PRESTON, JAMES ARTHUR
As of 08/15/99 the family of James Preston has been asked to accept his
"identification" based on; part of a watch, some ammo shells, two parachute
rings, and an incomplete set of teeth of another crew member. The bone
fragments were NOT DNA tested. A group burial is being urged by the
government. Recently located documents identify live sighting reports,
various provinces of loss for crew members, and other discrepencies.
James' wife has never remarried, and his two sons and his daughter have grown
up - still awaiting the truth from government officials.
POW MISSION OF HOPE - The James Preston Case
Name: James Arthur Preston
Rank/Branch: E5/US Air Force
Unit: 4th Air Commando Squadron, DaNang Airbase, South Vietnam
Date of Birth: 10 August 1939
Home City of Record: Bowden GA
Date of Loss: 15 May 1966
Country of Loss: Laos
Loss Coordinates: 165800N 1060400E
Status (in 1973): Missing In Action
Category: 2
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: AC47
Refno: 0339
Source: Compiled from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S.
Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families,
published sources, interviews. Updated by the P.O.W. NETWORK in 1998.
Other Personnel In Incident: William L. Madison; Kenneth D. McKenney; George
W. Jensen; Lavern G. Reilly; Marshall L. Tapp; George W. Thompson; James E.
Williams (all missing)
REMARKS: NO RAD CNTCT - POS DED FBIS - J
SYNOPSIS: Maj. George W. Jensen was the pilot of an AC47 aircraft which
departed Ubon Air Base, Thailand on an armed visual reconnaissance mission
over Laos on May 15, 1966. His crew that day consisted of Maj. Lavern G.
Reilly, spare pilot; Capt. Marshall L. Tapp, co-pilot; 1Lt. George W.
Thompson, navigator; SSgt. James A. Preston, load master; Sgt. James E.
Williams, flight engineer; Airman 1st Class Kenneth D. McKenney and Sgt.
William L. Madison, gunners.
At 1745 hours, Jensen radioed his position, and again at 2100 hours, Jensen
radioed situation normal, with no position given, nor was the target area
specified. The aircraft's last location was over the Laotian panhandle about
15 miles due east of the city of Ban Muong Sen in Savannakhet Province.
When the aircraft failed to return to the base as scheduled, an aerial
search was conducted during the daylight hours of May 16, with negative
results. The aircraft was not found, and no evidence of the crew surfaced.
The crew of the AC47 is among nearly 600 Americans lost in Laos during the
war with Vietnam. Although the numbers of men actually termed "prisoner of
war" are quite low, this can be explained in understanding the blanket of
security surrounding the "secret war" the U.S. waged in Laos. To protect the
public perception that we "were not in Laos", details of many loss incidents
were "rearranged" to show a loss or casualty in South Vietnam. Only a
handful of publicly exposed cases were ever acknowledged POW, even though
scores of pilots and ground personnel were known to have been alive and well
at last contact (thus increasing the chance they were captured alive).
The Lao communist faction, the Pathet Lao, stated on several occasions that
they held "tens of tens" of American prisoners, but the Pathet Lao were not
included in the Paris Peace agreements ending American involvement in the
war. As a consequence, no American POWs held in Laos were negotiated for.
Not one American held in Laos has ever been released. As thousands of
reports continue to flow in regarding Americans still captive in Southeast
Asia, the fates of the crew of the AC47 become more intriguing. It is
entirely possible, with no evidence to the contrary, that they survived to
be captured. Whether they survived or not, they were abandoned to the enemy.
----------------------------------
ROLLING THUNDER SPEECH FOR SEPTEMBER 19TH.
This is my speech that I delivered in New Jersey on National POW/MIA
Recognition Day... Just thought I'd share... Feel free to keep, use, or
forward it in any way that you think it will be useful...
God Bless...
Amanda
A Plea For Help
On Behalf Of
CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT
JAMES ARTHUR PRESTON
Missing In Action
Laos
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I am deeply grateful and honored for the opportunity to join you
today in this united stand on behalf of America's Prisoners of War and those
who remain listed as Missing In Action from the war in Southeast Asia.
My name is Amanda Kidd-- and I stand before you now to extend to each of
you... A Plea For Help.
I am a cousin of Chief Master Sergeant James Arthur Preston who is
among the 2,060 members of America's military service personnel who remain
unaccounted for-- Abandoned by our government officials in Southeast Asia--
But certainly not forgotten by the countless Veterans and POW/MIA Activists
who refuse to rest until the last hero is home.
