Name Lists Compiled that were read at The Wall
on 13 July 2002
An updated version will be read at the 2003 TLC Brotherhood Reunion in
Fort Walton Beach Florida in early October.
I have compiled a list of names of Americans who died (or are missing) in Thailand, Laos, or Cambodia, or who flew out of Thailand and died (or are missing) in North Vietnam during the War in Southeast Asia. On Saturday afternoon, 13 July 2002, 21 members of the TLC Brotherhood stood off to the side of The Wall and read more than 1,600 names to remember these who often don't come up in recognition because many died participating in the Secret War beyond the borders of Vietnam.
I started with the basic listings of 1,428 names listed in The Wall files for Americans who died (or are missing) in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. We recognized when we read those names in front of the Wall in 1999 that we were missing names of men who took off out of Thailand and were shot down in North Vietnam. Mike Dunn helped me get to a list of 156 pilots killed/missing while flying F-105s. Since the F-105 Thunderchiefs were based at Takhli and Korat in Thailand during the early years when most were lost, those 156 names belonged on our list. We already had some of those names on the Laos and Thailand lists, so I have attempted to remove the duplicates. A number of TLCB members submitted additional names of crews they know were lost over North Vietnam while flying out of Thailand. We have a few Air America names of men lost in Laos.
I have the names in five individual documents. I kept the F-105 list separate instead of dividing it up between North Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. I have four lists for Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. I have grouped some names at the end of the Thailand and Laos lists, so if you don't find some alphabetically, take a look at the end. I'm also reloading to include some of my notes of information I have about the individual. If you find any errors, please let me know as those notes have come from many sources over the years. My objective is to honor their sacrifice and not to offend any family members because of inadvertent errors.
At this point we're still missing most of the names of aircrewmen who flew aircraft besides the F-105s from Thai bases and never returned from North Vietnam. So, the 1,600 isn't a complete listing of Americans who were killed/missing while assigned to Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. Most were involved in The Secret War or in the aerial bombardment of North Vietnam from bases in Thailand. The number of Americans lost in Cambodia exceeds 500, so some of them would have been based in South Vietnam and participated in the openly publicized invasion of enemy sanctuaries in Cambodia in 1970.
When you encounter someone who doesn't give any credit to The Secret War, you might start out by asking him (her) how many Americans died in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. If the person doesn't guess close to 1,600, you have an opportunity to educate with the facts.
Read through these names with some reverence.
They were Americans like you and me with hopes for a long life ahead after answering our nation's call. They left behind families who hoped these men would return safely. These are the men--our Beloved Brothers as John Sweet often characterizes them as--in whose memory the TLC Brotherhood Assistance Fund brings some happiness to many in need in Northeast Thailand and Laos.
Perhaps read a few, recognize some, and send John a check for the TLC Brotherhood Assistance Fund to help us carry on throughout the year in their memory.
John Sweet
TLC Brotherhood
P.O. Box 2371
Seabrook, NH 03874
To see examples of the excellent work done with the TLCB Assistance Fund donations, take a look at the Assistance Pages on the TLCB Website at: http://tlc-brotherhood.org/thare.html
Jimmie H. Butler