GLEN OLIVER LANE

Name: Glen Oliver Lane Rank/Branch: E7/US Army Special Forces Unit: Command & Control, MACV-SOG, 5th Special Forces Group

Date of Birth: 24 July 1931 (Diboll TX) Home City of Record: Odessa TX

Date of Loss: 23 May 1968

Country of Loss: Laos Loss Coordinates:161730N 1070600E (YD258028)

Status (in 1973): Missing In Action

Category: 4 Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: ground Refno: 1191

Source: Compiled 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 in 1998.

Other Personnel In Incident: Robert D. Owen (missing)

REMARKS: SYNOPSIS: Glen Lane was the patrol leader of a spike team under orders to MACV-SOG in Vietnam.MACV-SOG, or Military Assistance Command Vietnam Studies and Observation Group, was a joint service high command unconventional warfare task force engaged in highly classified operations throughout Southeast Asia. The 5th Special Forces channeled personnel into MACV-SOG (though it was not a Special Forces group) through Special Operations Augmentation (SOA), which provided their "cover" while under secret orders to MACV-SOG. These teams performed deep penetration missions of strategic reconnaissance and interdiction which were called, depending on the time frame, "Shining Brass" or "Prairie Fire" missions

On May 20, 1968, SFC Glen Lane and SSgt. Robert D. Owens were the only two U.S. members of the 6-man spike team "Idaho" assigned to infiltrate a denied area across the Lao border west of A Loui. The team was inserted into the area by helicopter, and was heard from only once thereafter by a Forward Air Controller (FAC) about 1024 hours the same day. All further contact with the patrol was lost. The spike team "Oregon" was inserted into the same landing zone, and after finding a trail, searched about 50 meters from the area and noticed signs of a fire fight. At that time, "Oregon" was attacked by an estimated company-sized enemy force and was extracted after suffering one killed and seven wounded. There was no further ground search for Owen or Lane. The 12 man team believed that the two had been either captured or killed.

When American POWs were released in 1973, Lane and Owen were not among them. Indeed, the agreements which ended the war in Southeast Asia did not include provision for the men held prisoner in Laos. No treaty has been struck since that time for them. Nearly 600 remain missing in Laos. Since the end of the war, thousands of reports have been received that indicate Americans were left behind in Southeast Asia and remain there, captive, today. Lane and Owen could be among them. It's time we brought our men home.

YOU HAVE NOT BEEN FORGOTTEN!!!