13 Jun 66 Col. Charles W. Burkart Jr. Usaf Laos

[SEATJERKER]

JUST ADDING REMEMBERNCE...

[SEATJERKER]

...as he has made it to another year of the unknown...

...like many, he was a brave man that went off to serve his country, and mankind for a better world, and has yet to be accounted for...

...He was from a small city about 12 miles from me, Selkirk NY...

...God Bless him, and his family for their sacrifices, Amen...

[SEATJERKER]

...Sorry Charles, I'm late...

...But I have not forgotten you,...

...and so many others,...




...You see, we've been fortunite enough to be very busy this year, The masses have been trimming trees, and mowing lawns, swimming and dancing, only by the grace of God, and men like you...

...In 66, I was trying as hard as I could to peddle up my hill, I know that you were running hard trying to make it up another hill so far away...

...The little town of Selkirk is still nestled among the burbs, and it hasn't changed much, The people wave as you drive by, They know not the thoughts that fill my moments, wondering if that was the hardware store where you might have worked for your first job, the corner store where penny candy glistened from jars, the wail of the one lone fire tower telling you it was noon, Yes Selkirk is still there, but you are not, but you are not forgotten...

...It is now 37 years later, and I hope you are cradled in the arms of your brothers as they with you...

...Welcome home"...

[DMZ-LT]

Thank you , Curtis. Forever young.

[Chevelle]

...Wear it everyday,...

...again late on the post,... but not forgotten,...

...

[SEATJERKER]

BURKART, CHARLES WILLIAM JR.

Name: Charles William Burkart, Jr.
Rank/Branch: O3/US Air Force
Unit: 13th Bomber Squadron, Da Nang AB SV
Date of Birth: 17 May 1931
Home City of Record: Selkirk NY
Date of Loss: 13 June 1966
Country of Loss: Laos
Loss Coordinates: 171500N 1054500E (WE778137)
Status (in 1973): Missing in Action
Category: 2
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: B57
Refno: 0359
Other Personnel in Incident: Everett O. Kerr (Missing)

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 30 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. Updated by the P.O.W.
NETWORK 1998.

REMARKS:

SYNOPSIS: When North Vietnam began to increase their military strength in
South Vietnam, NVA and Viet Cong troops again intruded on neutral Laos for
sanctuary, as the Viet Minh had done during the war with the French some
years before. The border road, termed the "Ho Chi Minh Trail" was used for
transporting weapons, supplies and troops. Hundreds of American pilots were
shot down trying to stop this communist traffic to South Vietnam.
Fortunately, search and rescue teams in Vietnam were extremely successful
and the recovery rate was high.

Still there were nearly 600 who were not rescued. Many of them went down
along the Ho Chi Minh Trail and the passes through the border mountains
between Laos and Vietnam. Many were alive on the ground and in radio contact
with search and rescue and other planes; some were known to have been
captured. Hanoi's communist allies in Laos, the Pathet Lao, publicly spoke
of American prisoners they held, but when peace agreements were negotiated,
Laos was not included, and not a single American was released that had been
held in Laos.

The B57 Canberra was one of the aircraft used by the U.S. Air Force to bomb
the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The Canberra first came to the Vietnam theater at the
time of the Gulf of Tonkin incident om 1964. It proved to vulnerable and
difficult to repair for working targets over North Vietnam, but proved
effective in the armed reconnaissance Trail operations of Operation Steel
Tiger. The Canberra was sometimes used in conjunction with other, more
sophisticated aircraft, such as the C130, and was especially effective on
night missions.

Capt. Charles W. Burkart Jr. was the pilot and Capt. Everett O. Kerr the
navigator of a B57 Canberra assigned a night strike mission over Laos on
June 13, 1966. Capt. Burkart's aircraft was flying in a flight of three
planes.

Prior to reaching the target area, the flight became separated due to bad
weather. The last known radio contact from Burkart and Kerr was
approximately 50 minutes after takeoff at Da Nang. Their approximate
location was about 8 miles southeast of the city of Ban Som Peng in the Ban
Karai Pass region of Khammouane Province, Laos.

Despite search efforts, no aircraft wreckage was located, and no emergency
beeper signals were detected. Burkart and Kerr were classified Missing in
Action.

