July 30, 2001

Mac’s Facts no. 25:  Successful Escapes

 

Here are the names of the 38 escapees from the Vietnam War (30 military, 8 civilians/fornats).

 

LAST_NAME, FIRST_NAME, MIDDLE INITIAL, STATUS, SERVICE, RANK, COUNTRY, CASUALTY DATE, RELEASE DATE  (Source:  DPMO PMSEA Reference Document, March 1998)

 

AIKEN, LARRY DELARNARDO (dec)      EE        A          E4        VS        690513  7/10/69

ANDERSON, ROGER DALE                   EE        A          E2        VS        680103  1/12/68

BRASWELL, DONALD ROBERT                       EE        A          E4        VS        670823  8/24/67

BREWER, LEE                                      EE        A          E5        VS        680107  1/8/68

CAMACHO, ISAAC                               EE        A          E7        VS        631124  7/13/65

DENGLER, DIETER                               EE        N          O2        LA        660201  7/20/66

DIERLING, EDWARD A                         EE        A          E5        VS        680203  2/23/68

DODD, JOE LEE                                    EE        V          --          VS        651010  10/25/65

DODSON, JAMES                (deceased)     EE        M         E5        VS        660506  6/5/66

ECKES, WALTER W                             EE        M         E3        VS        660510  6/5/66

FANN, JERRY L.                                   EE        A          E3        VS        670321  3/21/67

GRAENING, BRUCE A                          EE        A          E3        VS        670309  3/18/67

GUFFEY, JERRY                                   EE        A          E4        VS        690304  3/4/69

HAMILTON, WALTER D                       EE        M         E2        VS        651018  10/29/65

HATCH, PAUL  G                                  EE        A          E3        VS        690824  8/25/69

HAYHURST, ROBERT A                       EE        A          E5        VS        680203  2/23/68

HOLT, DEWEY THOMAS                      EE        V          --          VS        670823  8/24/67

HUDSON, HENRY M                             EE        V          --          VS        651220 

INTORATAT, PHISIT                            EE        W         --          LA        630905 

IODICE, FRANK C                                EE        M         E4        VS        680530  6/1/68

JONES, EDWIN D                                  EE        V          --          VS        651220 

KING, EVERETT MELBORNE, JR          EE        A          E3        VS        680201  2/8/68

KLUSMANN, CHARLES F                     EE        N          O3        LA        640606  8/31/64

LENG, CHAY YOU                                EE        W         --          CB       700531 

MARTIN ,DONALD EUGENE                 EE        A          E5        VS        680302  4/14/68

NELSON, STEVEN N                             EE        M         E3        VS        680107  1/21/68

NORTH, JOSEPH                                  EE        M         E2        VS        651018  10/29/65

PAGE, JASPER N                                  EE        F          E6        VS        651030  11/4/65

POTTER, ALBERT J                             EE        M         E5        VS        680530  6/1/68

RISNER, RICHARD F                            EE        M         O4        VS        680820  8/22/68

ROHA, MICHAEL R            (deceased)     EE        M         E1        VS        680107  1/21/68

ROWE, JAMES NICHOLAS (deceased)     EE        A          O2        VS        631029  12/31/68

SMITH, MICHELLE L                            EE        V          --          VS        750310 

SMITH, LINDA                                     EE        V          --          VS        750310 

TALLAFERRO, WILLIAM P                  EE        M         E4        VS        680206  2/13/68

TAYLOR, WILLIAM B                          EE        A          E5        VS        680320  5/6/68

VAN PUTTEN, THOMAS                      EE        A          E4        VS        680211  4/17/69

WRIGHT, BUDDY                                 EE        A          E5        VS        680922  10/6/68

 

Bill Taylor presently lives in Cortez, CO.  Wounded in his own O1D Bird Dog crash March 20, 1968.  Wounded again when Army Cobras attacked his POW encampment with rockets.   Crawled out of the POW camp and signaled the Cobra crews.  A Cobra dropped in, Bill grabbed the skid (leg irons still attached).  He was shot off the skid by the VC.  The Cobra came back and the crewmen grabbed him, threw him into the helicopter.   Neat rescue story.  One of only two POWs rescued directly from POW camps by friendly forces.  The other guy (Larry Aiken) was hacked up by the VC when they abandoned the camp.  He died a short time later in Bethesda Naval Hospital.  These are the only two men to be “rescued” from a VC prison camp.  The others escaped on their own. 

 

Note:  This list does not include Prendergast’s escape.  See Mac’s Facts nos. 8 and 13.