The two UH1H helicopters on the flight aborted the mission because of adverse weather conditions. However, the two AH1G aircraft continued in order to provide fire support for the patrol to allow them to break contact with the enemy. The aircraft flew north until they were sighted by the patrol. The lead ship made several radio contacts with Capt. Murphy. The last transmission instructed him to turn to a heading of 90 degrees.
About 30 seconds later, Capt. Murphy called, "20, this is 28. I'm crashing." This is the last contact or communication with Capt. Murphy. Members of the patrol reported that they had observed a very bright flash to the southwest, which was presumed to have been one of the aircraft. The remaining helicopter returned to Chu Lai, unable to search for the downed aircraft because of the inclement weather.
The following morning, members of the patrol were flown to inspect the crash site where they conducted a detailed serach of the area, but there was no trace of either the downed aircraft or the crew. The presumed site of the crash was about 10 miles southwest of the city of An Hoa in Quang Nam Province, South
Vietnam.
When Dennis Eads' mother died in 1976, she died believing that her son survived the crash. The rest of his family is not so sure, but there is always the question, "Was there enough time for him to get out?"
There are several reasons why "MIA's" from the war in Vietnam cannot be thought of, as in other wars, "ashes on the mountainside"; tragically irrecoverable losses of humanity. The most compelling is the nearly 10,000 reports that have been received by the U.S. Government since the end of the war relating to Americans missing in Southeast Asia.
Some critics say the families of the missing want to believe their man is alive because of "false hopes" that won't die. Others say it is because we "didn't win" the war. According to many government officials who have no "false hopes", the evidence is overwhelming that there are, indeed, Americans still held against their will in Southeast Asia. The real question is, "When and how will we bring these men home?
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