ALLEY, GERALD WILLIAM
Remains Returned 15 December 1988 - ID Announced 23 June 1989
Name: Gerald William Alley
Rank/Branch: O5/US Air Force, RAD/NAV
Unit: 22nd Bomber Wing, Utapao Airfield, Thailand
Date of Birth: 28 July 1934
Home City of Record: Pocatello ID
Loss Date: 22 December 1972
Country of Loss: North Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 212500N 1062500E (WJ866264)
Status (in 1973): Missing In Action
Category: 2
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: B52D
Other Personnel In Incident: Thomas W. Bennett; (missing); Peter Camerota, Peter
Giroux; Louis E. LeBlanc (all three returned POWs in 1973); Joseph B. Copack Jr.
(remains returned)
Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 31 April 1990 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.
REMARKS:
SYNOPSIS: Frustrated by problems in negotiating a peace settlement, and
pressured by a Congress and public wanting an immediate end to American
involvement in Vietnam, President Nixon ordered the most concentrated air
offensive of the war - known as Linebacker II - in December 1972. During the
offensive, sometimes called the "Christmas bombings," 40,000 tons of bombs were
dropped, primarily over the area between Hanoi and Haiphong. White House Press
Secretary Ronald Ziegler said that the bombing would end only when all U.S. POWs
were released and an internationally recognized cease-fire was in force.
In early December 1972, several men stationed at Utapao, Thailand sent Christmas
presents home and readied themselves for a few final runs they would have to
make before Christmas. They were looking forward to returning to Thailand in
time to see Bob Hope on December 22. They never saw Bob Hope, and none of them
returned for Christmas.
On December 22, a B52D crew consisting of Capt. Thomas W. Bennett, co-pilot;
LtCol. Gerald W. Alley; Capt. Peter P. Camerota, bombardier (electronic warfare
officer); 1Lt. Joseph B. Copack, Jr., navigator; Capt. Peter J. Giroux, pilot;
and MSgt. Louis E. LeBlanc, tailgunner; departed Utapao on a bombing mission
over Hanoi. This aircraft, "Scarlet One," was the lead in a three-aircraft cell
on a strike against storage facilities located near Bac Mai airfield.
When the crew boarded the aircraft, they noted that the ship's radar system had
failed on a previous flight. Maintenance had been unable to duplicate the
problem, thus could not correct it before the aircraft was needed again.
All went well during the flight over Thailand and Laos, but as Scarlet One
approached the initial point, the radar began to deteriorate. Giroux instructed
Scarlet Two to take the lead and began to drop back to take up position three in
the cell. In this position they could take their bomb release instructions from
the tail gunner in the number two aircraft.
As Scarlet One rolled out into its new position, the radar failed completely
and, at about the same time, LeBlanc (the tail gunner) called for the TTR
maneuver. This was designed to counter enemy radar, but when the gunner called
for it, it meant MiGs had been sighted. Giroux began the maneuver, realizing it
would back the bomber out of the cell slightly and affect the protective ECM
shield. A second or two later the gunner called for flares and began shooting at
the attacking MiGs. The flares were designed to lure the incoming infrared
missiles away from the heat signature of the eight aircraft engines, and the
ploy worked. Two of the missiles passed under the aircraft as Giroux continued
the maneuver. The gunner continued to fire until the attackers broke away.
The reason for the MiGs' departure soon became evident. Directly below were two
surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), and they were headed right for Scarlet One.
Giroux turned the ship hard back to the right, but one of the missiles hit the
aircraft somewhere near the centerline and towards the front of the aircraft.
Another SAM went by the tail but failed to explode.
Giroux had been hit in the legs and wrists by shrapnel, but was not seriously
injured. The left wing was on fire, engines five and six were burning, and the
flames were reaching past the tail of the aircraft. Giroux blacked out (probably
from the depressurization) and regained consciousness as the aircraft was
plummeting towards the ground.
Air Force records indicate that Bennett called the mayday and manually ejected
Giroux, who had blacked out and then bailed out himself. The tailgunner
(LeBlanc) later reported in his debrief that he observed in the bright moonlight
that the entire crew of six had deployed parachutes. Giroux had been partially
unconscious during his descent to the ground. Camerota, who landed some 25 miles
from Giroux and LeBlanc, had seen three other parachutes. The occupant of one,
he believed, was unconscious. Camerota evaded capture until January 3. LeBlanc
and Giroux were captured immediately and taken to the "Hanoi Hilton."
Camerota, Giroux and LeBlanc were released from Hanoi a few months later in the
general prisoner release of 1973. The U.S. was not expecting them. They had not
known that the three were being held prisoner. Alley, Copack and Bennett were
not released and remained Missing in Action.
During the month of December, 62 crewmembers of B52 aircraft were shot down and
captured or went missing. Of these 62, 33 men were released in 1973. The remains
of several more have been returned over the years, and the rest are still
missing. At least 10 of those missing survived to eject safely. Where are they?
As reports mounted following the war convinced many authorities that hundreds of
Americans were still held captive in Southeast Asia, many families wonder if
their men were among those said to be still alive in captivity, and are
frustrated at inadequate efforts by the U.S. Government to get information on
their men.
On June 23, 1989, the U.S. announced that the Vietnamese had "discovered" the
remains of Gerald W. Alley and Joseph B. Copack and had sent them home at last.
For 17 years, Alley and Copack - alive or dead - were in enemy hands. Their
families at last know for certain that their sons are dead. What they may never
know, however, is how - and when - they died, and if they knew that their
country had abandoned them.
Gerald W. Alley was promoted to the rank of Colonel, Thomas W. Bennett was
promoted to the rank of Major and Joseph B. Copack was promoted to the rank of
Captain during the period they were maintained missing.
Use your Browser's BACK function to return to the PREVIOUS page