| Date: 18 May 1965 |
| Aircraft type: F-105D Thunderchief |
| Serial Number: 59-1753 |
| Military Unit: 563 TFS, 23 TFW on TDY |
| Service: USAF |
| Home Base: Takhli |
| Name(s): |
| Capt David Louis Hrdlicka (POW (died)) |
| Capt Hrdlicka was leading a flight of four aircraft to attack road traffic to the east of the Pathet Lao stronghold of Sam Neua in northern Laos when his aircraft (call sign Plymouth 4) was hit by ground fire. The aircraft was seen to be on fire and Hrdlicka ejected and landed in a small valley where he was seen being led away by Laotian villagers. Capt Hrdlicka was used for propaganda purposes by both the Laotians and the North Vietnamese. Photographs of Hrdlicka in captivity were also published in Soviet and Chinese newspapers in 1966. US intelligence sources indicate that Capt Hrdlicka was kept in caves near Sam Neua and he is thought to have been kept with Capt Charles Shelton and was allegedly rescued by a Hmong rescue team but then recaptured. Capt Hrdlicka was said to have been photographed in captivity as late as 1968 or 1969 but one Laotian source claims that he died in captivity in 1968. Whatever the truth, like the majority of airmen who were captured in Laos, he was never released and his fate remains a mystery. His wife became a prominent figure in fighting for legislation to highlight the POW/MIA issue. |
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