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Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead. Short days ago
To you from failing hands, we throw - - Captain John D. McCrae |
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for Excellence for our POW/MIA page.
Thank you John! for our POW/MIA page dedicated to our Heros.
Thank you Adriana! |
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While my Uncle Elmer E. McClintock, Jr. was never a POW or MIA, he served his Country as a United States
Marine in both WWII and Korea. Our family was lucky that he returned from both tours of duty and lived to be
in his 70's before he was taken from us. In September of 1950 then President Harry Truman made a rather uncaring statement that Marines were only Navy police, which was published in newspapers across the country. This statement irritated my Grandfather McClintock as his eldest child had just left for a second tour of service in the Marines. Below is my Grandfather's response to President Truman's remark that was printed in the Cleveland Press in September of 1950. I thought that this statement of my Grandfather's was still pertinent today as you hear people make uncaring remarks about those who choose to serve our Country in the military, especially in the wake of another war in the Middle East. My family believes in supporting those who choose to make the military their career and to do what it necessary.
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At the young age of 14 I adopted my first POW, a young Navy Leutenant by the name of Charles Stackhouse
who disappeared in South Vietnam on April 25, 1967. From 1969 to 1973 I wore my silver bracelet with his name
daily. As I look back now, it must have been fate when in March or early April of 1973 the bracelet broke and
I could no longer wear it. I took the broken pieces and put it in my "treasure" box which I still have to this day.
It bothered me that I could no longer wear the bracelet. I even checked with the organization I got it from, but they
said I could not get another with his name, but could adopt a new one if I wanted. I was young, and I felt that this
was "my soldier" and declined to accept another. Throughout the years I often wondered what happened to my
POW, thinking of him each time I opened the box to get a treasure out. Now I realize the bracelet "broke" to let
me know he had returned.
On May 27, 2000 I contacted Operation Just Cause
to adopt a new POW/MIA. While filling out the adoption form, in the comments section I
inquired if anyone knew anything about my first POW/MIA Lt. Stackhouse. To my great joy on May 28, 2000 I
received an e-mail telling me that he had returned to the U.S. and his family after 6 years of captivity in 1973.
This has made Memorial Day a happy occasion for me again (my grandma Agnes McClintock died Memorial
weekend in 1966). This is his story...........
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Name: Charles David Stackhouse Rank/Branch: United States Navy/O3 Unit: VA 76 Date of Birth: 13 March 1940 Sheboygan WI Home City of Record: Norwood OH Date of Loss: 25 April 1967 Country of Loss: North Vietnam Loss Coordinates: 204800 North 1064000 East Status (in 1973): Returnee Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: A4C #147799 Refno: 0652 |
| {Source: Compiled by P.O.W. NETWORK from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews. Remarks: 730304 Released by DRV. Source: We Came Home, copyright 1977. Captain and Mrs. Frederic A Wyatt (USNR Ret), Barbara Powers Wyatt, Editor P.O.W. Publications, 10250 Moorpark St., Toluca Lake, CA 91602. Text is reproduced as found in the original publication.} |
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Lieutenant Commander - United States Navy Shot Down: April 25, 1967 Released: March 4, 1973 |
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On Wednesday (not Friday) the thirteenth of March 1940 I was born to my parents, Mr. and Mrs. David Keith
Stackhouse, in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, as the number two son. William Keith, number one, was some
eighteen months my senior. About one and a half years later, as I recall, we moved to Norwood, Ohio,
a city near Cincinnati, where I stayed until I went to the Naval Academy on 1 July 1957. World War II started shortly after our arrival so Dad joined the Merchant Marine and Mom started working in a lathe factory, so Bill and I "decided" to go to nursery school. Three different grade schools later I went on to Norwood High School. Here my sports coach became my father, so to speak, since mine had passed away in 1950. The four years brought me a few athletic and academic awards and graduation. At the Academy I soon discovered that I was in the big league both sports-wise and smart-wise. It was always a challenge in everything you did - really great. One highlight was the time I returned a kickoff against Notre Dame. Thirteen people tackled me, eleven players and two referees. At least it seemed that way. We were playing at South Bend. In 1961 I was graduated and went on to flight training, then to USS Enterprise. A few cruises later, including a world cruise and a Vietnam cruise on that ship, our squadron, VA-76, was assigned to the Bon Homme Richard. I was flying an A4C on 25 April 1967, I had dropped my bombs, and was in the process of shooting a Mig 17 on my wingman's tail while another Mig was shooting at me. The second time he hit me I started rolling uncontrollably. Since I was already on fire from the first hit from his cannons, I elected to "visit" North Vietnam for a while. As I was arriving by parachute in a rice paddy south of Haiphong, a thought struck me that it was going to be a bad day. Indeed that day, and those that followed, proved to be rather unpleasant. Only the spirit and humor of my compatriots and our faith in God and country sustained me. While there, however, two ideas were confirmed. First, a faith in God and a belief in a life hereafter. Since we are only blessed with five senses, I had difficulty in believing in a God before I was shot down. Later after being deprived of so much, I was able to see more clearly what I really did have (the forest and the trees adage). Those same five senses now acting on little, were able to give stimulus to another sense - a real belief in and friendship with God. When I would observe the delicate beauty of a flower, feel the force of a raging storm, see the sparkling heavens on - a clear nightor feel the inner warmth of being given and giving something, if only consideration and respect, then I knew - there really is a God. It is very comforting. Second, Communism is not the way to go. The blank stares of those people, their ignorance of reason and their inability to make a decision, are manifestations of people without freedom of thought. Propaganda and governmental control have deprived those poor people of the opportunity to live life with a free mind. Being able to see so clearly what were the evils of such a form of government has made me feel proud to have done something to prevent its growth.
