Name: Curtis David Collette
Rank/Branch: E5/US Navy
Unit: Air Transport Squadron 7
Date of Birth: 13 October 1941
Home City of Record: Windsor CT
Date of Loss: 17 June 1966
Country of Loss: South Vietnam/Over Water
Loss Coordinates: 125336N 1093123E (CQ398257)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 4
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: C130E
Refno: 0363

JACK ISHUM DEMPSEY

Name: Jack Ishum Dempsey
Rank/Branch: E5/US Navy
Unit: Air Transport Squadron 7
Date of Birth: 26 August 1944
Home City of Record: Helena MT
Date of Loss: 17 June 1966
Country of Loss: South Vietnam/Over Water
Loss Coordinates: 125336N 1093123E (CQ398257)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 4
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: C130E
Refno: 0363

RALPH BURTON COBBS

Name: Ralph Burton Cobbs
Rank/Branch: O4/US Navy
Unit: Air Transport Squadron 7, Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam
Date of Birth: 05 August 1917
Home City of Record: St. Louis IL
Date of Loss: 17 June 1966
Country of Loss: South Vietnam/Over Water
Loss Coordinates: 130112N 1092333E (CQ398257)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 4
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: C130E

STANLEY JON FRENG

Name: Stanley Jon Freng
Rank/Branch: E5/US Navy
Unit: Air Transport Squadron 7
Date of Birth: 24 December 1942
Home City of Record: Mission Hill SD
Date of Loss: 17 June 1966
Country of Loss: South Vietnam/Over Water
Loss Coordinates: 125336N 1093123E (CQ398257)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 4
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: C130E
Refno: 0363

EDWARD LEON ROMIG

Name: Edward Leon Romig
Rank/Branch: O2/US Navy
Unit: Air Transport Squadron 7
Date of Birth: 21 January 1941
Home City of Record: Havertown PA
Date of Loss: 17 June 1966
Country of Loss: South Vietnam/Over Water
Loss Coordinates: 125336N 1093123E (CQ398257)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 4
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: C130E
Refno: 0363

M.J. SAVOY

Name: M.J. Savoy
Rank/Branch: E2/US Navy
Unit: Air Transport Squadron 7
Date of Birth: 26 July 1946
Home City of Record: University City MO
Date of Loss: 17 June 1966
Country of Loss: South Vietnam/Over Water
Loss Coordinates: 125336N 1093123E (CQ398257)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 4
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: C130E
Refno: 0363

DONALD EDWIN SIEGWARTH

Name: Donald Edwin Siegwarth
Rank/Branch: O2/US Navy Reserves
Unit: Air Transport Squadron 7
Date of Birth: 28 June 1941 (Orange NJ)
Home City of Record: Newark NJ
Date of Loss: 17 June 1966
Country of Loss: South Vietnam/Over Water
Loss Coordinates: 125336N 1093123E (CQ398257)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 4
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: C130E
Refno: 0363

ROBERT ALEXANDER CAIRNS

Name: Robert Alexander Cairns
Rank/Branch: E5/US Air Force
Unit:
Date of Birth: 15 December 1931
Home City of Record: Highland CA
Date of Loss: 17 June 1966
Country of Loss: South Vietnam/Over Water
Loss Coordinates: 125336N 1093123E (CQ398257)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 5
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: C130E
Refno: 0363

GENE CARL HESS

Name: Gene Karl Hess
Rank/Branch: E5/US Air Force
Unit:
Date of Birth: 18 August 1933
Home City of Record: Townsend DE
Date of Loss: 17 June 1966
Country of Loss: South Vietnam/Over Water
Loss Coordinates: 125336N 1093123E (CQ398257)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 5
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: C130E

CONNIE MACK GRAVITTE

Name: Connie Mack Gravitte
Rank/Branch: O3/US Air Force
Unit:
Date of Birth: 12 July 1933
Home City of Record: Ca-Vel NC
Date of Loss: 17 June 1966
Country of Loss: South Vietnam/Over Water
Loss Coordinates: 125336N 1093123E (CQ398257)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 5
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: C130E
Refno: 0363

