JOHN   HENRY   RALPH   BROOKS

Rank\branch  E4/ US ARMY

Unit: 129th Aviation Company, 268th Aviation Battalion, 17th Aviation Group

Date of birth: 08 April 1949 (Lewiston ME)

Home city of Record: Bryant Pond ME

Date of Loss: 13 May 1969

Country of Loss: South Vietnam

Loss coordinates:135615n 1084752e (br621418)

Status (in 1973) missing in action

Category: 2

Aircraft:  UH1H

refno: 1440

Other personnel in Incident (none missing)

REMARKS:

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 POW Network in 1998.

SYNOPSIS: On May 13,  1969 SP4 John H.R. Brooks was the crew chief aboard

one of three helicopters assighned the task of inserting Republic of Korea

soldiers into Binh Dinh Province, South Vietnam.

While approaching the landing zone (LZ) the three helicopters came under enemy

fire, and during the insertion, SP4 Brooks' aircraft was hit, spun in the

air and crashed.

Three of the 9 Koreans aboard the aircraft survived, evaded capture and were

able to link up with Korean and American units the next day. One evadee

reported that one Korean was killed in the helicopter and the American who

was firing the machine gun on the left side of the helicopter was also

killed. After the helicopter crashed, he saw the same American pinned under

the helicopter.  (this should be the door gunner.)

The next day the bodies of all the other American crewman except Brooks were

found. Equipment thought to belong to Brooks was discovered near the burned

helicopter. There was no sign of Brooks.

Members of the crash site team agreed that while at the crash site a Korean

soldier who had been in the helicopter reported that he had seen one

American and two Koreans running down the hill from the crash site. No U.S.

bodies were found down the hill; all of them were found at the top of the

hill where the crash occurred.

Crew members  of the other aircraft reported seeing what they felt was SP4

Brooks exit the aircraft after it crashed and burned, yet there was now no

sign of him.

It is clear that the possibility exists that Brooks was captured. He is one

of nearly 2500 Americans who remain prisoner, missing or unaccounted for

from American involvement in Indochina.

Since the war ended, thousands of reports have been received by the U.S.

Government regarding Americans missing in Southeast Asia. Many authorities

now believe that here are hundreds of them still alive, held against their will.

 One of them could be John Brooks. What are we doing to bring these men home?

ADOPT A POW/MIA

MAKE THEM GIVE US THE ANSWERS

mailto:president@whitehouse.gov

mailto:vice.president@whitehouse.gov

mailto:first.lady@whitehouse.gov

In memory of all our POW/MIA'S  May we bring them Home.

Bill White  mailto:billy@tdstelme.net