STRINGER, JOHN CURTIS II
Name: John Curtis Stringer II
Rank/Branch: O2/US Army
Unit: Company B, 1st Battalion, 11th Infantry, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry
Division
Date of Birth: 12 January 1946 (Ashland KY)
Home City of Record: Hazard KY
Date of Loss: 30 November 1970
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 164118N 1065923E (YD121460)
Status (in 1973): Missing in Action
Category: 4
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: Ground
Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing)
REMARKS:
SYNOPSIS: 1Lt. John C. Stringer II was a platoon leader in B Company, 1st
Battalion, 11th Infantry. His unit was operating about 15 miles east northeast
of Khe Sanh in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam.
On November 30, 1970, as platoon leader, Stringer was preparing to conduct a
hasty stream crossing when he lost his grip and fell into the stream. He was
swept downstream and at one point, came close to the northern bank and
momentarily held on to a branch. The branch broke as rescuers neared his
position, and he continued on downstream. Searches on both banks of the stream
were made by elements of the company without results.
Although searches were continued for nearly 3 weeks, no sign of 1Lt. Stringer
was ever found. Stringer's is one of the unfortunate accidental deaths that
occur wherever people are. The fact that he died an accidental death in the
midst of war is tragically ironic. He is listed among the missing with honor,
because his body was never found to be returned to the country he served.
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?
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