JAMES WAYNE GATES
LTC - Army - Reserve
Rank/Branch: O3/US Army
MACV Advisors
Unit: 20th Aviation Detachment
(see note in text)
43 year old Married, Caucasian,
Male
Date of Birth: 30 December 1933
(Bonita LA)
Home City of Record: Mer Rouge
LA
His tour of duty began on Apr
05, 1966
Loss Date: 06 April 1966
Casualty was on Oct 28, 1977
Country of Loss: Laos
Loss Coordinates: 161819N 1064116E
(XD803033)
Hostile, died while missing
Status (in 1973): Missing In
Action
FIXED WING - PILOT
AIR LOSS, CRASH ON LAND
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: OV1A
Body was not recovered
Refno: 0297
Religion
METHODIST
Panel 06E - - Line 89
Other Personnel In Incident:
John W. Lafayette (missing); Harry Duensing;
Larry Johnson (on another OV1
- both rescued)
Category: 1
Source:Compiled
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.
SYSOPSIS:On
April 6, 1966, Capt. James W. Gates, pilot, and Capt. John W.
Lafayette, observer, departed
Hue/Phu Bai airfield at 1540 hours in an OV1A
Mohawk (serial #63-1377) as
number 2 aircraft on a visual reconnaissance
mission over Laos. Number one
aircraft was an OV1A flown by Capt. Harry
Duensing and observer SP5 Larry
Johnson.
At about 1648 hours, the U.S.
Air Force airborne command post, Hillsborough,
received a mayday from the two
OV1 aircraft, and dispatched two FAC in the area
for an immediate search for
the two downed air crews. At 1730 hours, the air
crews were on the ground about
1 kilometer apart. One of the FAC's established
radio contact with both crews,
who reported that they were all okay.
Duensing's aircraft had been
hit by enemy ground fire, and Gates and Lafayette
began flying cover for the other
crew. Gates' plane was hit immediately. All
four men safely ejected from
their planes in the vicinity of 502-Charlie and
were in radio contact with air
cover. Duensing and Johnson were evacuated
safely, and radio contact continued
for 1 1/2 hours before contact was lost
with Gates and Lafayette. Their
last transmission reported that they were being
surrounded by Viet Cong. It
is believed that both men were captured.
The OV1A was outfitted with photo
equipment for aerial photo reconnaissance.
The planes obtained aerial views
of small targets - hill masses, road
junctions, or hamlets - in the
kind of detail needed by ground commanders. The
planes were generally unarmed.
The OV1's were especially useful in
reconnoitering the Ho Chi Minh
trail.
When 591 American prisoners were
released in 1973, Gates and Lafayette were not
among them. In fact, the Vietnamese
deny any knowledge of the two. They are
among nearly 2500 Americans
who did not come home from Southeast Asia at the
end of the war. Unlike the MIAs
of other wars, many of these men can be
accounted for. Tragically, nearly
6000 reports of Americans still in captivity
in Southeast Asia have been
received by the U.S., yet freedom for them seems
beyond our grasp.
Men like Gates and Lafayette
went to Indochina in our name. What must they be
thinking of us now?
NOTE:The
20th Aviation Detachment existed until December 1966, at which time
it was reassigned as the 131st
Aviation Company, 223rd Aviation Battalion
(Combat Support). The 131st
Aviation Company had been assigned to I Corps
Aviation Battalion since June
1966, when it arrived in Vietnam. In August 1967,
the 131st Aviation Company was
reassigned to the 212th Aviation Battalion where
it remained until July 1971,
whereupon it transferred out of Vietnam.
There were a large number of
pilots lost from this unit, including Thaddeus E.
Williams and James P. Schimberg
(January 9, 1966); John M. Nash and Glenn D.
McElroy (March 15, 1966); James
W. Gates and John W. Lafayette (April 6, 1966);
Robert G. Nopp and Marshall
Kipina (July 14, 1966); Jimmy M. Brasher and Robert
E. Pittman (September 28, 1966);
James M. Johnstone and James L. Whited
(November 19, 1966); Larry F.
Lucas (December 20, 1966); and Jack W. Brunson
and Clinton A. Musil (May 31,
1971). Missing OV1 aircraft crew from the
20th/131st represent well over
half of those lost on OV1 aircraft during the
war.
U.S. Army records list both Nopp
and Kipina as part of the "131st Aviation
Company, 14th Aviation Battalion",
yet according to "Order of Battle" by Shelby
Stanton, a widely recognized
military source, this company was never assigned
to the 14th Aviation Battalion.
The 131st was known as "Nighthawks", and was a
surveillance aircraft company.
[r02297.97]
PROJECT X
SUMMARY SELECTION RATIONALE
NAMES: GATES James W., CPT, USA
LA FAYETTE, John, CPT, USA
OFFICIAL STATUS: GATES - MISSING
LAFAYETTE - DEAD, BODY NOT RECOVERED
CASE SUMMARY: SEE ATTACHED
RATIONALE FOR SELECTION: Search
and rescue forces established radio
communications with both officers,
who reported that they were all right,
although the enemy was closing
in around them. No correlated reports have
been received subsequent to
the incident date to indicate were either that
CPT Gates and CPT La Fayette
were either captured or dead.
REFNO: 0297 22 Apr 76
(U) CASE SUMMARY
1. On 6 April 1966, CPT James
W. Gates, pilot, and CPT John La Fayette
observer, departed Phu Bai Airfield
-RVN at 1540 hours local in an OV1 (
#63-13117), as number two in
a flight of two aircraft on a reconnaissance
mission over Laos. At about
1648 hours the USAF Airborne Command Post
(Hillsborro). received a "Mayday"
radio transmission from the two OV1's.
Two Forward Air Controllers
(FAC) in the area began an immediate search for
the two downed aircrews. (Ref
1)
2. At about 1730 hours the two
aircrews were seen on the ground about one
kilometer apart. One of the
FAC's established radio contact with both crews
who reported that they were
OK. While waiting the arrival of the rescue
helicopters the two FAC's began
directing air strikes into the area to
suppress hostile fire. At about
1815 hours Capts Gates and La Fayette
radioed that the VC were closing
in on them. Shortly after, radio contact
was lost. (Ref 1)
3. At 1850 hours the crew of
the other OV1 was rescued and a visual search
of the last known location of
CPT Gates and CPT La Fayette was made by a
rescue helicopter, but neither
officer was seen. Both rescue helicopters
received extensive damage from
enemy fire. Search and rescue efforts were
resumed the next day from 0638
hours to 1300 hours. They were unsuccessful
and were suspended. (Ref 1)
4. The location of the incident
is given as grid coordinates XD 803 033.
(Ref 2)
5. During the existence of JCRC,
the hostile threat in the area precluded
any visits to or ground inspections
of the sites involved in this case.
This individual's name and identifying
data were turned over to Four-Party
Joint Military Team with a request
for any information available. No
response was forthcoming. CPT
Gates is currently carried in the status of
Missing. CPT La Fayette is currently
carried in the status of Dead, Remains
Not Recovered.
REFERENCES USED
1. RPT (U), 20th ASTA Det, 12
Apr 66.
2. RPT (U), Adjutant General
DD Form 1300 21 Aug 73.
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