GARCIA, ANDRES
Remains Identified 05/08/00
Name: Andres Garcia
Rank/Branch: E3/US Marine Corps
Unit: HS/2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Division
Date of Birth: 27 November 1954
Home City of Record: Carlsbad NM
Date of Loss: 15 May 1975
Country of Loss: Cambodia/Over Water
Loss Coordinates: 101800N 1030830E (TS965400)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 3
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: CH53A
Refno: 2003
Other Personnel in Incident: Lynn Blessing; Walter Boyd; Gregory S.
Copenhaver; Daniel A. Benedett; Bernard Gause Jr., James J. Jacques; Ronald
J. Manning; James R. Maxwell; Richard W. Rivenburgh; Antonio R. Sandoval;
Kelton R. Turner; Richard Van de Geer (all missing on CH53A); Gary L. Hall;
Joseph N. Hargrove; Danny G. Marshall (missing on Koah Tang Island); Ashton
N. Loney (missing from Koah Tang Island); Elwood E. Rumbaugh (missing from a
CH53A)
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.
REMARKS: 750515 MAYAGUEZ INCIDENT LOSS
SYNOPSIS: When U.S. troops were pulled out of Southeast Asia in early 1975,
Vietnamese communist troops began capturing one city after another, with
Hue, Da Nang and Ban Me Thuot in March, Xuan Loc in April, and finally on
April 30, Saigon. In Cambodia, communist Khmer Rouge had captured the
capital city of Phnom Penh on April 17. The last Americans were evacuated
from Saigon during "Option IV", with U.S. Ambassador Martin departing on
April 29. The war, according to President Ford, "was finished."
2Lt. Richard Van de Geer, assigned to the 21st Special Ops Squadron at NKP,
had participated in the evacuation of Saigon, where helicopter pilots were
required to fly from the decks of the 7th Fleet carriers stationed some 500
miles offshore, fly over armed enemy-held territory, collect American and
allied personnel and return to the carriers via the same hazardous route,
heavily loaded with passengers. Van de Geer wrote to a friend, "We pulled
out close to 2,000 people. We couldn't pull out any more because it was
beyond human endurance to go any more..."
At 11:21 a.m. on May 12, the U.S. merchant ship MAYAGUEZ was seized by the
Khmer Rouge in the Gulf of Siam about 60 miles from the Cambodian coastline
and eight miles from Poulo Wai island. The ship, owned by Sea-Land
Corporation, was en route to Sattahip, Thailand from Hong Kong, carrying a
non-arms cargo for military bases in Thailand.
Capt. Charles T. Miller, a veteran of more than 40 years at sea, was on the
bridge. He had steered the ship within the boundaries of international
waters, but the Cambodians had recently claimed territorial waters 90 miles
from the coast of Cambodia. The thirty-nine seamen aboard were taken
prisoner.
President Ford ordered the aircraft carrier USS CORAL SEA, the guided
missile destroyer USS HENRY B. WILSON and the USS HOLT to the area of
seizure. By night, a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft located the MAYAGUEZ at
anchor off Poulo WaI island. Plans were made to rescue the crew. A
battalion landing team of 1,100 Marines was ordered flown from bases in
Okinawa and the Philippines to assemblE at Utapao, Thailand in preparation
for the assault.
The first casualties of the effort to free the MAYAGUEZ are recorded on May
13 when a helicopter carrying Air Force security team personnel crashed en
route to Utapao, killing all 23 aboard.
Early in the morning of May 13, the Mayaguez was ordered to head for Koh
Tang island. Its crew was loaded aboard a Thai fishing boat and taken first
to Koh Tang, then to the mainland city of Kompong Song, then to Rong San Lem
island. U.S. intelligence had observed a cove with considerable activity on
the island of Koh Tang, a small five-mile long island about 35 miles off the
coast of Cambodia southwest of the city of Sihanoukville (Kampong Saom), and
believed that some of the crew might be held there. They also knew of the
Thai fishing boat, and had observed what appeared to be caucasians aboard
it, but it could not be determined if some or all of the crew was aboard.
The USS HOLT was ordered to seize and secure the MAYAGUEZ, still anchored
off Koh Tang. Marines were to land on the island and rescue any of the crew.
