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BROWN, WILLIAM THEODORE

Name: William Theodore Brown

Rank/Branch: E6/US Army Special Forces

Unit: SOA, Command & Control North,

(MACV-SOG), 5th Special Forces Group

Date of Birth: 20 February 1945 (Chicago IL)

Home City of Record: La Habra CA

Date of Loss: 03 November 1969 Country of Loss: Laos

Loss Coordinates: 154800N 1064700E (XD643674)

Status (in 1973): Missing In Action Category: 2

Acft/Vehicle/Ground: Ground Ref no: 1514

Other Personnel in Incident:


Gunther H. Wald; Donald M. Shue

(both missing);

six Montangards (two missing, four escaped).

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 P.O.W. NETWORK in 1998.

REMARKS:

SYNOPSIS:

Bill Brown was born in Chicago, Illinois February 20, 1945

The youngest of three boys. When Bill was two, his family moved to California,

where they remained, and where he attended Cerritos College.

Bill was an excellent swimmer and golfer.

In September 1965, Bill joined the Army

and earned his Beret and paratrooper badge.

He was sent to Vietnam on December 14, 1967.

He is a demolition's expert and fluent in the Vietnamese language.

In Vietnam, he helped train Montangards tribesmen,

and was so drawn to them that he reenlisted after his tour and

returned to Vietnam in May 1969. On his second tour,

Bill was attached to MACV-SOG, Command and Control North.

MACV-SOG,

(Military Assistance Command Vietnam-Studies and Observation Group)

Was a joint service high command unconventional warfare task force engaged

in highly classified operations throughout Southeast Asia.

The 5th Special Forces channeled personnel into MACV-SOG

(though it was not especial Forces group) through

Special Operations Augmentation (SOA), which provided their "cover"

while under secret orders to MACV-SOG.

The teams performed deep penetration missions of

strategic reconnaissance and interdiction which were called,

depending on the time frame,

"Shining Brass"or "Prairie Fire" missions.

It was on such a mission that

SSgt. William Brown, SSgt. Gunther Wald, SP4 Donald Shue

and two of the six Montangards went missing. The Americans and

Montangards were members of a patrol operating in Laos.

The patrol team was attacked by a numerically superior force

30 miles inside Laos near Ban Chakevy Tai in Saravane Province.

Four of the Montangards escaped and returned to camp to report

the ambush and capture of their comrades. When last seen,

Brown had been wounded by a gunshot just below the rib cage.

He was lying on the ground as the attackers shouted,

"Capture the Americans."

SSgt. Wald and SP4 Shue were also seen to receive

numerous shrapnel wounds from a fragmentation grenade.

The other team members were forced to withdraw leaving

the others behind. Due to bad weather, a recovery team

could not reenter the area until November 11.

They searched the entire area, but could only find

some web gear which was identified as belonging to

three of the indigenous team members and SP4 Shue.

There was no trace of any graves, or of the three missing Americans.

They were classified as Missing In Action.

Other Personnel in Incident:


WALD, GUNTHER HERBERT

Name: Gunther Herbert Wald

Rank/Branch: E5/US Army Special Forces

Unit: SOA, Command & Control North

(MACV-SOG), 5th Special Forces 

Date of Birth: 07 January 1944 (Frankfurt, Germany)

Home City of Record: Bergen NJ (or Palisades Park NJ)

Date of Loss: 03 November 1969 Country of Loss: Laos

Loss Coordinates: 154800N 1064700E (XD643574)

Status (in 1973): Missing In Action Category: 2

Acft/Vehicle/Ground: Ground Ref no: 1514

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 P.O.W. NETWORK in 1998.

REMARKS:

SYNOPSIS:

Gunther Wald was born in Frankfurt, Germany on January 7, 1944.

When he entered the Army in June 1967, he had four years service

in the U.S. Marine Corps. When he went to Vietnam, he was attached to

MACV-SOG, Command and Control North.

MACV-SOG

(Military Assistance Command Vietnam-Studies and Observation Group)

was a joint service high command unconventional warfare task force

engaged in highly classified operations throughout Southeast Asia.

The 5th Special Forces channeled personnel into

MACV-SOG (though it was not a Special Forces group) through

Special Operations Augmentation (SOA), which provided their "cover"

while under secret orders to MACV-SOG.

Other Personnel in Incident:


SHUE, DONALD MONROE

Name: Donald Monroe Shue

Rank/Branch: E4/US Army Special Forces

Unit: SOA, Command & Control North

(MACV-SOG), 5th Special Forces Group

Date of Birth: 29 August 1949 (Concord NC)

Home City of Record: Kannapolis NC

Date of Loss: 03 November 1969 Country of Loss: Laos

Loss Coordinates: 154800N 1064700E (XD643674)

Status (in 1973): Missing In Action Category: 2

Acft/Vehicle/Ground: Ground Ref no: 1514

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 P.O.W. NETWORK in 1998.

REMARKS:

SYNOPSIS:

Donald Shue was born in Concord, North Carolina on August 29, 1949.

He entered the Army at Charlotte in June 1967. When he went to

Vietnam, he was attached to MACV-SOG, Command and Control North.

MACV-SOG

(Military Assistance Command Vietnam-Studies and Observation Group)

was a joint service high command unconventional warfare task force

engaged in highly classified operations throughout Southeast Asia.

The 5th Special Forces channeled personnel into MACV-SOG

(though it was not a Special Forces group)

through Special Operations Augmentation (SOA), which provided their "cover"

while under secret orders to MACV-SOG. The teams performed

deep penetration missions of strategic reconnaissance and

interdiction, which were called, depending on the time frame,


"Shining Brass" or "Prairie Fire" missions.

The U.S. did not negotiate for the release of any of the nearly

600 Americans lost in Laos.

No American serviceman held in Laos has been released.

Tragically, the U.S. has received over 6000 reports indicating that many

Americans are still held prisoner today. Many men were seriously

wounded and survived captivity. No one saw Brown, Shue or Wald die.

They could be among the hundreds many authorities believe to be alive today.

If so, what must they be thinking of us? 

Lets Join Together And Set Them Free!

Your GlideRider's  Visitor Since

August First Nineteen Hundred and Ninety Eight


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