ZISSU, ANDREW GILBERT
Name: Andrew Gilbert Zissu
Rank/Branch: O2/US Navy
Unit: Early Warning Squadron 111, Detachment 34, USS
ORISKANY (CVA34)
Date of Birth: 02 December 1940
Home City of Record: New York NY
Date of Loss: 08 October 1967
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 160935N 1080322E (AT875905) Status
(in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered Category: 3
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: E1B
Refno: 0856
Other Personnel in Incident: Roland R. Pineau; Norman
L. Roggow; Donald
F.
Wolfe; Raul A. Guerra (all missing)
Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 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: 15 March 1990. Updated
by the P.O.W. NETWORK 1998.
REMARKS: CRASH SIT CNFM - NO RECOV POSS - J
SYNOPSIS: The USS ORISKANY was one of several U.S.
aircraft carriers to
be
semi-permanently stationed on Yankee Station in
Vietnam. Its attack wings flew against varied targets
in North Vietnam including bridges, ammunitions
stores, highways, and railroads. 1967 was a
particularly active year for all
carriers, and the ORISKANY was no exception.
On October 8, 1967, LtJg. Andrew G. Zissu was the
pilot of an E1B aircraft
which launched from the ORISKANY on a morning combat
mission in support of a
major strike over North Vietnam. Zissu's crew that
day included LtJg. Donald
F. Wolfe, LtJg. Norman L. Roggow, and ATC Roland R.
Pineau. Also on board was one passenger, Seaman Raul
A. Guerra, listed as a Journalist Petty Officer,
Third Class.
The E1 aircraft was a propeller aircraft that was
generally used by the Navy
for Early Warning operations, or for flight
assistance in bombing missions.
Typically, the slower moving E1, unable to keep up
with faster moving jet aircraft, would be used in a
standoff position for radar jamming while the
jet aircraft executed their mission.
At the completion of the combat mission, the aircraft
was sent to Chu Lai,
South Vietnam for refueling before the next mission.
The aircraft landed at
Chu Lai, refueled and took off again for another
mission on the back to the
USS ORISKANY.
Immediately after
takeoff radio
contact with the ship was made
and the crew reported that their flight was airborne
and would be ready for
its mission upon arrival. In addition, radio contact
was established immediately after takeoff with DaNang
Radar who was to keep them under observation during
their trip north to the ship. They planned to fly
directly over DaNang and then proceed to the ship. As
they approached DaNang
radar on a northwesterly course, radar contact was
lost, however, radio contact was maintained with the
aircraft. After overflying DaNang, radar contact was
again established at a point approximately 10 miles
northwest of
DaNang in mountainous terrain. An immediate right
turn was recommended by the radar controller to a
northeasterly course. The pilot acknowledged that
he was turning, right before he could complete his
turn, radar and radio contact was lost simultaneously
and an alert issued by DaNang radar
immediately.
An aggressive search and rescue and operation was
conducted, however, efforts were hampered because of
adverse weather, low visibility, and rain.
The weather improved and the aircraft wreckage was
sighted, scattered over a
wide area on a sheer face of Monkey Mountain near Da
Nang. A fellow detachment officer flew over the crash
site in an Air Force Helicopter and
positively identified the wreckage as that of the
missing E1B. Because of the hazardous terrain, the
crash site was inaccessible by helicopter and too
dangerous for ground parties to be sent in. Due to
the terrain characteristics at the crash site, the
force of the impact into the face of
the ridge, and the obvious complete destruction of
the aircraft, it was not
believed that there were survivors.
No sign of survivors was noted. It was not possible
to recover remains, and
all personnel aboard the aircraft were declared
Killed/Body Not Recovered.
The Navy did not rule out the possibility of hostile
interference, although
the general feeling was that inclement weather was
the cause of the crash.
The Defense Intelligence Agency further expanded the
men's classification to
include an enemy knowledge ranking of 3. Category 3
indicates "doubtful knowledge" and includes personnel
whose loss incident is such that it is doubtful that
the enemy wound have knowledge of the specific
individuals (e.g. aircrews lost over water or remote
areas).
The Navy men on board the E1B lost on October 8, 1967
were listed as killed,
body not recovered. They are among nearly 2500
Americans who remain unaccounted for from the Vietnam
war. The cases of some, like the E1B, seem
clear - that they perished and cannot be recovered.
Unfortunately, mounting
evidence indicates that hundreds of Americans are
still captive, waiting for
the country they proudly served to secure their
freedom.
In our haste to leave an unpopular war, it now
appears we abandoned some of
our best men. In our haste to heal the wounds of this
same war, will we sign
their death warrants? Or will we do what we can to
bring them
home?
Would you like to
make a difference?
Find out how
below!
<
BR>
I HAVE
!
Andrew
Gilbert Zissu was adopted on this date October 11,
1999 by me, Bob Rusin.
