and keep you, Leslie Hauer. John Supranovich 101 West Broadway, Bangor, Maine 04401 johnsupe@aol.com

 

Notes from The Virtual Wall On November 18, 1967, three F-105s were shot down over Vinh Phu Province, North Vietnam. The first to be shot down, an F-105D model, was flown by Col. Edward Burke Burdett. The aircraft was shot down about 20 miles from Hanoi. Burdett was captured by the Vietnamese, but according to a list provided by the Vietnamese died in captivity the same day he was shot down. His remains were not returned until March 6, 1974. The second was a two-seat F-105F model flown by Maj. Oscar M. Dardeau, Jr., and Capt. Edward W. Lehnhoff, Jr. Their aircraft was shot down about 10 miles north of the city of Phy Tho. They were classified Missing in Action. The Vietnamese returned their remains on November 25, 1987. The third, F-105D tail number 62-4283, was flown by Major Leslie J. Hauer and was shot down in the vicinity of Vinh Yen. Major Hauer's aircraft, one of a flight of four, was hit by a Surface-to-Air missile. He ejected from his aircraft and a good parachute was seen and a beeper signal heard by the other members of the flight while his parachute was still in the air. The flight lost sight of the parachute when it descended into an undercast and the beeper signals then ceased. The location precluded Search and Rescue operations. Hauer was declared Missing in Action. Intelligence reported two possible sightings of Major Hauer on the ground and in captivity, but he was not listed as a captive by the North Vietnamese and the US POWs who returned in February 1973 had no knowledge of him. In June 1977 the Vietnamese told U.S. officials they would return Maj. Hauer's remains in September but failed to do so. On 21 March 1979 the Secretary of the Air Force approved a Presumptive Finding of Death for now-Colonel Hauer. On 13 September 1990 the Vietnamese returned remains which were identified on 31 January 1991 as those of Colonel Hauer.

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