Generally I would like for you to think of me as a peacemaker-- But I
offer no apology if my words today shock and anger you. It is my sincere
hope that you WILL become angry-- Angry enough that each of you-- upon your
departure-- will constructively and non-violently utilize this sentiment as
an incentive to strive with me for the search of truthful answers regarding
the fate of our nation's abandoned heroes.
It is my cousin James Preston whose story I would like to share with
you today: One of your missing and abandoned brothers-- Whose voice may soon
become forever silenced without your help.
On May 15, 1966, James Preston was the Loadmaster aboard an AC-47
aircraft that was lost to enemy fire over Savannakhet Province while bound
on an armed visual reconnaissance mission just within the country of Laos
shortly after departure from Udorn Air Base in Thailand. On May 18, our
family was notified of the loss of the aircraft and was informed that all
personnel aboard were consequently declared to be Missing In Action. We
were assured that our government was doing everything possible to locate the
wreckage-- as well as our loved one-- James Preston-- and the remaining 7
crew members who were aboard at its time of loss.
Quietly and dutifully, our family waited daily with blind trust for
word that our loved one would be found safe and alive... Word that would
never come. Days would evolve into years, yet no trace of this aircraft or
the 8 dedicated members of United States Air Force personnel who were aboard
were ever located. In 1978, an unwelcomed milestone was reached-- The
official status of James Arthur Preston was changed from "Missing In Action"
to "Killed In Action / Body Not Recovered." Eventually, James' immediate
family-- his wife, brothers, and three children-- would turn to me... and to
other relatives... in the hope that there would be more strength in numbers
as we joined together in a united search for truth.
Years have now come and gone... and the details surrounding this
tragic incident have continually eluded our family... Sincere inquiries
regarding James' fate have proved fruitless... Our United States Government
has simply not been adequately forthcoming with thorough and truthful
answers regarding this tragedy.
Now our hopes have once again been elevated only to be dashed by the
recent notification that our family has been given on behalf of the national
decision to prematurely resolve our loved one's case.
Only a few short months ago, in June of this year... after 33
agonizing years of waiting... our family was abruptly notified that Joint
Task Force excavation teams had successfully located the wreckage of the
AC-47 on which James and his fellow crew members were aboard. Unfortunately,
with nothing more than a limited number of mingled bone fragments and a few
questionable personal belongings, eight military servicemen are now being
deleted from our nation's list of missing service personnel. From the cold,
impersonal standpoint of our government officials, "Case Number 0339"-- as
this incident is generally known-- is now fully resolved.
Tragically, James Preston has now become our nation's most recent
victim of the all-too-familiar "empty coffin" burials at Arlington National
Cemetery that are so frequently used in our government's hurried attempt to
dismiss our missing service personnel without the repatriation of physical
human remains as adequate evidence of their deaths. This American hero will
now be abandoned once again by our government solely on the questionable
recovery of a wrist watch and a military identification tag which bears his
name. To those within our national heirarchy who are responsible for the
POW/MIA accounting effort, it matters not that no human remains have been
identified as being those of Chief Master Sergeant James Arthur Preston. It
matters not... that James Preston's name was heard over Voice of Vietnam
Radio by 5 returned POWs... It matters not... that he is the only one of
all 8 crew members whose name appears on Senator Bob Smith's 1992 POW/MIA
Senate Select Committee List of 324 MIAs who are most likely to have
survived captivity. It matters not... that the remains of one of the
aircraft's door gunners involved in this incident was recovered from a
shallow grave at Houai Het Prison-- Proving beyond all doubt that the entire
crew did not perish upon impact-- And that at least one-- and possibly
more-- survived long enough to be taken captive... It matters not... that a
live sighting of James Preston was reported as recently as 1992. Despite
whatever evidence that we may present to the contrary... In the eyes of our
United States Government officials... It... Matters... NOT. I extend my most
sincere condolences to the families of the crew members of this incident
whose loved ones have been positively identified and repatriated... But in
the case of my cousin... such closure is not to be found. Chief Master
Sergeant James Arthur Preston does not yet stand on or rest in American
soil.
As I depart from you today, I leave you to contemplate the following
thought: Is this the type of full accounting that you desire for the
brothers that you fought alongside during the war in Vietnam? Is this the
type of closure that you would quietly accept if James Preston were Your
son...? Your brother...? Your father...? Your cousin...? Your friend...?
