HARTNESS, GREGG

Name: Gregg Hartness
Rank/Branch: O3/US Air Force
Unit:
Date of Birth: 18 April 1937 Detroit MI
Home City of Record: Dallas TX
Date of Loss: 26 November 1968
Country of Loss: Laos
Loss Coordinates: 160129N 1064201E
Status (in 1973): Missing In Action
Category: 2
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: O2A
Other Personnel In Incident: (co-pilot rescued)
Refno: 1330

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:

SYNOPSIS: Maj. Gregg Hartness and his co-pilot departed Da Nang airbase,
South Vietnam in their O2A aircraft for a night visual reconnaissance
mission over southern Laos at 0300 hours on November 26, 1968.

At 0413, as they flew over the rugged, jungle-covered mountainous area, the
aircraft suddenly received a hit from an unknown source in the aft section.
Hartness issued the order to bail out as the aircraft began to spin
uncontrollably. The co-pilot successfully bailed out at 6000 feet and was
rescued a few hours later. Although he saw no parachute, the co-pilot
believes that Hartness could have ejected without his seeing him in the
darkness.

At 0700 hours, an emergency signal was picked up from a point 28 miles
northeast of Saravane, Laos. Search and rescue located the downed co-pilot
and rescued him. Recovery was difficult because of the heavy jungle growth
on the steep hill he was on. No attempt was made to approach the aircraft
because it was still smoldering and had unexploded ordnance aboard, and
there were hostile forces in the area. No further emergency transmissions
were detected, and the search was terminated.

Hartness is among nearly 600 Americans who were lost in Laos. Many survived
to reach the ground and radio that they were being surrounded. A few were
photographed in captivity. Countless others have been described in rallier
and refugee reports.

The Pathet Lao stated on several occasions that they held "tens of tens" of
American prisoners, yet not a single man held in Laos was ever released - or
negotiated for. If Hartness is alive, what must he think of the country he
proudly served, and the careless manner in which he has been abandoned?

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