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| On May 27, 2000 I was working on updating our main home page for what we call the "patriotic season" from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Both our home and our home on the web are decorated with the flag and red, white and blue for the holidays in these months. While looking for some information on Memorial Day itself, I came across a link to Operation Just Cause and adopted Major Eugene Levy Wheeler. While I no longer wear a POW/MIA bracelet, it is in my heart. I have added a "virtual bracelet" to our pages since being an OR Nurse I can't wear jewelry while scrubbed in surgery. This way it is always there. It is my hope that one day his family will have the answers they need. Until then it is important to contact elected officials to make certain that the search continues. Here is his story........ | ||||||||||||||
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Name: Eugene Lacy Wheeler Rank/Branch: O4/US Marine Corps Unit: VMO 12, MAG 11 Date of Birth: 30 January 1937 Home City of Record: Ashville OH Date of Loss: 21 April 1970 Country of Loss: South Vietnam Loss Coordinates: 152501N 1073127E (YC709059) Status (in 1973): Missing in Action Category: 1 Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: OV10A Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing) |
| {Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 01 September 1990 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.} |
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| SYNOPSIS: The OV10 Bronco was among the aircraft most feared by the Viet Cong and NVA forces, because
whenever the Bronco appeared overhead, an air strike seemed certain to follow. Although the glassed-in
cabin could become uncomfortably warm, it provided splendid visibility. The two-man crew had armor
protection and could use machine guns and bombs to attack, as well as rockets to mark targets for fighter
bombers. This versatility enabled the plane to fly armed reconnaissance missions, in addition to serving as
vehicle for forward air controllers. On April 21, 1970, Maj. Eugene L. Wheeler was the pilot of an OV10 aircraft on a mission in Quang Tin Province, South Vietnam near the border of Laos. During the flight, the aircraft was hit by enemy fire and shot down. Maj. Wheeler survived the shoot down and was on the ground alive and in radio contact with other Americans in the area. An enemy patrol in the area neared Wheeler's position and commenced shooting. Wheeler's fate remains uncertain. The Marine Corps believes there is a good possibility that Wheeler survived to be captured, but that certainly, the Vietnamese could tell us what happened to him on that day. When the war ended and 591 American POWs were released from Vietnam, Wheeler was not among them. The Vietnamese have denied any knowledge of him since that time. Mounting evidence indicates that some Americans are still alive being held prisoner of war in Southeast Asia. The Vietnamese pledged to return all prisoners of war and provide the fullest possible accounting of the missing in the peace accords signed in 1973. They have done neither, and the U.S. has not compelled them to do so. On July 30, 2000 I received an e-mail from a young man named Benjamin with some information he had gotten about Eugene Levy who's POW/MIA bracelet he wears. This is what he has to say..... |
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When I was 13, I was at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. I got a POW bracelet with the name
EUGENE LACY WHEELER on it. That was in August of '98. Now I am 15 and know much more about Eugene
Than what is on the bio. First, I have been in contact with some of the men in Eugene's unit, VMO-2, Not VMO-12.
They said he was on the other side of the fence (in Laos) when he was shot down with Aerial Observer Chuck
Hatch. Chuck was extracted on the 22 but SAR (search and rescue) missions were scrubbed on the 23 after no
positive contact after shoot out. There is a book availiable at Amazon.com called GROUND ATTACK, VIETNAM.
Written by then CO squadron comander of VMO-2, J.M. Moriarty. In the book, it has a chapter about the crash
with radio contact and more. You must get this book. I have written Eugene's brother, John, and he said after
his parent's died, his grandmother took care of all of them. All seven of them. 4 boys, 3 girls. Gene was the
oldest in the family. Gene graduated as Salutatorian of his class. Gene married and has three children,
Connie, Tony, and Pete. John said that "Gene has a great personality and is loved by everyone. I do not
believe that he had one enemy. In Senate Resolution No. 3717, adopted by the Ohio Senate Gene is honored
as an outstanding citizen. Being well known and loved in Ashville, Gene was, indeed, a remarkable individual,
combining humanitarian concern and commitment with selfless initiative to become a dynamic leader
in the Ashville community. On December 23, 2001 I received an e-mail from Alan H. Barbour, a former member of Major Wheeler's Squadron. This is what he has to say..... |
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Wanted to correct and add a couple of things regarding Eugene Lacy Wheeler. He was lost in my squadron, VMO-2
(The Marine Corps did not have a VMO-12). There is also very strong evidence (first hand) that Gene Wheeler was assassinated by the search squad the following morning, as witnessed by Chuck Hatch just prior to his rescue. They had been in radio contact with each other and the rescue ships overnight up until the moment the NVA search party came through their evasion area. After a significant amount of shooting by the enemy search party (when all had been quiet prior to that time), there was no more two-way radio contact with him. Chuck Hatch was not sure if Wheeler started the shooting or if the NVA search party started the shooting. Hatch was extracted shortlly thereafter, after his repeated inability to contact his missing pilot. |
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These are the stories of my two POW/MIA's. One has a happy ending, the other no so. You can help! You can
write to the President, Congressmen and Representatives to let them know how concerned you are about the
POW/MIA's who have not returned home. If you would like to get the e-mail address for your elected official
or adopt your own POW/MIA and add your voice to the song contact
Operation Just Cause for information. On June 30, 2006 I had the opportunity to visit the Mall in Washington DC from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial. Spent time at the WWII Monument, the Korean Monument and the Vietnam Veteran's Wall Monument. It was a beautiful and sunny day. I had first seen them all in February of 2005 during a cold, grey and snowy day. What a difference. |
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my tribute to the fallen and heros of 11 September 2001
my Revolutionary War Ancestor
Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR)
National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR)
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