When 591 Americans were released from prisoner of war camps at the end of
American involvement in the war, Kerr and Burkart were not among them. Not
one American held in Laos had been released.

In early 1979, thirteen years after their disappearance, Kerr and Burkart
were administratively declared dead based on no specific information that
they were alive.

Were it not for the thousands of reports concerning Americans still held
captive in Southeast Asia, the Kerr and Burkart families might be able to
close this tragic chapter of their lives. But as long as Americans are
alive, being held captive, Kerr and Burkart could be among them. It's time
we brought these men home.


Charles W. Burkart was promoted to the rank of Colonel and Everett O. Kerr
was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel during the period they were
maintained missing.




...2nd ,...

BURKART, CHARLES WILLIAM, JR.
Name: Charles William Burkart, Jr.
Rank/Branch: Colonel/US Air Force

Unit: 13th Bomb Squadron
DaNang Airfield, South Vietnam

Date of Birth: 27 May 1931

Home of Record: Selkirk, NY

Date of Loss: 13 June 1966

Country of Loss: Laos

Loss Coordinates: 171500N 1054500E (WE778137)
Click coordinates to view (4) maps

Status in 1973: Missing in Action

Category: 2

Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: B-57 "Canberra"

Other Personnel In Incident: Everett O. Kerr (missing)


REMARKS:

SYNOPSIS: The B57 Canberra was a light tactical bomber that first arrived in Southeast Asia in 1964. As a veteran of operations Rolling Thunder in North Vietnam and Steel Tiger in Laos, it played an important roll in interdicting communist supplies moving along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Some of the B57's from the 13th Bomb Squadron located at DaNang and the 8th Tactical Bomb Squadron at Phan Rang, South Vietnam had also been equipped with infrared sensors for night strike operations in Tropic Moon II and III in the spring of 1967
.
The Mu Gia Pass was one of two major ports of entry into Laos used by the communists. When North Vietnam began to increase its military strength in South Vietnam, NVA and Viet Cong troops again intruded on neutral Laos for sanctuary, as the Viet Minh had done during the war with the French some years before. This border road was used by the Communists to transport weapons, supplies and troops from North Vietnam into South Vietnam, and was frequently no more than a path cut through the jungle covered mountains. US forces used all assets available to them to stop this flow of men and supplies from moving south into the war zone.

On 13 June 1966 then Lt. Col. Charles W. Burkart, Jr., pilot; and 1st Lt. Everett O. Kerr, navigator; comprised the crew of a B-57 Canberra in a flight of 3 aircraft conducting a night strike mission against Route 911, the primary road running through the Mu Gia Pass and south in Khammouan Province, Laos. The mission identifier for this flight was Steel Tiger.

The three strike aircraft departed DaNang approximately 0100 hours. Prior to reaching the target area, the flight was forced to separate due to bad weather. Once Lt. Col. Burkhart's B-57 arrived in the target area, it rendezvoused with the rest of the flight, the Airborne Battlefield Command and Control Center (ABCCC) responsible for controlling all air operations in this region and the Forward Air Controller (FAC) responsible for directing their strike mission. After checking in with the ABCCC, the strike aircraft were handed over to the FAC who directed them to proceed with their briefed mission.

At 0154 hours, the last known radio contact was established with Lt. Col. Burkart and 1st Lt. Kerr. The Canberra's crew transmitted that they were roughly 8 miles southeast of the city of Ban Som Peng at that time. Further, they did not indicate they were experiencing any difficulty with the aircraft or the mission.

During the course of the operation, other aircrews tried to establish radio contact with Lt. Col. Burkart and 1st Lt. Kerr, but were unsuccessful in doing so. When the ABCCC was also unable to establish radio contact, the pilot requested an aerial search and rescue (SAR) operation be initiated. In the poor visibility and darkness, the other aircrews saw no parachutes. They also heard no emergency radio beepers emanating from the jungle below.

At first light the SAR aircraft searched the sector in and around the area of last contact. When no trace of the missing aircraft or its crew was found along Route 911 or in the surrounding jungle covered mountains, the SAR effort was suspended. Because of the intense enemy presence throughout the entire region, no ground search was possible. At the time the formal search was terminated, both Charles Burkart and Everett Kerr were listed Missing In Action.

