WALSH, RICHARD AMBROSE III
Name: Richard Ambrose Walsh III
Rank/Branch: O5/U.S. Air Force
Unit: Nakhon Phenom Airfield, Thailand
Date of Birth: 28 April 1926
Home City of Record: St. Paul, MN
Date of Loss: 15 February 1969
Country of Loss: Laos
Loss Coordinates: 155000N 1064900E (XC949515)
Status (in 1973): Missing In Action
Category: 3
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: A1J
Refno: 1384
Other Personnel in Incident: Stanley S. Clark (lost at XD990530 on 14
February; still missing)
Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 March 1991 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 1998.
REMARKS:
SYNOPSIS: When North Vietnam began to increase their military strength in
South Vietnam, NVA and Viet Cong troops again intruded on neutral Laos for
sanctuary, as the Viet Minh had done during the war with the French some
years before. The border road, termed the "Ho Chi Minh Trail" was used for
transporting weapons, supplies and troops. Hundreds of American pilots were
shot down trying to stop this communist traffic to South Vietnam.
Fortunately, search and rescue teams in Vietnam were extremely successful
and the recovery rate was high.
Still there were nearly 600 who were not rescued. Many of them went down
along the Ho Chi Minh Trail and passes through the border mountains between
Laos and Vietnam. Many were alive on the ground and in radio contact with
search and rescue planes; some were known to have been captured. Hanoi's
communist allies in Laos, the Pathet Lao, publicly spoke of "tens of tens"
of American prisoners they held, but when peace agreements were negotiated,
Laos was not included, and not a single American was released that had been
held in Laos.
On February 14, 1969, LtCol. Stanley S. Clark was the commander of the lead
aircraft in a flight of two F4D's which departed Ubon Airfield, Thailand on
a night mission over southern Laos along the "Ho Chi Minh Trail". On his
second pass of the target, Clark's plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire and
burst into flames. Clark climbed to about 12,000 feet and ordered his
backseater to eject. The backseater ejected as the plane began a rapid
descent. The aircraft entered a cloud layer at about 10,000 feet and was
obscured from view, but was later seen as it crashed in a river. Contact was
established with the co-pilot as he descended in his parachute, but no other
parachute was seen, and no emergency signals were heard. All attempts to
contact Clark failed.
At 0500 hours on February 15, 1969, LtCol. Richard A. Walsh III (code name
Sandy 01) departed as the pilot of the lead aircraft in a flight of two A1J
"Spad" aircraft from Nakhon Phanom, Thailand, on a Search and Rescue mission
over southeastern Laos. The A1J was commonly used for flying rescue, close
air support and forward air control (FAC) missions. Walsh's job that day was
to rescue the pilot of an F4 that had been shot down the day before in
Saravane Province near the city of Ban Bac. It is believed that this pilot
is Stanley Clark's backseater.
The common procedure in A1 escorted rescues was for two A1s to fly directly
to the general search area and look for some sign of the downed crewmen
while two other A1s escorted the rescue helicopter to the area. If it was
determined that the pilot was in a hostile area, the A1s would commence a
bombing attack using rockets, bombs and 20 mm cannon fire to suppress enemy
defenses so that the helicopter could land.
Upon arrival in the assigned area, LtCol. Walsh and the second A1J were
joined by two other A1 aircraft and two helicopters. Walsh became on-scene
commander of the rescue operation. Walsh made several low passes over the
target area attempting to make visual contact with the downed pilot. He
established radio contact with the downed pilot and ordered helicopters to
pick him up.
While flying at about 1000 feet Walsh radioed that he was receiving ground
fire. This was the last transmission received from him. At the same time,
members in the flight observed flashes and air bursts of 37mm anti-aircraft
fire behind Walsh's aircraft and along his flight path. Although the weather
was clear, no parachute was seen and no emergency radio beeper signals were
heard. While all the flight members did not have the aircraft under
continuous observation, these events appear to have been closely witnessed
by the wingman, except when he momentarily looked into his cockpit to change
radio frequencies to alert the search and rescue coordinator of the
situation. Flight tapes recorded during this period were still classified as
of 1985.