If not, I ask you to please join me in helping to give him a voice that will
Not Be Silenced. This American hero does not rest in Arlington National
Cemetery as our national leaders would have us believe. But without your
help, United States Government officials will no longer be undertaking
formal efforts to learn more about his fate. Without your help, no one will
pursue the inconsistensies that I have presented to you today. There will
be no incentive for anyone to provide additional information that might
otherwise bring him home. Without you... James Arthur Preston will once
again be abandoned to the land of the enemy by the nation that he so loyally
trusted to protect him.
From the standpoint of our national leaders, James Arthur Preston no
longer has a name or place among the missing American servicemen who remain
unaccounted for in Southeast Asia. We, as his family, will no longer
adequately be heard-- And without your help... He will no longer have a
voice.
Now-- more than ever-- I wish to inquire of each of you here
today-- Will YOU Become His Voice?
If my words today have shocked and angered you, I pray that you will
receive and embrace them as a symbol of our common bond of friendship-- For
I, also, am angry. Please-- Let us utilize our anger constructively and
non-violently in a united voice that will demand that our government
officials cease the practice of the burial of America's missing heroes
solely on the grounds of Identification by Association-- A practice that so
tragically permits the burial of empty coffins in our national cemeteries
without the presence of human remains.
And for as long as is necessary, please strive with me in my
family's continued search for truth by inquiring of our national leaders...
Where Is Chief Master Sergeant James Arthur Preston-- Really?!
May God Bless You All... And Again... Thank You.
-------------------------------------
No. 190-M
MEMORANDUM FOR CORRESPONDENTS December 13, 1999
The remains of eleven American servicemen previously unaccounted-for
from the Vietnam War have been identified and are being returned to
their families for burial in the United States.
They are identified as U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Tim L. Walters, South Bend,
Ind.; U.S. Army 1st Lt. James R. McQuade, Hoquiam, Wash.; U.S. Army Spc.
James E. Hackett, Bradenton, Fla.; U.S. Air Force Col. George W. Jensen,
Seattle, Wash.; U.S. Air Force Col. Marshall L. Tapp, Los Angeles,
Calif.; U.S. Air Force Col. Lavern G. Reilly, St. Paul, Minn.; U.S. Air
Force Maj. George W. Thompson, Beckley, W.Va.; U.S. Air Force Chief
Master Sgt. James A. Preston, Bowden, Ga.; U.S. Air Force Chief Master
Sgt. James E. Williams, Oxford, Miss.; U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt.
William L. Madison, Lexington, Ky.; and U.S. Air Force Senior Master
Sgt. Kenneth D. McKenney, Auburn, Mass.
On March 9, 1969, Walters was aboard a 0-2A Super Skymaster flying a
forward air control mission over Laos. The aircraft crashed, due to an
unknown cause. Other aircrews in the area reported seeing the aircraft
shortly after impact. A ground party went to the site shortly after the
crash and determined that both crewmembers were dead, but they could not
recover the remains due to heavy enemy activity in the area.
Joint U.S.-Lao investigators visited several alleged crash sites in
1993, 1994 and 1998, and an excavation was conducted in January,
February and March 1999, where a team recovered human remains, personal
effects and crew-related items.
Hackett and McQuade were attempting to rescue the crew of a downed
aircraft when their own OH-6A helicopter exploded in mid-air over South
Vietnam on June 11, 1972. In 1993 and 1994, joint U.S.-Vietnamese teams
conducted investigations and an excavation where they recovered numerous
human remains, pilot-related gear and personal effects.
On May 15, 1966, Jensen was piloting an AC-47D gunship on an armed
reconnaissance mission over Laos. Also aboard the aircraft were Tapp,
Thompson, Preston, Madison, McKenney, Williams, and Reilly. That
evening, Jensen radioed to his airborne control aircraft that everything
was normal on the mission, but the aircraft never returned to its home
base. Joint U.S.-Lao investigative teams visited several sites in 1994,
1995, 1996 and 1997 and conducted excavations where they recovered human
remains an d crew-related items.
With the accounting of these servicemen, 2,032 are missing in action
from the Vietnam War. Another 551 have been identified and returned to
their families since the end of the war. Analysis of the remains and
other evidence by the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory Hawaii
confirmed the identification of these servicemen.
The U.S. government welcomes and appreciates the cooperation of the
governments of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Lao People's
Democratic Republic that resulted in the accounting of these servicemen.
We hope that such cooperation will bring increased results in the
future. Achieving the fullest possible accounting for these Americans
is of the highest national priority.
