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This page is dedicated to all the men & women who
have faithfully & bravely served our country in
the armed forces, but especially to those that
were left behind. We will not forget!







Photo of William Brashear

Name: William James Brashear
Rank/Branch: O4/US Air Force Unit:
Date of Birth: 01 March 1934
Home City of Record: Chula Vista, California
Date of Loss: 08 May 1969
Country of Loss: Laos
Loss Coordinates: 152000N 1070500E (YB236975)
Status (in 1973): Missing in Action
Category: 2
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: F4C
Other Personnel in Incident: Henry G. Mundt II (missing)

SYNOPSIS:
Maj. William J. Brashear and 1Lt. Henry G. Mundt probably thought they were fortunate to have been selected to fly the F4 Phantom fighter jet. The Phantom, used by Air Force, Marine and Navy air wings, served a multitude of functions including fighter-bomber and interceptor, photo and electronic surveillance. The two man aircraft was extremely fast (Mach 2), and had a long range (900 - 2300 miles, depending on stores and mission type). The F4 was also extremely maneuverable and handled well at low and high altitudes. The F4 was selected for a number of state-of-the-art electronics conversions, which improved radar intercept and computer bombing capabilities enormously. Most pilots considered it one of the "hottest" planes around.

On May 8, 1969 Mundt was the pilot and Brashear the bombardier/navigator on board an F4C assigned a mission over Laos. As they were over Attopeu Province, near Chavane, the aircraft was shot down.

The U.S. Air Force placed both men in the category of Missing in Action. The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) further refined that category according to enemy knowledge, concluding that there was ample reason to believe the enemy knows the fate of 1Lt. Mundt and Maj. Brashear.

The families of Brashear and Mundt understood that the two could have been captured by either Pathet Lao forces or North Vietnamese, and waited for the war to end.

When peace agreements were signed, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger informed the families of the men prisoner and missing that their men would soon come home. When asked specifically if the agreements included all countries (Vietnam, Cambodia, China and Laos), Kissinger replied, "What do you think took us so long."

When 591 American prisoners were released in the spring of 1973, it became evident that Kissinger had lied to the families. No prisoners held by the Chinese, Lao or Cambodians were released, even though the Pathet Lao had stated on a number of occasions that they held "tens of tens" of Americans. Kissinger had not negotiated for these men.

In Laos alone, nearly 600 Americans are Prisoner of War or Missing in Action. Since 1975, nearly 10,000 reports relating to Americans still missing in Southeast Asia, convincing many authorities that hundreds of Americans are still held in captivity. William Brashear and Henry Mundt could be among them. It's time we brought our men home.

I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to keep pushing this issue inside the Beltway... The need to get specific answers is more important now than ever before. If still alive, some MIAs are now in their 70s...They don't have much time left. We have to demand the answers from the bureaucrats and keep standing on their necks (figuratively speaking) until they get the message that THEY work for US and that we are serious about getting these long overdue responses. Diplomatic considerations aside... We can no longer allow questionable protocols established by pseudo-aristocratic armchair strategists, to determine or influence the fate of the men who were in the trenches while the diplomats were sharing sherry and canapes and talking about "Their Plans" for the future of SE Asia.





David Paul Matheny

I am very grateful to honor
my childhood friend, David,
as a returned prisoner of war.


Name: David Paul Matheny
Rank/Branch: O1/US Navy
Unit:
Date of Birth:
Home City of Record: Bakersfield, California
Date of Loss: 05 October 1967
Country of Loss: North Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 200700N 1055300E (WH940270)
Status (in 1973): Released POW
Category:
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: F8C

Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing)

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 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.

REMARKS: 680219 RELSD BY DRV

SYNOPSIS: The Vought F8 "Crusader" saw action early in U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia. Its fighter models participated both in the first Gulf of Tonkin reprisal in August 1964 and in the myriad attacks against North Vietnam during Operation Rolling Thunder. The Crusader was used exclusively by the Navy and Marine air wings (although there is one U.S. Air Force pilot reported shot down on an F8) and represented half or more of the carrier fighters in the Gulf of Tonkin during the first four years of the war. The aircraft was credited with nearly 53% of MiG kills in Vietnam.

The most frequently used fighter versions of the Crusader in Vietnam were the C, D, and E models although the H and J were also used. The Charlie carried only Sidewinders on fuselage racks, and were assigned such missions as CAP (Combat Air Patrol), flying at higher altitudes. The Echo model had a heavier reinforced wing able to carry extra Sidewinders or bombs, and were used to attack ground targets, giving it increased vulnerability. The Echo version launched with less fuel, to accommodate the larger bomb store, and frequently arrived back at ship low on fuel. The RF models were equipped for photo reconnaissance.

The combat attrition rate of the Crusader was comparable to similar fighters. Between 1964 to 1972, eighty-three Crusaders were either lost or destroyed by enemy fire. Another 109 required major rebuilding. 145 Crusader pilots were recovered; 57 were not. Twenty of these pilots were captured and released. The other 43 remained missing at the end of the war.

Lt. JG David P. Matheny was the pilot of an F8C sent on a combat mission over North Vietnam on October 5, 1967. His flight route took him near the border of Than Hoa and Ninh Binh Provinces, North Vietnam, where his aircraft was shot down about 10 miles west of the city of Phat Diem. Matheny was captured by the North Vietnamese.

For the next 4 months, Matheny was held in prisoner of war camps in Hanoi. He was released on February 19, 1968, some five years before the general prisoner release in 1973.

Since the war ended, nearly 10,000 reports relating to Americans missing, prisoner or unaccounted for in Southeast Asia have been received by the U.S. Government. Many authorities who have examined this largely classified information are convinced that hundreds of Americans are still held captive today. These reports are the source of serious distress to many returned American prisoners. They had a code that no one could honorably return unless all of the prisoners returned. Some were sent home to carry the message to the United States that they were tortured and starved. Not only that code of honor, but the honor of our country is at stake as long as even one man remains unjustly held. It's time we brought our men home.



I am very proud and grateful to honor
my late husband, Julian R. Grady, as an Airman 1/C
Having served eight years in the United States Air Force
He served four years stateside and four in the
European Theater during the Viet Nam War.
Unfortunately he met his untimely death on
July 4, 1969 in Bakersfield, California

A1/Class Julian R Grady





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