By David Rickert

Case #1329: On November 25, 1968, a squadron mate of mine was hit by anti-aircraft artillery over North Vietnam, and his F4D aircraft burst into flames. U.S. Air Force First Lieutenant San D. Francisco ejected successfully from the aircraft. After landing, he established radio contact with U.S. search and rescue aircraft for about one-half hour. Then all communications were lost. That was all of the information known at the time. Lt. Francisco was eventually presumed Killed In Action (KIA) in 1978, and promoted posthumously to Major. His name is carved on the Vietnam Memorial Wall.

Lt. Francisco is one of the more than 1,600 servicemen still missing from the Vietnam War. And his story might have gone unnoticed, were it not for his sister, Terri Francisco Farrell. For the past 47 years, she has been fighting a tug-of-war with the dysfunctional POW/MIA bureaucracy to locate San’s remains and return them to the United States for a proper burial. She wants to provide closure to her family’s long nightmare. Over the past several decades, she has met with congressmen, senators, Defense Department bureaucrats, POW/MIA organizations, and members of San’s squadron. They were helpful and understanding, but none of them were able to bring San home.

Fast forward to June 2012. The Vietnamese Province of Quang Binh, where San was shot down, was opened by the Vietnamese for U.S. investigations into locating missing servicemen. As a result, DOD sent an investigative team to Quang Binh Province to locate San’s remains. They were able to locate two “credible eyewitnesses.” Both of the eyewitnesses testified, independently, that an F4 aircraft flew over their position on November 25, 1968, was hit by anti-aircraft artillery, and burst into flames. Both stated that the pilot ejected, and landed near their position with two broken legs.

Both eyewitnesses said the “lieutenant pilot” was captured almost immediately, but was killed by bomb fragments from a subsequent airstrike, and buried where he fell. The pilot was identified as “very young, large build, light skin, with yellow hair, and wore a leaf green colored flightsuit.” The eyewitnesses both identified a burial area. These first-hand accounts corroborated an earlier 1995 interview with a Vietnamese photographer who shot pictures of Lt. Francisco’s remains as part of a propaganda effort. Because of these accounts, the team investigating the incident identified the center of the burial site by painting a tree trunk, recorded the GPS coordinates, and recommended the type of equipment needed to excavate the site.

One might think Lt. Francisco’s Case #1329 would be an easy case to close. Not so. Lt. Francisco’s name will be placed on a list of possible excavations to be undertaken this year. Then, once again, the government bureaucracy will have to make a decision as to whether or not to excavate his burial site. An additional twist in this case is that the POW/MIA bureaucracy has changed. Because the organization was found to be “woefully inept and even corrupt” by its own internal investigation, there has been yet another government bureaucratic organization formed.

We have three credible eyewitnesses to the events, statements regarding his capture, a physical description, and a detailed map of his burial site. That should be enough to bring him home.

Earlier this year, the Defense Department combined three separate agencies into the new Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, and the former scandal-plagued agency ceased to exist. The new agency’s mission, with its $100 million dollar budget, says it aims to “provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel to their families and the nation.” Once again, San’s sister will have to deal with a new group of government officials who tend to over-promise and under-deliver. In 2012, President Obama, on the occasion of National POW/MIA Recognition Day stated, “As long as members of our Armed Forces remain unaccounted for, America will bring our fullest resources to bear in finding them and bring them home.” I think it’s time for our government bureaucracy to deliver on his promise.

Meanwhile, San’s sister continues to tell her story and garner support. She has set up a Facebook page and a website dedicated to bringing her brother home. In reality, we may never locate all of the MIA servicemen from Vietnam, but we should act on credible information when we have it. In San’s case, we have three credible eyewitnesses to the events on November 25, 1968, statements regarding his capture and physical description, and a detailed map of his burial site. By any measure, that should be enough to “bring our fullest resources to bear in finding them and bring them home.” San gave his life for this country; we need to honor that sacrifice, and bring Case #1329 to a close by returning him to his loved ones. Case closed.

[Editorial correction: The article originally wrongly stated that some excavation had been performed on MAJ Francisco’s reported burial site in Vietnam. To date, no excavation has been performed at the site. We apologize for the error.]

[Top Photo: Flickr CC: Kenny Holston; Body Photo: provided by author]