OLEY NEAL ADAMS

Name: Oley Neal Adams
Rank/Branch: E5/US Air Force
Unit: 12th Armament Electronic Maintenance Squadron
Date of Birth: 27 June 1937
Home City of Record: Green City MO
Date of Loss: 17 June 1966
Country of Loss: South Vietnam/Over Water
Loss Coordinates: 125336N 1093123E (CQ398257)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 5
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: C130E
Refno: 0363

LARRY EUGENE WASHBURN

Name: Larry Eugene Washburn
Rank/Branch: E3/US Air Force
Unit:
Date of Birth: 14 January 1945
Home City of Record: San Antonio TX
Date of Loss: 17 June 1966
Country of Loss: South Vietnam/Over Water
Loss Coordinates: 125336N 1093123E (CQ398257)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 5
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: C130E
Refno: 0363

Other Personnel in Incident: The entire crew of this mission is listed above.
Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project with the assistance
of one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government
agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families,
published sources, interviews: 15 March 1990. Updated by the P.O.W. NETWORK 1998.
REMARKS: EXPLODE AIR & IMPACT SEA - J
SYNOPSIS: On June 17, 1966, a C130E "Hercules" aircraft
departed Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam en route to Kadena Air Base,
Okinawa on an operational airlift support mission. Aboard the flight were the crew,
consisting of LtCdr. Ralph B. Cobbs; ADJ2 Curtis D. Collette;
YN2 Jack I. Dempsey; ADR2 Stanley J. Freng; Ltjg. Edward L. Romig;
AN M.J. Savoy; and Ltjg. Donald E. Siegwarth. All were assigned to the 7th Air Transport Squadron.
Also aboard the aircraft were U.S. Air Force personnel SSgt. Robert A. Cairns;
SSgt. Gene K. Hess; Capt. Connie M. Gravitte; SSgt. Oley N. Adams;
and A1 Larry E. Washburn, and one other individual.
About 30 minutes into the flight, when the aircraft was
43 miles northeast of Nha Trang, the crew of a
naval gunboat cruising off the South Vietnam coast observed the C130 explode and crash
into the South China Sea. No hostile fire was observed,
and the exact cause of the crash could not be determined.
The vessell arrived at the crash scene only minutes after the impact and began an immediate search.
The accident took place so swiftly that it must be assumed all aboard perished instantly.
Some debris and wreckage have been recovered including parts of the
aircraft and personal belongings. Only one body was recovered
from the crash site. The others are listed as "Dead/Body Not Recovered."
Cobbs and Siegworth were pilots, and probably the co-pilots of the aircraft,
although this information is not included in public data relating to the loss.
Crew positions of the remaining crew members are not available.
Inexplicably, Cobbs' loss coordinates place him on the coast
of South Vietnam a few miles northeast of Tuy Hoa,
while the others aboard are listed as lost northeast of Na Trang.
(This is a difference of about 55 miles.)
Also, the entire crew of the aircraft has been assigned "Knowledge Category 4",
while the passengers are in "Knowledge Category 5".
Category 5 includes those individuals whose remains have been determined to be non-recoverable.
Category 4 includes individuals whose loss details, such as location and time,
are unknown and who do not fit into any of the varying degrees of
knowledge other than category 5. No reason for this discrepancy can be determined.
The Americans aboard the C130E are listed among the missing
because their remains were never found to be returned to their homeland.
They are among nearly 2500 Americans who remain unaccounted
for from the Vietnam war. The cases of some, like the C130E crew,
seem clear - that they perished and cannot be recovered, Unfortunately, many others
who are missing do not have such clear cut cases.
Some were known captives; some were photographed as they were led by their guards.
Some were in radio contact with search teams, while others simply disappeared.
Since the war ended, over 250,000 interviews have been conducted with those
who claim to know about Americans still alive in Southeast Asia,
and several million documents have been studied.
U.S. Government experts cannot seem to agree whether Americans are there alive or not.
Distractors say it would be far too politically difficult to bring the men
they believe to be alive home, and the U.S. is content to negotiate for remains.
Over 1000 eye-witness reports of living American prisoners
were received by 1989. Most of them are still classified.
If, as the U.S. seems to believe, the men are all dead, why the secrecy after so many years?
If the men are alive, why are they not home?
In our haste to leave an unpopular war, it now appears we abandoned some of our best men.
In our haste to heal the wounds of this same war, will we sign their death warrants?
Or will we do what we can to bring them home?