Lt. Edgar's Story
On February 5, 1968, 1st. Lt. William T. Potter and 1st Lt. Robert D. Edgar were crew members aboard an RF-4C reconnaissance aircraft. Robert Edgar was the navigator of the aircraft which departed Udom Airfield, Thailand, on a photo reconnaissance mission over Laos. Upon arrival in the area, which was under control of the North Vietnamese, the pilot, William Potter contacted a controller for a specific target assignment. After being advised on weather and terrain, the pilot notified the controller that they were under the clouds and had located the target. He advised that he would position for photos and depart to the Northwest. While orbitting in the area, the controller saw an explosion and immediate attempts to contact the RF-4C brought no response.
The aircraft crashed on Phakap mountain, 4 km. south of Bau Phanup, and about 2.5 km. east of Napank Village, Khammouan Province, Laos.
Search and Rescue forces saw no parachutes not heard any electronic beacon signals. Resistance fighters in the area gave reports of investigating the crash site, only to find the aircraft had burned and the skeletal remains of the pilot were still inside.
On May 28, 1987, 19 years later, the Joint Casualty Resolution Center passed on to Mrs. Edgar information that was received from a former RLA Sergeant and then Resistance Figher refugee who had departed Laos in 1976 that seemingly confirmed the crash and burn of the RF-4C on the mountain, and the finding of the pilot's skeletal remains. No report was made on that of the navigator, 1st Lt. Edgar. What happened to him still remains a mystery.
Robert Edgar disappeared 3 months from his 25th birthday and left behind a wife who still does not know what happened to her husband. It is time for us to do something about it.