-END-
------------------------------
December 13, 1999
MORE EMPTY COFFINS AT ARLINGTON
THIS STATEMENT IS BEING PROVIDED ON BEHALF OF USAF CHIEF MASTER
SERGEANT JAMES ARTHUR PRESTON AND THE CREW OF 8 LISTED UNDER "CASE 0339"
WHOSE ALLEGED "REPATRIATION OF REMAINS" WAS ANNOUNCED BY THE PENTAGON TODAY
IN PREPARATION FOR "RELEASE" TO THEIR FAMILIES AS "EVIDENCE" OF U.S.
GOVERNMENTAL EFFORTS TOWARD A "FULL ACCOUNTING" OF MISSING AMERICAN SERVICE
PERSONNEL IN SOUTHEAST ASIA:
Submitted by:
Amanda Y. Kidd
Relative of CMSgt. James A. Preston~ MIA~ Laos
Phone: (770) 258-9585
E-mail: AKidd13036@aol.com
Re.: December 13th Reuters Announcement
Regarding The Accounting Of United States
Air Force MIA Crew Of Eight:
The U.S. government's official, public announcement was released by the
Pentagon today regarding the repatriation of forensic remains from Southeast
Asia which are claimed to have been "identified" as the following members of
U.S. Air Force military service personnel who have been listed as Missing In
Action from Laos since 15 May, 1966:
Col. George William Jensen
Capt. Marshall Landis Tapp
Col. Lavern George Reilly
Maj. George Winton Thompson
CMSgt. James Arthur Preston
CMSgt. James Ellis Williams
CMSgt. William Louis Madison
SMgt. Kenneth Dewey McKenney
I will not dedicate an extensive amount of time to expressing the
overwhelming feelings of my, or my family's personal disappointment, pain
and anger regarding the inexcusable manner in which the cases of these eight
MIA servicemen are being handled by the national agencies responsible for
the POW/MIA accounting effort.
Our family has no need (nor do we have the ability) to explain such
feelings:
Instead, I have chosen to present the facts below on behalf of these
eight men so that the discrepancies, inconsistencies, and inconclusiveness
may speak for themselves.
I extend any apologies that may that may be in order regarding the
length of this information, but I feel that each and every word is of
critical importance. Additionally, I thank all citizens in advance who are
patient and concerned enough about the true fate of these men to see it
through to the end.
Details (mostly in the form of countless discrepancies) regarding this
USAF crew of MIA servicemen can be readily found by the general public under
REFNO 0339 through the Library Of Congress POW/MIA Database. Further
documentation regarding live sightings, captivity photographs, voice radio
contact and endless other information that is highly contrary to this recent
"accounting" decision can be accessed under the last names of each of these
men... as well as under their individual case numbers of 0339-0-01 through
0339-0-08.
Please access this information or feel welcome to contact me if any
questions persist regarding the validity of any of the information found in
my statements within this counter-report which I wish to be considered as a
voice opposed to the silencing of those who are now being twice-abandoned by
our nation's government and national POW/MIA accounting agencies.
As a relative of one of the above-mentioned servicemen, (CMSgt. James
Arthur Preston), I wish to bring public attention to the inexcusable
inconclusiveness surrounding the alleged "group identification" of this crew
which is being based solely on the following documented information provided
to our family by the Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii.:
***************************
TAPC-PED-H-LAB (638-2)
15 March 1999
MEMORANDUM FOR Commander, U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory,
Hawaii
SUBJECT: Proposed Identification of CILHI 1997-020-G-01 and CILHI
1997-020-I-01
1. Background and Acquisition
a.
On 15 May 1966 Maj. George W. JENSEN was piloting an AC-47D gunship on
an armed reconnaissance mission over Vientiane Province, Laos. Also
manifested on board were Capt. Marshall L. TAPP, co-pilot; 1Lt. George W.
THOMPSON, navigator; SSgt. James A. PRESTON, loadmaster; SSgt. William L.
MADISON and A2c Kenneth D. MCKENNEY, gunners; A1c James E. WILLIAMS, flight
engineer; and Maj. Lavern G. REILLY, observer.