Navy jets from the USS CORAL SEA were to make four strikes on military
installments on the Cambodian mainland.
On May 15, the first wave of 179 Marines headed for the island aboard eight
Air Force "Jolly Green Giant" helicopters. Three Air Force helicopters
unloaded Marines from the 1st Battalion, 4th Marines onto the landing pad of
the USS HOLT and then headed back to Utapao to pick up the second wave of
Marines. Planes dropped tear gas on the MAYAGUEZ, and the USS HOLT pulled up
along side the vessel and the Marines stormed aboard. The MAYAGUEZ was
deserted.
Simultaneously, the Marines of the 2/9 were making their landings on two
other areas of the island. The eastern landing zone was on the cove side
where the Cambodian compound was located. The western landing zone was a
narrow spit of beach about 500 feet behind the compound on the other side of
the island. The Marines hoped to surround the compound.
As the first troops began to unload on both beaches, the Cambodians opened
fire. On the western beach, one helicopter was hit and flew off crippled, to
ditch in the ocean about 1 mile away. The pilot had just disembarked his
passengers, and he was rescued at sea.
Meanwhile, the eastern landing zone had become a disaster. The first two
helicopters landing were met by enemy fire. Ground commander, (now) Col.
Randall W. Austin had been told to expect between 20 and 40 Khmer Rouge
soldiers on the island. Instead, between 150 and 200 were encountered.
First, Lt. John Shramm's helicopter tore apart and crashed into the surf
after the rotor system was hit. All aboard made a dash for the tree line on
the beach.
One CH53A helicopter was flown by U.S. Air Force Major Howard Corson and
2Lt. Richard Van de Geer and carrying 23 U.S. Marines and 2 U.S. Navy
corpsmen, all from the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines. As the helicopter
approached the island, it was caught in a cross fire and hit by a rocket.
The severely damaged helicopter crashed into the sea just off the coast of
the island and exploded. To avoid enemy fire, survivors were forced to swim
out to sea for rescue. Twelve aboard, including Maj. Corson, were rescued.
Those missing from the helicopter were 2Lt. Richard Van de Geer, PFC Daniel
A. Benedett, PFC Lynn Blessing, PFC Walter Boyd, Lcpl. Gregory S.
Copenhaver, Lcpl. Andres Garcia, PFC James J. Jacques, PFC James R. Maxwell,
PFC Richard W. Rivenburgh, PFC Antonio R. Sandoval, PFC Kelton R. Turner,
all U.S. Marines. Also missing were HM1 Bernard Gause, Jr. and HM Ronald J.
Manning, the two corpsmen.
Other helicopters were more successful in landing their passengers. One
CH53A, however was not. SSgt. Elwood E. Rumbaugh's aircraft was near the
coastline when it was shot down. Rumbaugh is the only missing man from the
aircraft. The passengers were safely extracted. (It is not known whether the
passengers went down with the aircraft or whether they were rescued from the
island.)
By midmorning, when the Cambodians on the mainland began receiving reports
of the assault, they ordered the crew of the MAYAGUEZ on a Thai boat, and
then left. The MAYAGUEZ crew was recovered by the USS WILSON before the
second wave of Marines was deployed, but the second wave was ordered to
attack anyway.
Late in the afternoon, the assault force had consolidated its position on
the western landing zone and the eastern landing zone was evacuated at 6:00
p.m. By the end of the 14-hour operation, most of the Marines were extracted
from the island safely, with 50 wounded. Lcpl. Ashton Loney had been killed
by enemy fire, but his body could not be recovered.
Protecting the perimeter during the final evacuation was the machine gun
squad of PFC Gary L. Hall, Lcpl. Joseph N. Hargrove and Pvt. Danny G.
Marshall. They had run out of ammunition and were ordered to evacuate on the
last helicopter. It was their last contact. Maj. McNemar and Maj. James H.
Davis made a final sweep of the beach before boarding the helicopter and
were unable to locate them. They were declared Missing in Action.
The eighteen men missing from the MAYAGUEZ incident are listed among the
missing from the Vietnam war. Although authorities believe that there are
perhaps hundreds of American prisoners still alive in Southeast Asia from
the war, most are pessimistic about the fates of those captured by the Khmer
Rouge.
