Operation Just Cause

My father served his country and fought for freedom in the Korean War while enlisted in the United States Army. So did my father-in-law. By the grace of God, they came home to waiting, anxious families.

I do not remember my father being gone to war. I was born shortly after he left and was already a toddler when he returned. However, Operation Just Cause is a cause I feel very strongly about. You see, my only son, age 20, is currently active in the Maine Army National Guard, dedicated and ready to serve his county whenever he is called. Someday . . . his name could be among the ones appearing on an adopted MIA page.

Name: John Henry Ralph Brooks
Rank/Branch: E4/US Army
Unit: 129th Aviation Company, 268th Aviation Battalion, 17th Aviation Group
Date of Birth: 08 April 1949 (Lewiston, Maine)
Home City of Record: Bryant Pond, Maine
Date of Loss: 13 May 1969
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 135615N 1084752E (BR621418)
Status (in 1973): Missing in Action
Category: 2
Aricraft/Vehicle/Ground: UH1H
Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing)

On May 13, 1969, SP4 John H.R. Brooks was the crew chief aboard one of three helicopters assigned the task of inserting Republic of Korea soldiers into Binh Dinh Province, South Vietnam.

While approaching the landing zone (LZ), the three aircraft came under enemy fire, and during the insertion, SP4 Brooks' aircraft was hit, spun in the air, and crashed.

Three of the 9 Koreans aboard the aircraft survived, evaded capture, and were able to link up with Korean and American units the next day. One evadee reported that one Korean was killed in the helicopter and the American who was firing the machine gun on the left side of the helicopter was also killed. After the helicopter crashed, he saw the same American pinned under the helicopter. (This should be the door gunner.)

The next day the bodies of all the other American crewman except Brooks were found. Equipment thought to belong to Brooks was discovered near the burned helicopter. There was no sign of Brooks.

Members of the crash site team agreed that while at the crash site a Korean soldier who had been in the helicopter reported that he had seen one American and two Koreans running down the hill from the crash site. No U.S. bodies were found down the hill; all of them were found at the top of the hill where the crash occurred.

Crew members of the other aircraft reported seeing what they felt was SP4 Brooks exit the aircraft after it crashed and burned, yet there was now no sign of him.

It is clear that the possibility exists that Brooks was captured. He is one of nearly 2500 Americans who remain prisoner, missing, or unaccounted for from American involvement in Indochina.

Since the war ended, thousands of reports have been received by the U.S. Government regarding Americans missing in Southeast Asia. Many authorities now believe that there are hundreds of them still alive, held against their will. One of them could be John Brooks. What are we doing to bring these men home?

I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to keep pushing this issue inside the Beltway . . . the need to get specific answers is more important now than ever before. If still alive, some MIAs are now in their 70's . . . they don't have much time left. We have to demand the answers from the bureaucrats and keep standing on their necks (figuratively speaking) until they get the message that THEY work for US and that we are serious about getting these long overdue responses. Diplomatic considerations aside . . . we can no longer allow questionable protocols established by pseudo-aristocratic armchair strategists, to determine or influence the fate of the men who were in the trenches while the diplomats were sharing sherry and canapes and talking about "Their Plans" for the future of SE Asia.

If you'd like to see what some others are doing in addition to writing their congressmen, senators, and the Whitehouse, check out some of these sites.

Another remarkable site is by an 11-year-old angel who never even set foot on American soil. She not only put up a page, she started a major project for an organization of Kids on the Net called KeyPals International. Please visit her MIA page. DON'T miss her Bring Grandpa Home page. If you come away from that site without a lump in your throat, then you just weren't paying attention.

Please join me in our efforts to "bring them home". We need your help and support. If you would like to adopt an MIA through Operation Just Cause, please click on the bracket below.

This Operation Just Cause Web Ring site is owned by Lady Laurel [Prev] [Random] [Next] [Skip Next] [Next 5] [Members] [Join]

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