At approximately 2100 hours, local time, Maj. JENSEN radioed the
Airborne Command and Control aircraft that everything was normal. No other
contact with Maj. JENSEN or his crew was established and the aircraft never
returned to home base. When search and rescue efforts proved negative, the
incident was designated REFNO 0339 and Maj. JENSEN and his crew were
declared Missing In Action. Three weeks after the incident, on 7 June 1966,
a Pathet Lao radio broadcast announced that a U.S. C-47 had been shot down
in central or southern Laos on 15 May. The broadcast went on to claim that
eight Americans and two "puppet" {South} Vietnamese had been killed in the
crash. Colonel JENSEN (all eight Americans having been promoted while in an
MIA status) and his crew currently are carried as presumed Killed In Action.
b.
On 3 and 4 August 1994 a senior representative of the Vietnamese Office
for Seeking Missing Persons (VNOSMP) had a chance encounter while in Ho Chi
Minh City with a retired member of the People's Army of {North} Vietnam
(PAVN). The former PAVN soldier related personal knowledge of a May 1966
crash of a U.S. C-47 in central Laos that killed 10 crewmen. This
information was substantiated by {North} Vietnamese records that indicate
that PAVN Group 559 shot down a U.S. C-47 in Laos on 15 May, 1966, killing
10 crewmen.
c.
Based on information supplied by the VNOSMP, a joint U.S./Lao People's
Democratic Republic (L.P.D.R.) team traveled to Khammouan Province (formerly
Vientiane Province) in October and November 1994. The team interviewed
local informants who provided information about a possible aircraft crash
site. The team then visited the purported site and found several
crew-related items. The site was recommended for additional investigation.
d.
From 15-18 January 1995 another joint U.S./L.P.D.R. team traveled to
Khammouan Province accompanied by several Vietnamese nationals who purported
to have first-hand information of a U.S. aircraft crash site and the
subsequent burial of the crew. After some initial confusion, the Vietnamese
informants were able to delineate the suspected burial site. The informants
indicated that the bodies of 10 (or 11) men were placed in three burial
pits. Limited aircraft wreckage found near the burial site was consistent
with that of an AC-47 gunship. The site was recommended for recovery.
e.
From 15 May through 11 June 1995 a joint U.S./L.P.D.R. team excavated
the crash and burial sites surveyed the previous January. The team
recovered human teeth and crew-related items, including an identification
tag for "PRESTON, JAMES A." (the loadmaster) and metal captain's bars from a
flight suit that would correlate to {then} Capt. Marshall TAPP (the
co-pilot). The size of the site precluded completing the recovery in the
time allotted. The remains were escorted to the CILHI on 20 June 1995 and
assessioned as CILHI 0048-95.
f.
From 5 October through 3 November 1995 another joint U.S./L.P.D.R. team
continued the excavation of the REFNO 0339 crash and burial sites. The team
recovered additional crew-related items but found no additional remains.
The team was unable to complete the recovery due to time constraints.
g.
From 6 January through 6 Feburary 1996 another joint U.S./L.P.D.R. team
attempted to complete the excavation of the REFNO 0339 crash and burial
sites. The team recovered numerous teeth and bone fragments as well as
additional crew-related items. The team was unable to complete the
excavation during the time allotted. The remains were escorted to the CILHI
by an American member of the team on 8 February 1996 where they were
accessioned as CILHI 0005-96.
h.
From 8 August through 1 September 1996 another joint U.S./L.P.D.R. team
continued excavation of the REFNO 0339 sites. The team recovered no
additional remains and very sparce crew-related material. The team
suspended the excavation of the sites.
i.
From 5-27 February 1997 another joint U.S./L.P.D.R. team resumed
excavation of the REFNO 0339 crash and burial sites. The team recovered
additional bone fragments as well as crew-related items. The sites were
closed on 27 February 1997. The remains were accesioned at the CILHI on 11
March 1997 as CILHI 0020-97.
j.
Effective 1 January 1998 the CILHI adopted a revised accession
numbering system. Consequently the accessions designated CILHI 0048-95,
CILHI 0005-96, and CILHI 0020-97 were redesignated CILHI 1995-048, CILHI
1996-005, and CILHI 1997-020, respectively. For analytical purposes, the
remains designated CILHI 1995-048 and CILHI 1996-005 were later consolidated
into CILHI 1997-020.
2. Summary of Findings
a.
Analysts from the Joint Task Force- Full Accounting state that the
recovered wreckage and crew-related items identify the crash site as that of
a U.S. aircraft.
Crew-related equipment- including an identification tag for the loadmaster
and captain's bars from the co-pilot-- found amid the wreckage suggest that
at least two crewmen were aboard the aircraft at the time of impact. The
identification tag found at the crash site correlates the crash to REFNO
0339. Additionally, analysts at the Joint Task Force- Full Accounting
indicate that there are no creditable live-sighting reports or other
intelligence data that would indicate that any member of Col. JENSEN's crew
survived the crash.
b.