In 1988, the communist government of Kampuchea (Cambodia) announced that it
wished to return the remains of several dozen Americans to the United
States. (In fact, the number was higher than the official number of
Americans missing in Cambodia.) Because the U.S. does not officially
recognize the Cambodian government, it has refused to respond directly to
the Cambodians regarding the remains. Cambodia, wishing a direct
acknowledgment from the U.S. Government, still holds the remains.
==============================
National Alliance of Families
For The Return of America's Missing Servicemen
World War II - Korea - Cold War - Vietnam
Dolores Alfond - 425-881-1499
Lynn O'Shea --- 718-846-4350
Web Site ------- http://www.nationalalliance.org
E-mail ---------- lynnpowmia@prodigy.net
May 6, 2000 Bits N Piece
##############
Servicemen Accounted For - Andres "Andy" Garcia - From the Associated
Press - "CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) -- Some time later this month, the remains
of one of the last servicemen killed in Vietnam will be returned to New
Mexico for a full military burial. On May 15, 1975, Andres "Andy"
Garcia was one of 18 Americans lost or killed in a failed attempt to
rescue an American cargo ship on a small island near Cambodia."
"It was called the Mayaguez Incident, historically considered the last
battle of the conflict in Southeast Asia. The servicemen, 14 of them
Marines , are considered to be the final American casualties of the
war."
"Garcia, 20, was pronounced legally dead -- but his remains were never
recovered. Nearly 25 years later, on March 20, the Garcia family
received a call from the Marines. "Basically, they called and said his
remains have been found and are going to be returned for burial," Andy's
sister, Anita Garcia Ybaben, said...."
"....The military is close to identifying several others of the
Americans lost in the abortive 1975 raid to rescue the crew of the cargo
ship Mayaguez , seized by Khmer Rouge guerrillas at Cambodia's Koh Tang
Island. The remains were recovered in November 1995. The merchant ship
was on its way to Thailand and had been carrying a non-arms cargo for
military bases. It had been sailing within the boundaries of
international waters, but the Khmer Rouge had recently claimed
territorial waters 90 miles from the coast of Cambodia."
{NOTE: Garcia is scheuled for burial May 27, 2000 in Carlsbad, NM.)
================================
Marines' Remains Identified
The Associated Press
By ROBERT BURNS
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Pentagon has identified the remains of six Marines who
were among 18 American servicemen who were listed as missing in action after
an attempt to rescue the crew of the American merchant ship Mayaguez 25
years ago this week, defense officials said Tuesday.
The Pentagon plans to announce the identifications this week.
The men lost in the tragic rescue attempt on Tang Island off the coast of
Cambodia on May 15, 1975, were the last U.S. combat casualties in Southeast
Asia, just a month and a half after the official end of the war in
neighboring Vietnam.
Among the six Marines whose remains have been positively identified by U.S.
Army forensics experts is Lance Cpl. Andres ``Andy'' Garcia, 20, of
Carlsbad, N.M., whose family was notified two months ago.
Another is Pfc. Kelton Turner, 18, of San Antonio, Texas.
The names of the four others could not be learned Tuesday in advance of the
Pentagon's planned announcement. The names of Turner and Garcia were
provided by an official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Robert Jones, head of the Pentagon office in charge of accounting for
missing American service members, said in an interview last week that nine
sets of remains from the Mayaguez incident were in the final stage of
identifications, and that he believed ``another two or three'' were
approaching the final stage.
The remains were recovered during a series of searches on Tang Island over
the past several years.
The six to be disclosed this week are among 13 U.S. servicemen who were lost
when the CH-53 helicopter in which they were riding was hit by a rocket from
communist Khmer Rouge troops as it approached the island.
The CH-53 was part of a raid meant to rescue 40 members of the Mayaguez
crew, who had been taken captive near the island in the Gulf of Thailand on
May 12. President Gerald Ford ordered U.S. forces into action to rescue the
crew.
On the morning of May 15, a team of Marines was flown by Air Force special
operations helicopters to Tang Island, where they encountered unexpectedly
strong resistance. As it turned out, the crew of the Mayaguez already had
been removed from the island and were released to the United States
unharmed.
