Name: Donald Findling Wolfe
Rank/Branch: O2/US Navy
Unit: Early Warning Squadron 111, Detachment 34, USS ORISKANY (CVA34)
Date of Birth: 16 October 1947
Home City of Record: Haroin MT
Date of Loss: 08 October 1967
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 160935N 1080322E (AT875905)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 3
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: E1B
Other Personnel in Incident:
Roland R. Pineau; Norman L. Roggow; Raul A.
Guerra; Andrew G. Zissu (all missing)
Source:
Compiled by Homecoming II Project with the assistance of one or more
of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence
with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews.
Date Compiled: 15 March 1990
REMARKS: CRASH SIT CNFM - NO RECOV POSS - J
SYNOPSIS:
The USS ORISKANY was one of several U.S. aircraft carriers to be
semi-permanently stationed on Yankee Station in Vietnam. Its attack wings flew
against varied targets in North Vietnam including bridges, ammunitions stores,
highways, and railroads. 1967 was a particularly active year for all carriers,
and the ORISKANY was no exception.
On October 8, 1967, LtJg. Andrew G. Zissu was the pilot of an E1B aircraft which launched from the ORISKANY on a morning combat mission in support of a major strike over North Vietnam. Zissu's crew that day included LtJg. Donald F. Wolfe, LtJg. Norman L. Roggow, and ATC Roland R. Pineau. Also on board was one passenger, Seaman Raul A. Guerra, listed as a Journalist Petty Officer, Third Class.
The E1 aircraft was a propeller aircraft that was generally used by the Navy for Early Warning operations, or for flight assistance in bombing missions. Typically, the slower moving E1, unable to keep up with faster moving jet aircraft, would be used in a standoff position for radar jamming while the jet aircraft executed their mission.
At the completion of the combat mission, the aircraft was sent to Chu Lai, South Vietnam for refueling before the next mission. The aircraft landed at Chu Lai, refueled and took off again for another mission on the back to the USS ORISKANY. Immediately after takeoff radio contact with the ship was made and the crew reported that their flight was airborne and would be ready for its mission upon arrival. In addition, radio contact was established immediately after takeoff with DaNang Radar who was to keep them under observation during their trip north to the ship. They planned to fly directly over DaNang and then proceed to the ship. As they approached DaNang radar on a northwesterly course, radar contact was lost, however, radio contact was maintained with the aircraft. After overflying DaNang, radar contact was again established at a point approximately 10 miles northwest of DaNang in mountainous terrain. An immediate right turn was recommended by the radar controller to a northeasterly course. The pilot acknowledged that he was turning, right before he could complete his turn, radar and radio contact was lost simultaneously and an alert issued by DaNang radar immediately.
An aggressive search and rescue and operation was conducted, however, efforts were hampered because of adverse weather, low visibility, and rain. The weather improved and the aircraft wreckage was sighted, scattered over a wide area on a sheer face of Monkey Mountain near Da Nang. A fellow detachment officer flew over the crash site in an Air Force Helicopter and positively identified the wreckage as that of the missing E1B. Because of the hazardous terrain, the crash site was inaccessible by helicopter and too dangerous for ground parties to be sent in. Due to the terrain characteristics at the crash site, the force of the impact into the face of the ridge, and the obvious complete destruction of the aircraft, it was not believed that there were survivors.
No sign of survivors was noted. It was not possible to recover remains, and all personnel aboard the aircraft were declared Killed/Body Not Recovered. The Navy did not rule out the possibility of hostile interference, although the general feeling was that inclement weather was the cause of the crash.
The Defense Intelligence Agency further expanded the men's classification to include an enemy knowledge ranking of 3. Category 3 indicates "doubtful knowledge" and includes personnel whose loss incident is such that it is doubtful that the enemy wound have knowledge of the specific individuals (e.g. aircrews lost over water or remote areas).
The Navy men on board the E1B lost on October 8, 1967 were listed as killed, body not recovered. They are among nearly 2500 Americans who remain unaccounted for from the Vietnam war. The cases of some, like the E1B, seem clear - that they perished and cannot be recovered. Unfortunately, mounting evidence indicates that hundreds of Americans are still captive, waiting for the country they proudly served to secure their freedom.
In our haste to leave an unpopular war, it now appears we abandoned some of our best men. In our haste to heal the wounds of this same war, will we sign their death warrants? Or will we do what we can to bring them home?