At the time of last contact, the Canberra was operating just to the west of Route 911 as it ran through a densely forested long and very narrow valley with steep, rugged mountains rising up on both sides. The Xe Rangfai River weaved its way through the rugged mountains less than ? mile east of Route 911 at the location of loss. The entire sector was heavily defended and densely populated with communist forces.

The location was approximately 3 miles west of a Binh Tram, a way station used by communist forces as they moved along the Ho Chi Minh Trail; 8 miles northwest of Ban Thapachon, 13 miles south-southeast of Ban Senphon; 20 miles southwest of the Lao/North Vietnamese border and 24 miles south of the Mu Gia Pass. It was also 58 miles west-southwest of the major North Vietnamese port city of Dong Hoi.

If Charles Burkart and Everett Kerr died in the loss of their aircraft, each man has the right to have his remains returned to his family, friends and country. However, if they survived, they most certainly could have been captured by enemy troops known to be operating throughout this part of eastern Laos, and their fate, like that of other Americans who remain unaccounted for in Southeast Asia, could be quite different.

Since the end of the Vietnam War, over 21,000 reports of American Prisoners, missing and otherwise unaccounted for have been received by our government. Many of these reports document LIVE American Prisoners of War remaining captive throughout Southeast Asia TODAY.

Pilots and aircrews in Vietnam and Laos were called upon to fly in many dangerous circumstances, and were prepared to be wounded, killed or captured. It probably never occurred to them that they could be abandoned by the country they so proudly served.

[SEATJERKER]

...

...I'm early this year, and I made sure of it,...

...how are you, yes it's been 40 years this year, no we haven't forgotten, said a special prayer for you up on the mountain this year with your friends, no you didn't directly know them, but they all know you, and your friends, they're never forgotten,...

...40 years long time to be missing, you were one of the early ones I know , but none the less, your in the best of company, I don't miss the sunshine where your braclet lies, it remindes me of those who commanded respect, flying into the unknown for unknowns, those who did not know why you flew,..., those that only wondered of the taste of freedom,...

...So you saw that big flag I flew for you, and the others, great, proud to do it, I know that it would mean a lot for those that know,...

...yes times are a little diffucult at this point in time for us, but we're still working on some problems in the world,...

...I know your all rooting for us, and that everyone can make a difference, we're tryin',...

...know in your souls that each, and everyone of you made a difference, we're all hurtin' for the times we could have spent together, but yours was not in vain, you set the bar as high as it could go, we'll keep it there,...

...We'll tell our children's children each, and every act of bravery that lives with everyone of you, you will not be forgotten, you'll live with me as you'll live with my son,...

...Your fate is celebrated in the birth of my daughter the day after you went missing, you live in her,...

...40 years,...

...I will fight your fight, I will carry tour torch, You give me strength for I am an American Serviceman also,...

...God bless America,...

...AMEN,...

...

...

[Jerry D]

As long as one person remembers a persons life they are never quite gone. God bless the Heroes that didn't come home and those who did that aren't with us today :a: To the memory of Charles William Burkart, Jr. :32:

[SEATJERKER]

...

... Hi Charlie,...

...Another long year has passed, when you gonna stop back in a say hello?,...

...Be nice to turn some heads with your arrival after so many years, but we all know you've been real busy. I hope things are well with you, I know your with friends, and time flys when your having fun, so drop us a line when you can,...

... Curtis, and friends,...

...God Bless,...

...

[SEATJERKER]

...

...Hi Charlie,...

...I'm right on time this year,...

...say hello to Nick for us as he just arrived the other day, he was a local from up our way,...

...It's been several years here that we've been able to let you know that your years of service have not been forgotten, 43 years missing does not diminish the thoughts of those that remember you,...

...May you, and all your Brothers sit at the right hand of God, and be forever blessed in knowing your sacrifices were not in vain, so many live for what you gave,...

...

[Geosail]

I just discovered this site. Charles Burkart was my brother - still loved and missed. I am thankful to "Seatjerker" for his continuous posts and remembrances. I don't know if you knew him, but appreciate your annual visits to this site.

