LTC ANTHONY CAMERON SHINE LTC ANTHONY CAMERON SHINE

 

20 May 2004 Anthony, I never met you, Sir, but you've been a part of my family ever since I got the bracelet with your name on it. I wore that bracelet for nearly 15 years until my daughter took the bracelet to DC and placed it at the Wall for me. I have never seen the Wall. I hope to do so someday. I saw the Traveling Wall once and when I found your name I cried like a baby. I was in the USAF Security Police from '73-'79 but through the grace of God I never went to S/E Asia. There are times that I feel guilty about that as if I didn't do my part. I guess that's better than having to deal with the demons the Vietnam vets have to deal with. God bless you, Anthony, for your sacrifice. I hope to meet you in Heaven someday and then thank you personally. Rest in Peace, Hero.

 

A Note from The Virtual Wall The A-7 Corsair II was brought into Naval service in 1967 and a variant, the A-7D, was purchased for Air Force service as a light attack aircraft. On 10 October 1972 the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing's three A-7 squadrons deployed from Myrtle Beach AFB, SC, to Korat RTAFB, Thailand. The A-7Ds took over the SAR role from the legendary A-1 Skyraiders. On 2 Dec 1972 Captain Anthony C. Shine was flying A-7D tail number 71-0310 on a helo escort mission in the vicinity of the Barthelmy Pass along the Lao/NVN border about 95 miles northwest of Vinh, NVN. He advised his wingman that he was going to descend below a cloud layer to visual investigate the target area - but he did not reappear, nor could other aircraft contact him. Quite simply, he disappeared. A three-day search failed to locate any trace of aircraft or pilot. At the end of the search, Captain Shine was classed as Missing in Action and remained in that status, gaining two promotions, until 08 Jan 1980, when the Secretary of the Air Force approved a Presumptive Finding of Death. Captain Shine's father was a retired Air Force Colonel; his three sons and one daughter all served in the military - one Air Force officer, two Army infantry officers, and an Army Nurse. All three sons served in Vietnam; the youngest, 1LT Jonathan C. Shine, C/4/9th Infantry, was killed in action on 15 October 1970. Captain Anthony Shine escorted his brother's remains home, and then reported for transition training in the A-7D. The eldest son had been wounded in action but survived. In 1993 Anthony Shine's daughter Colleen travelled to Vietnam to visit the crash site. While there she located a man who had her father's flight helmet with his name hand-written inside. A JTF team then investigated the site again, recovering aircraft parts which identified the wreckage as that of 71-0310 - and found human remains in a nearby grave. On 06 Jun 1995 the remains were repatriated, and on 02 August 1966 the government announced positive identification of Anthony Shine's remains. Burial was at Arlington National Cemetery in October 1996. Additional information is available on the Arlington Cemetery site

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