The downed pilot was recovered, and later stated that he heard an
anti-aircraft site open fire as Walsh's aircraft approached, and shortly
thereafter heard the explosion of impact. He further stated that it was less
that 15 seconds from the time he heard the engine begin to race until he
heard the aircraft impact the ground. He could not observe the incident due
to dense jungle and foliage. The incident occurred approximately 38 miles
northeast of Chavane, Laos, in a sparsely populated, mountainous, and
heavily wooded area.
The search for LtCol. Walsh and LtCol. Clark was eventually terminated and
both men were classified Missing In Action. LtCol. Clark's family later
learned that although no second parachute was seen, no body was found with
his plane. NEITHER WAS HIS EJECTION SEAT, which indicated that Clark escaped
the aircraft.
The area in which Clark and Walsh were lost was recaptured by friendly
forces about three months later. Walsh's wife was told that the wreckage of
her husband's aircraft was located, but there were no remains at the crash
site.
During the years following the loss of Clark and Walsh both men were
promoted to the rank of Colonel. The families of both men have been very
active in the effort to obtain information related to the nearly 2500
Americans listed missing in Southeast Asia, with particular emphasis on the
nearly 600 lost in Laos.
Mrs. Sharon Walsh received an early report that someone was killed at the
same time that Col. Walsh went down. The US Air Force was never able to
confirm this report, and was not certain of its origin.
In 1985, an intelligence source reported that Col. Walsh had been seen in
Laos. He was also reported to be seen in one other location in Laos, in
captivity, and was the leader of 17 other American POWs. This report was
never confirmed.
Col. Richard Walsh's family still lives in the Twin Cities in Minnesota.
They neither believe nor disbelieve that he is alive, but follow up every
lead and every report to the best of their ability.
Col. Stanley Clark's family still lives in California. His son, Michael
greatly resembles his father. Michael doesn't know if his father is alive,
but is convinced that many Americans are still alive. "If not my father,
then SOMEONE's father is alive," says Michael. "We owe them our every effort
to bring them home."
In February 1991, Walsh's squadron commander, LtCol. Walter Stueck, of
Georgetown, Texas, announced for the first time that it was policy in his
squadron for a pilot to indicate his preference of being declared killed or
missing if he was shot down.
Stueck explained that if a pilot chose the "missing" status before being
shot down, the squadron recommendation would be to classify him missing, and
his family would receive additional benefits until he was finally declared
presumptively dead.
Although the Air Force denies that this policy could have been in force, and
other pilots state it is "absurd," Stueck says the policy was followed for
the emotional and financial well-being of the survivors of downed pilots.
Stueck's story is backed up by two members of the squadron and a Air Force
historian, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The
historian said pilots in Vietnam were rountinely asked their preference and
most selected MIA. But he added that it was accepted procedure to list a
downed pilot as MIA unless there were witnesses or physical evidence that he
died, and, "A pilot can get out of what seems to be impossible odds and come
out alive."
The Air Force says a downed pilot is listed as missing in action only if
there is reason to hope he may have survived.
Stueck, who was flying near Walsh, reported to superiors at the time that
there was a chance Walsh could have escaped alive. Stueck said then that he
looked away momentarily as the plane tumbled into the jungle.
"I flat-out lied," Stueck told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "This is what
he (Walsh) wanted. He added that he actually watched the plane all the way
to the ground and was certain Walsh died, but felt bound to report him as
missing. That, he said, was because Walsh and other pilots had signed forms
saying how they wanted their casualty status recovered. Stueck said he had
drawn up the forms himself. He added that the men were supposed to let their
families know of this request.
Sharon Walsh was never told of such a decision, or even that it was an
option to decide. She has spent the last 22 years searching for answers.
Numerous reports have been received indicating that her husband did not go
down with the aircraft, and despite the statement of Stueck, Mrs. Walsh is
not the type to quit until all the evidence is in.
Since the war ended, the Defense Department has received over 10,000 reports
relating to the men still unaccounted for in Southeast Asia, yet concludes
that no actionable evidence has been received that would indicate Americans
are still alive in Southeast Asia. A recent Senate investigation indicates
that most of these reports were dismissed without just cause, and that there
is every indication that Americans remained in captivity far after the war
ended, and may be alive today.
It's time we learned the truth about our missing and brought them home.
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