[Boats]

In memory of this USAF Officer (lost in Laos) I have carried worn his bracelet for the past 35 years and check often on several sites to see if he was ever found. To date he's never been posted so I wear it in hopes some day I can send it to one of his relative's or I will pass it along to one of my Grand-kids to wear it in memory of a soldier who never made it home. SJ/DMZ/HC and I like so many others have often commented on the the MIA and POW issues. I wear this bracelet as a badge of honor in memory of them and to remind me that they are not here - like so many others. RIP - but you are not forgotten.


ELZINGA, RICHARD GENE
Name: Richard Gene Elzinga
Rank/Branch: O3/US Air Force
Unit: 56th Special Operations Wing, Udorn AF TH (RAVENS)
Date of Birth: 13 August 1942
Home City of Record: Shedd OR
Date of Loss: 26 March 1970
Country of Loss: Laos
Loss Coordinates: 175900N 1023400E (TF543931)
Status (in 1973): Missing in Action
Category: 4
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: O1
Refno: 1579
Other Personnel in Incident: Henry L. Allen (missing)
Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 March 1990 with the assistance
of 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 1998.
REMARKS:
SYNOPSIS: The Steve Canyon program was a highly classified FAC (forward air
control) operation covering the military regions of Laos. U.S. military
operations in Laos were severely restricted during the Vietnam War era
because Laos had been declared neutral by the Geneva Accords.
The non-communist forces in Laos, however, had a critical need for military
support in order to defend territory used by Lao and North Vietnamese
communist forces. The U.S., in conjunction with non-communist forces in
Laos, devised a system whereby U.S. military personnel could be "in the
black" or "sheep-dipped" (clandestine; mustered out of the military to
perform military duties as a civilian) to operate in Laos under supervision
of the U.S. Ambassador to Laos.
RAVEN was the radio call sign which identified the flyers of the Steve
Canyon Program. Men recruited for the program were rated Air Force officers
with at least six months experience in Vietnam. They tended to be the very
best of pilots, but by definition, this meant that they were also mavericks,
and considered a bit wild by the mainstream military establishment.
The Ravens came under the formal command of CINCPAC and the 7/13th Air Force
56th Special Operations Wing at Nakhon Phanom, but their pay records were
maintained at Udorn with Detachment 1. Officially, they were on loan to the
U.S. Air Attache at Vientiane. Unofficially, they were sent to outposts like
Long Tieng, where their field commanders were the CIA, the Meo Generals, and
the U.S. Ambassador. Once on duty, they flew FAC missions which controlled
all U.S. air strikes over Laos.
All tactical strike aircraft had to be under the control of a FAC, who was
intimately familiar with the locale, the populous, and the tactical
situation. The FAC would find the target, order up U.S. fighter/bombers from
an airborne command and control center, mark the target accurately with
white phosphorus (Willy Pete) rockets, and control the operation throughout
the time the planes remained on station. After the fighters had departed,
the FAC stayed over the target to make a bomb damage assessment (BDA).
The FAC also had to ensure that there were no attacks on civilians, a
complex problem in a war where there were no front lines and any hamlet
could suddenly become part of the combat zone. A FAC needed a fighter
pilot's mentality, but but was obliged to fly slow and low in such unarmed
and vulnerable aircraft as the Cessna O1 Bird Dog, and the Cessna O2.
Consequently, aircraft used by the Ravens were continually peppered with
ground fire. A strong fabric tape was simply slapped over the bullet holes
until the aircraft could no longer fly.
Ravens were hopelessly overworked by the war. The need for secrecy kept
their numbers low (never more than 22 at one time), and the critical need of
the Meo sometimes demanded each pilot fly 10 and 12 hour days. Some Ravens
completed their tour of approximately 6 months with a total of over 500
combat missions.
The Ravens in at Long Tieng in Military Region II, had, for several years,
the most difficult area in Laos. The base, just on the southern edge of the
Plain of Jars, was also the headquarters for the CIA-funded Meo army
commanded by General Vang Pao. An interesting account of this group can be
read in Christopher Robbins' book, "The Ravens". This book contains an
account of the loss of 1Lt. Henry L. Allen and Capt. Richard G. Elzinga:
The post at Long Tieng had been under seige, and it became necessary for
Ravens to live in Vietntiane in new quarters nicknamed Silver City, but they
continued to stage out of Long Tieng. "They called the daily flight there
and back...the 'commute.'
"Hank Allen, an exceptional pilot with eyes like a hawk, took off with Dick
Elzinga in the front seat of his O-1. Allen was 'short', soon to return home
after a tour in which he had notched up four hundred combat missions, and he
planned to return directly to the States and marry his fiancee within a
