APODACA, VICTOR JOE JR.
Name: Victor Joe Apodaca, Jr.
Rank/Branch: O3/USAF
Unit: 398th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Da Nang, South Vietnam
Date of Birth: 31 May 1937
Home City of Record: Englewood CO
Date of Loss: 08 June 1967
Country of Loss: North Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 173900N 1061600E (XE343517)
Status (in 1973): Missing In Action
Category: 2
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: F4C
Other Personnel in Incident: Jon T. Busch (remains returned)
Refno: 0727
REMARKS: POSS DEAD FIR 3170909973
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 with
information from the National Alliance of Families.
SYNOPSIS: On the evening of June 8, 1967, two F4C Phantom planes departed Da
Nang Airbase on an armed reconnaissance mission over North Vietnam. Hambone 1
took the lead, followed about a mile behind by Hambone 2, commanded by Capt.
Victor Apodaca, Jr. and flown by Capt. Jon T. Busch. The two aircraft were
flying at an altitude of about 4500 feet over a river valley with rolling to
mountainous terrain about 22 miles northeast of Dong Hoi, North Vietnam.
Hambone 1 radioed Hambone 2 that he was encountering heavy and accurate ground
fire. Fifteen seconds later, Apodaca acknowledged the warning and reported that
his aircraft had been hit. Hambone 1 advised Apodaca to exit the area and head
for the coast (where a safer at-sea rescue could occur). Moments later, Hambone
2 reported that it was experiencing control and hydraulics problems. The last
message from Hambone 2 gave the direction of the aircraft and its altitude,
which was 16,000 feet.
Seconds later, emergency signals were received for about 25 seconds, but it was
not possible to determine whether one or two radio signals were broadcasting,
nor could the precise point of origination be determined. Hambone 1, critically
low on fuel, was forced to return to base.
An electronic search was conducted, but suspended due to darkness, bad weather
and heavy anti-aircraft fire. During the search, no electronic or visual
contact was made and no evidence of the aircraft was found.
The Air Force told the families they could not determine whether or not the men
survived. Neither man was among the prisoners released in 1973 from Vietnam,
and the Hanoi government denies any knowledge of them for 20 years.
On November 12, 1973, a refugee reported the death of an American airman which
occurred in Bo Trach District, Quang Binh Province, North Vietnam at about 1500
hours one day in June 1967. According to the report, a U.S. F4 jet flying with
about five other jets bombing a bridge on Route 1A was hit by 37mm
anti-aircraft fire, crashed into Doi Troc Hill in Chanh Hoa II village. The
source further stated that an airman bailed out and landed in a forest near the
same village. At about 1530 hours, the refugee went to where the airman landed
and saw his body lying in the grass. He was told by villagers that
approximately 10 minutes after the airman had landed, militiamen from the
village found him hiding in a bamboo thicket and captured him. The villagers
then watched as the militiamen beat the American to death with hoes and bamboo
sticks.
The refugee said he observed the dead American for about 10 minutes from a
distance of about 5 meters. He described the airman as a caucasian, about 45
years old, 5' 11" tall, weighing about 220 pounds with fair complexion, short
blonde hair, a moustache about one centimeter long and a heavy beard. He was
unable to identify the airman from photos of the missing. JCRC correlated the
report to the Busch/Apodaca incident.
In the spring of 1988, remains identified as Jon Busch, a burned map, three
pieces of bone (which were identified as non-human by a Vietnamese
anthropologist) and a charred and battered nameplate bearing Apodaca's name
were returned to Presidential Envoy General John Vessey.
Busch's remains were positively identified by the U.S. Army Central
Identification Laboratory in Hawaii, based largely on the correlation of the
refugee report, which evidently matched information given over by the
Vietnamese with the remains. The status of "Box 19", which purportedly hold the
effects of Victor Apodaca Jr, are still unknown to his family.
There are serious discrepancies in the refugee report as it relates to Busch
and Apodaca. Jon Busch has red hair, not blonde. Vic Apodaca has black hair.
Both men were clean shaven, and were forbidden by the Air Force to grow a
beard. The Hambone flight departed at 5 p.m. in the evening, while the CIA
report claimed the airman was killed at 3:30 p.m. just following his landing.
The Hambone flight, while armed, was not involved in a bombing mission at all.
Jon Busch was declared dead in 1967. Victor Apodaca was declared dead three
days after the CIA received the refugee report.
The Apodaca family was never given the report by the U.S. Government. They
discovered the report through a Freedom of Information Act request they filed
in 1985. To many observers, there is a serious problem with the identification
of these remains. Many will retain Jon Busch on the lists of missing because
the discrepancies are too outrageous to make the correlation possible.
Jon Busch and Vic Apodaca are two of nearly 2500 Americans who were declared
missing in Southeast Asia. Thousands of reports add to the evidence that
perhaps hundreds of them are still held prisoner of war. Perhaps Jon and Vic
died on the day of the crash of their aircraft. But, perhaps they did not. If
the remains returned are not Jon Busch's, who will be looking for him? Not the
U.S. Government. His case is officially closed. Vic Apodaca's family wants the
truth. His sister Dolores says, "I won't just let them bury his memory based on
some report with that many discrepancies. It's been 22 years, but none of us
are so tired that we'll drop this without a fight."
Victor Joe Apodaca, Jr. was appointed to the Air Force Academy in 1957. He was
the first Spanish/American/Navajo Indian to attend the Academy.
Victor's sister, Dolores Alfond, heads the national organzation out of
Washington State, the National Alliance of Families for the Return of
America's Missing Servicemen.
{National Alliance of Families}
CIL-HI TURNS ANIMAL BONES TO HUMAN
Remains currently under consideration for designation as Air Force Capt.
Victor J. Apodaca have a questionable history. In 1988, the Vietnamese
unilaterally repatriated remains designated Victor Apodaca.
In April of 1989, the Vietnamese, once again, repatriated remains
designated Victor Apodaca.
The Comprehensive Case Review, prepared by the Defense POW/MIA Office
(DPMO) in 1995, referenced both remains repatriations. Of the 1988
repatriation, DPMO states "SRV unilaterally repatriated remains of
Busch (backseater), plus box alleged to contain Apodaca remains. Also
turned over at the time was a mutilated dogtag of Apodaca and a map.
SRV forewarned U.S. that Apodaca remains were believed to be non-human.
Busch remains were identified; CIL-HI confirmed that Apodaca remains
were non-human."
Of the 1989 repatriation, DPMO stated "unilateral repatriation
included container alleged to contain Apodaca remains SRV said remains
were acquired for HCM City (Ho Chi Minh City) smuggler by Public
Security. Remains determined to be human race undetermined. Nothing
else. Remains held at CIL pending future repatriations. No indication
why SRV associated remains with Apodaca."
"Remains determine to be be human, race undetermined"; was not what the
Commander of the Joint Casualty Resolution Center said.
According to message traffic, dated September 22, 1989, the Commander
of JCRC stated:
APODACA, VICTORY J. JR; 0727; QUANG BINH: RECOVERED FROM
REMAINS DEALERS. REPATRIATED TO THE U.S. TWICE WITH DOG TAG. THE
U.S. SIDE REPORTS THE REMAINS WERE ANIMAL BONES.
Animal bones in 1989...
Human bones in 1995....
Tested for an mt-DNA match in 1997....
No explanation has been offered to the Apodaca family regarding the
transformation of animal bones to human bones.
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