LTJG Larry J. Stevens
Larry James Stevens
Rank/Branch: O2/US Navy
Unit: Attack Squadron 216, USS CORAL SEA (CVA 43)
Date of Birth: 17 December 1942 (Hawthorne CA)
Home City of Record: Canoga Park CA
Date of Loss: 14 February 1969
Country of Loss: Laos
Loss Coordinates: 163900N 1061900E
Status (in 1973): Missing In Action
Category: 2
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: A4C
Other Personnel In Incident: (none missing)
Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 01 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.
REMARKS:
SYNOPSIS: LTJG Larry J. Stevens, a U.S. Navy pilot, was assigned to Attack Squadron 216 onboard the aircraft carrier USS CORAL SEA. On Valentine's Day, 1969, he launched in his A4C Skyhawk attack aircraft on a night strike mission over Laos. With him was another A4C piloted by LTCDR J.F. Meehan. A Forward Air
Controller (FAC) aircraft and an A6 Intruder were also in the area.
The flight was assigned a ground target -- a group of trucks carrying ammunition and supplies to enemy forces fighting in South Vietnam. While maneuvering in the target area, the two A4's were fired upon by anti-aircraft artillery. The two aircraft were at 10,000 feet, when LTCDR Meehan, in the lead aircraft, heard
and felt a double explosion with an accompanying white flash from the left side of his aircraft. This explosion caused damage to Meehan's aircraft. He was able to regain control of the damaged plane, flew out to sea, ejected safely and was picked up by a search and rescue helicopter.
LTJG Stevens had been flying close formation when the flash and explosions were experienced. No transmissions were heard from Stevens at that time and no further voice contact was established. About one minute after the explosion, his
aircraft was seen by the FAC and the crew of the A6 aircraft to impact the ground. Initial reports indicated that there might have been a mid-air collision between the two aircraft, but this was later discounted.
Stevens made no radio transmission after his plane was hit, nor was there any sighting of a parachute. However, a few minutes after his plane crashed, a five to ten second beeper signal was picked up by the other planes and was assumed to
come from Stevens. Subsequent visual and electronic sweeps of the area failed to pick up any sign of him or his plane. Hostile threat in this area, near Tchepone, Laos, precluded any further search and rescue efforts. In his official report of the incident, Steven's squadron commander advanced the strong
possibility that he could well have survived the crash, in which case he would almost certainly been captured. There has been no further word of Larry Stevens received by his family.
Larry Steven's parents are very active in the effort to resolve the POW/MIA problem. They say, "How long can our POWs endure what they are now, and have been undergoing for from twelve to twenty years in captivity? The governments of Vietnam and Laos have positive knowledge of many of our men. Progress is extremely slow. Please write your Congressman and Senators asking them to
become involved in the cause of our POW/MIAs."
"All Biographical and loss information on POWs provided by Operation Just Cause have been supplied by Chuck and Mary Schantag of POWNET. Please check with POWNET regularly for updates."