fortnight. Elzinga had only just arrived in Laos, and it was his first trip
up to the secret city. Allen intended to use the 'commute' as a checkout
ride. It was a cloudy day. He took off and reported over the radio...that
the O-1 was airborne. It was the last thing ever heard from them. Neither of
the pilots, nor the plane, was ever seen again.
"They had disappeared. Each of the Ravens spent at least two hours, on top
of their usual day's flying, searching for the wreckage. No Mayday call had
been heard, nor had a beeper signal been picked up from the survival radio,
and no clue to the airplane's whereabouts was discovered. The disappearance
was a complete mystery."
The official point of loss was noted as 20 miles northeast of Vientiane,
Laos. Both men were classified Missing in Action.
Three years later, on March 10, 1973, a Pathet Lao agent was captured
carrying three of Elzinga's traveler's checks and money of three countries.
Elzinga had not been in Vientiane long enough to get a locker for his
billfold. According to a 1974 list compiled by the National League of
POW/MIA Families, Elzinga, at least, survived the loss of the O1 plane.
Elzinga and Allen are among nearly 600 Americans lost in Laos. Even though
the Pathet Lao stated publicly that they held "tens of tens" of American
prisoners, not one American held in Laos was ever released -- or negotiated
for.
Since U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War ended, nearly 10,000 reports have
been received by the U.S. Government relating to Americans missing in
Southeast Asia. Many authorities have reluctantly concluded that hundreds
are still alive in captivity today. We, as a nation, owe these men our best
effort to find them and bring them home. Until the fates of the men like
Elzinga and Allen are known, their families will wonder if they are dead or
alive .. and why they were abandoned.
=================================
From - Mon Apr 10 13:05:06 2000
From: "Lee, Thomas E. - SAIC" <TLee@NSES.com>
Subject: Information correction
First I would like to establish my credentials with you, before I point
out errors in the descriptive write-ups on approximately 20 entries in
your data base.
I am a retired US Air Force Colonel who served in Laos covertly as part
of DoD Project 404 from June 1968-June 1969. I was the intelligence
officer in Savannakhet operating in "civilian" status working for the US
Embassy. I carried civilian documentation for presentation but also
possessed my military ID card. We wore civilian clothes. One of my roles
was to support the Raven forward air controllers (FAC), the US FACs
operating from "in-country" bases in Laos. See my website at
http://members.xoom.com/targeteer.
The following is a paragraph from your description of the "Raven"
Forward Air Controllers operating in Laos.
We lost 21 of them from 1966-1973.
"The non-communist forces in Laos, however, had a critical need for
military support in order to defend territory used by Lao and North
Vietnamese communist forces. The U.S., in conjunction with non-communist
forces in Laos, devised a system whereby U.S. military personnel could
be "in the black" or "sheep-dipped" (clandestine; mustered out of the
military to perform military duties as a civilian) to operate in Laos
under supervision of the U.S. Ambassador to Laos."
****
An error in the above description is that most of the US military
personnel operating in Laos were NOT "sheep-dipped" as you described. We
were in the "Black" in that we were technically not there, we were
assigned to out of country units and our in-country existence was
generally classified for part of the 1964-1973 period. (The existence of
these operations was revealed during Congressional Hearings in late 1969
or 1970). The Raven Program and the complementary DoD Project 404 both
began in 1966. However, there was no mustering out of the service for
the Ravens or the Project 404 personnel. To my knowledge the only
program that was "sheep dipped" as you described was Project Heavy Green
(the Air Force troops supporting Site 85 and the TACAN site support).
That accounted for under 100 people. (13 were lost) There were military
personnel operating within the Air America and CIA (CAS) operations that
may have operated under different rules.
Critically speaking the US devised the sheep dipping process. It was
used across the US intelligence community. The non-communist forces had
virtually nothing to do with that process. They did play a role in
accepting the US military members in "civilian" status by accepting our
presence and not "spilling the beans". We were not deceiving the
opposition because they knew we were military. Our deception was aimed
at the World scene and the US population regarding our activities in
contravention of the 1962 Geneva Accords.
****
This was a very unique period and very misunderstood period in our
military history due to its classified nature. Fortunately, we are able
to tell our story now. Those of us that served in Laos are trying to
correct this mis-information and myth that has grown up around these
activities so they are better understood in their real context.
Respectfully,
Tom Lee
(Thomas E. Lee, Colonel USAF (Ret))
Savannakhet, Laos
1968-1969

