Eugene Millard Jewell - Kansas Vietnam POW/MIA

Rank/Branch: O2/US Air Force Unit: 6233rd Combat Support Group, Ubon RTAFB Date of Birth: 15 January 1941          Home City of Record: Topeka KS Date of Loss: 04 September 1965    Country of Loss: North Vietnam Loss Coordinates: 190457N 1053657E (WE666169) Status (in 1973): Missing in Action Category: 1 Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: F4C Refno: 0135 Other Personnel in Incident: James A. Branch (missing)

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 31 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. Updated by the P.O.W. NETWORK 1998. REMARKS: CRASH/EXPLOD - NO PARA OBS SYNOPSIS: Capt. James A. Branch and 1Lt. Eugene M. Jewell probably thought they were fortunate to have been selected to fly the F4 Phantom fighter jet. The Phantom, used by Air Force, Marine and Navy air wings, served a multitude of functions including fighter-bomber and interceptor, photo and electronic surveillance. The two man aircraft was extremely fast (Mach 2), and had a long range (900 - 2300 miles, depending on stores and mission type). The F4 was also extremely maneuverable and handled well at low and high altitudes. The F4 was selected for a number of state-of-the-art electronics conversions, which improved radar intercept and computer bombing capabilities enormously. Most pilots considered it one of the "hottest" planes around. On September 4, 1965, Branch and Jewell comprised the crew of an F4C assigned a bombing mission over North Vietnam. The mission target was in Nghe An Province, near a railroad about halfway between the cities of Tho Trang and Phu Dien Chau. During a low-altitude strafing run, the aircraft was shot down, crashed and exploded. No parachutes were observed departing the crippled aircraft. The U.S. Air Force placed both men in the category of Missing in Action. The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) further refined that category according to enemy knowledge. Category 1, for instance, was reserved for those men on whom it was certain the enemy had knowledge - such as prisoners of war. Category 2 generally included men involved in loss incidents with others who were known to be captured, or who were lost in populous regions where the enemy would more than likely know their fates. Inexplicably, Branch is listed as Category 1, and Jewell is listed as Category 2. Both men are coded as pilots, so it is unclear who was flying the aircraft and who was operating the bombing/navigation equipment from the rear seat. Ordinarily, the rear seater ejects from the aircraft first in a bail-out situation. Since 1975, nearly 10,000 reports relating to Americans still missing in Southeast Asia, convincing many authorities that hundreds of Americans are still held in captivity. James A. Branch and Eugene M. Jewell could be among them. It's time we brought our men home. The following is a copy of Eugene’s name, as it appears, etched on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington D.C.

Location Of Eugene's Name On The Wall  Panel 02E - - Line 75

Symbols Names of those killed in action (KIA) are indicated by a diamond symbol following their name; those missing in action (MIA) with a plus sign (+). MIAs are denoted with an asterisk in the printed Directory of Names, an alphabetical listing for visitors who want to locate names on the Wall. Status changes from MIA to KIA are accomplished by superimposing a diamond onto the plus sign. If one looks closely, the ends of the MIA (+) symbol can be seen to the sides of the diamond so future generations will know the history behind the names of MIA service members whose remains were eventually located. A circle will be inscribed around a cross if ever a service member who was legitimately a prisoner of war (POW) or MIA returns. No such cases have occurred though some men have been found to be alive with their names on the Wall due to clerical error. To put a circle around their names would not give a correct historical context to the symbols. These names are and have been removed from periodic revisions of the printed Directory of Names.

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