The CH-53 chopper crashed into the sea just of the coast of the island.
Thirteen aboard the helicopter swam away from the wreckage and were rescued.
Among those who went missing, at least a few apparently were buried on the
island by the Khmer Rouge forces; remains of some of the others were
recovered in shallow waters along the coastline by U.S. search teams over
the past several years, officials said.
All were members of the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines of the 3rd Marine
Division.
Among the 13 missing from the CH-53 crash was the co-pilot, Air Force 2nd
Lt. Richard Van de Geer, 27, of Columbus, Ohio. He had participated in the
final evacuation of Americans from Saigon in April.
In addition to the six Marines whose remains have been positively
identified, the Pentagon also has recovered - but not yet confirmed the
identifications of - some others among the 13 lost in the CH-53 crash.
Much about the fate of the lost Marines remains unknown. A former Khmer
Rouge soldier who participated in the attack on the Marines recently told
the Phnom Penh Post newspaper that the Khmer Rouge hunted down and killed at
least one U.S. troop who was left when the Marines withdrew from Tang
Island.
There also have been reports that remains of other U.S. servicemen missing
in the raid have been found on the Cambodian mainland.
In all, 81 American servicemen and civilians were lost in Cambodia during
the Vietnam War era.
======================
Vietnam Vet's Remains Returned
The Associated Press
By MICHELLE KOIDIN
EL PASO, Texas (AP) - Twenty-five years after Lance Cpl. Andres Garcia's
helicopter was shot down as it approached a Cambodian island - making him
one of the last American casualties in Southeast Asia - his remains were
brought home Wednesday by his younger sister.
"Andy's home. He's home, guys," Sara G. Neff said as she embraced her
tearful brothers and sisters in an outdoor airport cargo area.
"We've been in denial for 25 years," said Neff, 39, who accompanied her
brother's casket from an Army laboratory in Hawaii to El Paso, which has the
closest major airport to their hometown of Carlsbad, N.M. "It's good to be
able to move on."
Three brothers and two sisters awaited Neff, who arrived wearing her dark
blue Navy uniform. She joined the military at age 20 in honor of Garcia, who
was a 20-year-old Marine when he was killed.
The siblings, along with several nieces and nephews, friends and veterans
lined up on both sides of a Chevrolet Suburban and watched as the wooden
casket was loaded into the back. One relative held a pole with a U.S. flag
and a black flag reading "POW-MIA." The veterans saluted.
Tears streamed down the cheeks of the relatives, and a few sobbed.
The family left El Paso in a caravan of 12 cars and trucks for the 139-mile
drive to Carlsbad. They were met at the New Mexico state line by Garcia's
parents, who joined the procession along with several police officers and
veterans.
Once in Carlsbad, the caravan was greeted by residents lining the town's
main street. Some waved American flags and signs reading "Welcome Home
Andy."
Hundreds are expected to attend a church service on Saturday that will be
followed by burial with full military honors.
Garcia died in the Mayaguez Incident on May 15, 1975, two weeks after the
official end of the Vietnam War.
Garcia was among about 200 Marines dispatched on a mission to save the 39
American crewmen of the merchant ship Mayaguez, which had been captured by
Khmer Rouge patrol boats in the Gulf of Thailand. The Marines were unaware
that the U.S. crewmen already had been released by the Cambodian communists.
Thirteen U.S. servicemen, including Garcia, were killed or lost when their
helicopter was hit by a rocket from Khmer Rouge troops. Five others also
died or were missing after the battle.
Over the past several years, remains have been recovered and brought to the
Army's Central Identification Laboratory in Honolulu. Garcia's family got
word just two months ago that his remains had been identified.
"We never knew if he was alive," said sister Anita Garcia Ybaben, 40. "We
never knew if he was going to walk in the door and say 'I'm here."'
Now, she said, "He can rest."
On the Net:
For more on the Mayaguez Incident:
SpecialOperations.com: http://specialoperations.com/Operations/mayaguez.html
USMC/Vietnam Helicopter Association:
http://www.popasmoke.com/kia/750515/notforgotten.html
Use your Browser's BACK function to return to the PREVIOUS page