Eleanor Ardel Vietti

Rank/Branch:Civilian - Surgeon
Unit:Christian & Missionary Alliance
Date of Birth: 05 November 1927 (Ft. Worth TX)
Home City of Record: Houston TX
Date of Loss: 30 May 1962
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 123250N 1075927E (ZU250888)
Status (in 1973): Prisoner of War
Category: 1
Acft/Venicle/Ground: Ground

Other Personnel in Incident: Rev. Archie E. Mitchell;
Daniel A. Gerber (both captured)

REMARKS: TAKEN FROM LEPROSARIUM

SYNOPSIS:

Ardel Vietti was a twin and was born
on November 5, 1927 in Ft. Worth, Texas.
Her father was a geologist and provided
Ardel, her sister and brother with a comfortable
youth, as well as the experience of living in
South America for several years. Ardel attended
Rice Institute, Nyack Missionary College (one summer),
and attended medical school at the University of Texas.
Following her residency, she applied for foreign
service with C&MA and was certified for appointment
to the Ban Me Thuot Leprosarium in Vietnam.

The Ban Me Thuot Leprosarium was located in dense jungle
terrain in Darlac Province, South Vietnam, near the
provincial capitol of Ban Me Thuot. The Leprosarium
was jointly financed by The Christian and Missionary
Alliance, the Mennonite Central Committee and American
Leprosy Missions, Inc. There were 56 Alliance church
groups in the areas outlying Ban Me Thuot in 1962.
The Leprosarium had a staff of nine, including
Rev. Archie Mitchell, the administrative officer;
Dr. Ardel Vietti, a surgeon, Daniel A. Gerber, and
nurses, Misses Craig, Deets, Kingsbury and Wilting.
There were two others on staff; also, the Mitchell's
four children lived at the Leprosarium.

Late afternoon on Wednesday, May 30, 1962, a group of
about 12 armed Viet Cong entered the Leprosarium
compound and abducted Dan Gerber, Dr. Vietti and
Rev. Mitchell. The nurses were sternly lectured on
their betrayal of the Vietnamese people and assured
that they deserved immediate death, but were not
molested or abducted. Mrs. Mitchell and her four
children were not harmed. The VC ransacked all the
buildings for anything they could use - linens,
medicines, clothing and surgical instruments.
About 10:00 p.m., the Viet Cong finally left,
taking their three prisoners with them.

When the three were captured, the U.S. pledged
all of its resources in order to see that everything
possible was done to get them back safely in 1962.

At the time, U.S. and South Vietnamese intelligence
discovered their probable location, but were never
able to rescue the three. Reports have continued to
surface on them through the years since 1962. Some
of the members of their families believe them to be
still alive.

Now, 25 years later, Gerber, Vietti and Mitchell are
still missing. They were not military personnel, nor
were they engaged in highly paid jobs relating to the
war. They were just there to help sick Vietnamese people.

Although the U.S. has given the Vietnamese information
on Gerber, Vietti and Mitchell, the Vietnamese deny any
knowledge of them.