Artifacts and crew-related items found during the recovery are
consistent with items issued to, worn by, or used by U.S. Air Force crews in
Southeast Asia in 1966. A size-10 jungle boot found at the site cannot be
individually correlated to a specific member of the crew due to the
similarity of size of several of the crewmen and the absence of documented
shoe sizes in the antemortem records.
c.
Analysis of the consolidated skeletal remains reveals that they are
consistent with human remains. The size and condition of the skeletal
remains make them very poor candidates for mitochondrial DNA given the
current state of that technology. For administrative purposes, the skeletal
remains were redesignated CILHI 1997-020-G-01 (the subdesignator "G-01"
indicates a single individual).
3. Conclusions:
a.
Available evidence-- including the eyewitness accounts of Vietnamese
soldiers involved in the downing of the aircraft-- suggest that Col. JENSEN
and his 7-man crew died in Khammouan Province at, or near, the crash site of
their AC-47D gunship. Pathet Lao radio broadcasts and eyewitness accounts
of the crash indicate that there may have been two Vietnamese or Laotian
nationals also on board the aircraft. The remains of the eight Americans
and the two South Vietnamese or Laotian nationals were buried by North
Vietnamese soldiers in three graves located in the vicinity of the crash
site. There is no creditable evidence that any member of the crew survived
the crash.
b.
An identification tag and a rank insignia found at this remote crash
site in Laos can be correlated to CMSgt. PRESTON and {then} Capt. TAPP,
respectively.
Dental remains recovered from this site can be identified as those of Col.
George JENSEN. Skeletal fragments found at the site are very fragmentary
and cannot be individually associated to a specific individual. These
findings, combined with the available circumstantial evidence, lead to the
conclusion that the teeth designated CILHI 1997-020-I-01 are the remains of
Col. George W. JENSEN. The skeletal fragments recovered from the site and
designated CILHI 1997-020-G-01 may also represent Col. JENSEN; however, the
remains cannot be excluded as being those of any or all of the crew involved
in REFNO 0339. Mitochondrial DNA analysis of the skeletal remains is not a
viable option at this time, or in the forseeable future.
4. Recommendations:
a.
Based on the results of laboratory analysis, and on the circumstantial
evidence made available to me, I recommend that CILHI 1997-020-G-01 be
identified as the remains from an incident involving:
Col. George William JENSEN, U.S. Air Force
Col. Marshall Landis TAPP, U.S. Air Force Reserve
Col. Lavern George REILLY, U.S. Air Force
Maj. George Winton THOMPSON, U.S. Air Force Reserve
CMSgt. James Arthur PRESTON, U.S. Air Force
CMSgt. William Louis MADISON, U.S. Air Force
SMSgt. Kenneth Dewey MCKENNEY, U.S. Air Force
b.
Based on the results of laboratory analysis, and on the circumstantial
evidence made available to me, I recommend that CILHI 1997-020-I-01 be
identified as:
Col. George William JENSEN, U.S. Air Force
Thomas D. Holland
Scientific Director
*********************************************
(Continued input from family):
Amanda Y. Kidd
Relative of CMSgt. James A. Preston
The identification of the crew's alleged aircraft crash site (Tail
#43-49546~ Call Sign: "Spooky 10") was decided solely on the recovery of a
single military identification tag bearing the name of my cousin, James A.
Preston, and a set of Captain's bars which are claimed to be attributed to
the co-pilot, Capt. Marshall L. Tapp.
**** No forensic remains whatsoever have been repatriated that have been
positively identified as either of these two missing servicemen.
The unsubstianted forensic identification of the entire crew of eight
has been based on limited, non-mt-DNA-tested human remains that were
recovered by JTF-FA from ONE grave assiciated with a single individual.
Although statements were provided by 3 Vietnamese witnesses who were
allegedly involved with the burial detail of this crew, none of JTF-FA's
findings were ever successful in recovering evidence to support the
witnesses' claims. Despite numerous statements that 2 mass graves were dug
in which the witnesses claimed to have placed the bodies of "numerous
Americans and Asians", no such graves were ever found.
SUPPORTIVE EVIDENCE (3 EXCERPTS) OBTAINED FROM REPORT OF JOINT FIELD
ACTIVITY 96-5L :
Excerpt #1: (of 3)
Summary Of Excavation:
From 08 August Through 01 September