[Stick]

Capt. Park G. Bunker
USAF, 30 Dec. 1970, Laos
was a member of the Ravens that weren't even listed until many years after he didn't come home because of the "Classified" missions that he was assigned to. Park's plane was found many years later on what was the HoChiMinh trail and Rt. 9 near KheSanh in Laos but no remains were found in it.
I've worn that bracelet since the bracelets were first introduced to help in the financing of the The Wall and it will go into the hole with me unless he's back home.
Several months ago I was going into a courthouse and the uniformed deputy at the security station told me that I had to take the bracelet off and I told him that I wouldn't. He made a fuss about it untill another uniformed cop came over but he had three stripes on his sleeve. He looked at the bracelet and asked the deputy if his name was Park Bunker?
"No!" with a snotty tone.
With an authoritive loud voice from the Sgt., "You have absolutely no right to ask this any man, any woman to take off one of these bands off unless your name is written on the bracelet. Don't ever ask anyone else to remove a POW/MIA bracelet, period.
You may pass, sir. Welcome home."

[bimperio]

When I was 18 years old I walked by the BX at Lackland AFB and picked up a bracelet with William Burkart's name on it. I never took it off and it finally broke, but I kept the pieces. Fast forward about 20 years later and they were selling them again in Italy where I lived. What are the chances I could find his name again. I found his family and sent one to his son and still have the other. In the mean time, I married a Viet Nam vet. Thanks to Lt Col Burkart, my friend and hero that I never met.

[DMZ-LT]

Sharp hand salute. Our sons and daughters are finding and bringing home our brothers , hope he comes home soon.

[SEATJERKER]

...

...Little late Charles,...

... Been busy with all the blessings here, apoligize,...

..it's been nine years for us here, and the best part is the we continue to believe that your mission continues, you have served well above the call of duty, and will never be forgotten, your spirit flies with all that serve, all that shall read this, and other tributes to our other eagles, time does stand still as those who's heart embraces you,...

...Your Brothers, and Sisters await to meet you again, and shall never give up hope,...

...May you sit at the right side of God this perpetual day, as you've served your time in Hell,...

...

[SEATJERKER]

...

...I'm up early as most of us are now days, sleep is limited ,...

...Few more nicks in the armor, but the sword remains sharp,...

...Our thoughts, and prayers are with you, and so many others these long nights to continue to guide you through your journey,...

...I'm sure your well aware of the world at present as those that join you, and your fellow warriors stand tall above us, there are those still here that know of all of the sacrifices of your brothers, and sisters, We shall never forget,...

...As this days sun rises, and in the coming nights, our humbling rememberence will serve to be a guiding light for all of you to rise unto the heavens, and rest upon the love of God almighty,...

...Many more shall join you as our time here is troubling, see them through the rocky path to eternity,...

...Our days are granted, by all of your sacrifices,...

...Amen,...

...

[DMZ-LT]

Thanks for keeping this going all these years Curtis." If you are wounded , I will carry you. If you are captured I will come for you and if you are killed I will always remember you " Thank you sir !

[BLUEHAWK]

Boats, here's a Remembrance one of our guys prepared for Maj. Elzinga:

http://airforce.togetherweserved.com/profile/80114

Seat, here's one for Col. Burkart:

http://airforce.togetherweserved.com/profile/79749 (http://airforce.togetherweserved.com/profile/79749)

Stick, here's one for Capt Bunker:

http://airforce.togetherweserved.com/profile/79742 (http://airforce.togetherweserved.com/profile/79742)