MACV-SOG MIA/KIA Chronological List

TO LISTEN TO GEORGE JONE'S 50,000 NAMES ON THE WALL

1964

30 Jun 64; two unidentified Sea Commandos (Name/rank unknown) KIA, Remains recovered (RR)-Ops 31 (Maritime Studies Branch)

15 Jul 64, two unidentified Sea Commandos (Name/rank unknown) KIA, Remains recovered (RR) Ops 31 (Maritime Studies Branch)

16 Nov 64; Eugene R. Paliski, SSG E6, USASF, DET A1-212, B53 LONG THANH MACV-SOG, 5TH SF GROUP, B-53,  KIA-RR. (Gene Paliskis and I ran around a lot together back on Okinawa in 63.    We were both in B Co of the 1st Group and had not yet been assigned to an A-team which happened after an FTX in the Philippines.   Our CO was Captain Dusty Crawford and I have been in touch with him recently thanks to You and Steve Sherman.   We have a lot to discuss as we are also both diving instructors (emeritus) and have much underwater time.  I want to ask Dusty if he has any photos of the time we spent at Long Thahn?  I remember being well paid by the U.S. Army for this assignment.  And I remember LTC Keravouri, the Camp CO, telling me that it always amazed him that me,, a Spec 4 at that time, could hitch a ride to Saigon easier and faster than he could. Gene Paliskis was an Operations Sgt as I recall and I was the junior Medic on the team.  SFC Jim Flanagan was the senior medic.    We spent a lot of time in the VFW club in Machinato on Okinawa and in an area called "Nam a Nuay" a bar area of much renown.   I knew SFC Dominic Sansone but not close like Gene Paliskis.  We would become close after we were together with the A-212 team at Long Thahn.   Gene would always call me "Steve" and sort of looked out for my well being.  He was tall and well built.  About 6' 2'' or 3"  probably.  I was only 5' 10"  but he took great care in seeing after my well being.  And I did likewise to him being his friend.   Gene Paliskis, Jim Flanagan,  and Joe Singh were out on recon patrol in November while I was in Saigon.

   SSGT Eugene R. Paliskis and two other Special Forces team members were on recon patrol on November 16, 1964 in BienHoa  Province, South Vietnam when they were ambushed with small arms fire by the Viet Cong. They got ambushed  and Jim said he could not do enough to stop the internal bleeding Gene sustained when hit in the liver with small arms fire.  He also sustained a severe wound almost separating his left hand at the wrist.  He was pissed off at the VC for doing that to his wrist according to Joe Singh, who also took some small arms rounds into his left shoulder.  But the fatal wounds were in Gene's liver and nothing could be done in time to save his life.  SFC E-7  William F. Stevens Jr.   91B4S,   Vietnam from 23 June 64 - 27 Feb 65.  SP-4 Jr  Medic   MACVSOG    Long Thahn - William F. Stevens - Diving Superintendent, J. C. Marine Service Co., Ltd., 14/3 M 1, T. Tungsukla, Ao-Udom, Sriracha - Chonburi, 20230,  THAILAND, http://www.jcmarine.com/  =>  [email protected], [email protected])

10 Dec 64- Woodrow W. Vaden, Maj 0-4, USASF, MACVSOG,  FFD Pilot  1131ST SPEC ACTIVITY SQDN, 13TH AF  aircraft was shot down just east of Da Nang, killing all aboard.  MIA Remains not Recovered and Dominick Sansone, SFC E-6, USASF, MACVSOG, B-53, Team A1/212-.Remains Recovered 1984 (Dominick Sansone was a friend to everybody on the team, from the smallest rank to the highest.  He was such an outward going personality, always smiling and always had good words and encouragement for everybody.  He headed up the jump training into very tall trees that required rapelling equipment to get down.  Once we had a team of "Nungs'" ready to infiltrate, a C-123 would take them in.  Dominick was on the fatal flight one day when the plane flew into "Moneky Mountain" or so that's what they told us.  I believe another Army officer, perhaps a Captain or Major was with him but I could find no information.  Not just the pilot and crew but an Army officer separate. SFC E-7  Submitted by William F. Stevens Jr.   91B4S,   Vietnam from 23 June 64 - 27 Feb 65.  SP-4 Jr Medic   MACVSOG    Long Thahn -William F. Stevens - Diving Superintendent, J. C. Marine Service Co., Ltd., 14/3 M 1, T. Tungsukla, Ao-Udom, Sriracha - Chonburi, 20230,  THAILAND, http://www.jcmarine.com/  => [email protected], [email protected])  NOTE: A SEARCH OF THOSE LOST ON 10 DEC 64, THERE WERE FOUR LOSSES, ONLY TWO WERE AIR LOSES-FURTHER, THE VIRTUAL WALL HAS HIS DEATH RECORDED AS NON-HOSTILE, INDICATING THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT SHOT DOWN.

FINAL MISSION OF SFC DOMINICK SANSONE

During the mid-1960's most Americans were scarcely aware that the U.S. was beginning military activity in Southeast Asia. The U.S. military role at that time was that of advisors to the South Vietnamese military; an effort made to help the Vietnamese protect their homeland from communism. Air Force MAJ Woodrow W. Vaden was an American member of a Vietnamese flight crew onboard a Fairchild C-123 "Provider." The Provider, particularly in camouflage paint with mottled topside and light bottomside, resembled an arched-back whale suspended from the bottom midpoint of huge dorsal wings. Like other transports, the Provider proved its versatility during the Vietnam war serving as transport, attack aircraft, and later as part of the controversial Project Ranch Hand which sprayed pesticides and herbicides over Vietnam, including Agent Orange. Another American onboard the aircraft was U.S. Army paratrooper SFC Dominick Sansone. The two Americans were flying with a group of South Vietnamese airmen on December 10, 1964 when the aircraft was shot down just east of Da Nang, killing all aboard. For reasons now obscure, South Vietnamese authorities took possession of all recovered remains and took them to Saigon for burial in a military cemetery. U.S. authorities believed that the remains of one or both Americans were among those recovered. Sources say several unsuccessful attempts were made by the U.S. to locate and recover them from the cemetery during the war. Both men were listed Killed in Action/Body Not Recovered. In 1983, Vietnam discovered Sansone's remains and turned them over to the United States. The positive identification of the remains was announced the following year. [Narrative taken from pownetwork.org; image from wikipedia.org] extracted from wall of faces.

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