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| RVNAF 2nd Air Division 62md Tactical Wing 219th Helicopter Squadron Former Assignments USMC  U.S. Army c1960s  Seymour 1999 |
Pilot 1st Lt. Bao Tung Nguyen (MIA / KIA, BR) Vietnam Pilot 1st Lt. The Long Phan (MIA / KIA, BR) Vietnam Gunner Sgt Van Lanh Bui (MIA / KIA, BR) Vietnam Passenger Captain Larry Alan Thorne / Lauri Allan Törni HQ, SOG (MIA / KIA, BR) Viipuri, Finland Crashed October 18, 1965 at 21:48 Aircraft History Built by Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation. Constructors Number 58-1370. Delivered to the U.S. Navy (USN) as HUS-1 Seahorse bureau number 148790. Assigned to the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC). During October 1962, redesignated as UH-34D. Afterwards, transfered to the Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) as H-34 Kingbee. Assigned to the 2nd Air Division, 62nd Tactical Wing, 219th Helicopter Squadron. without markings for special operations missions. Mission History On October 18, 1965 at 18:00 on of three H-34 Kingbees that lifted-off Forward Operating Base 1 (FOB-1) at Kham Duc in Quảng Tín Province (Quảng Nam Province) in the South Central Highlands Region of Vietnam piloted by Bao T. Nguyen and The L. Phan with door gunner Sgt Van Lanh Bui with passenger Captain Larry A. Thorne. The other two helicopters were U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) H-34 Kingbees also lifted-off with a U.S. Army Special Forces team including SGM Petry, SFC Card, and SFC Smith on a mission to insert the first Studies and Observations Group (SOG) "Shining Brass" mission inside Laos. Inbound, the helicopters rendezvoused with a U.S. Air Force (USAF) O-1 Bird Dog as a Forward Air Controller (FAC). At 18:20 the two H-34s descended to unload the team and their supplies while this H-34 hovered above. At 18:25 the team reported a sucessful insertion and this H-34 departed in clouds for the return flight flying due north then turned south. This H-34's last communications was in the vicinity of grid coordinates (GC) YC 895 105 on the return flight. When with this helicopter failed to return, it was officially listed as Missing In Action (MIA). Search Afterwards, search missions were flown in the vicinity of last contact and surrounding territory without result. Wreckage In fact, this helicopter crashed at 21:48 in bad weather into a jungle covered western facing slope at an elevation of 2,9523' / 900m in Vietnam. On impact, the helicopter crashed and burned with everyone aboard killed on impact. After the crash, Vietnamese people visited the crash site and salvaged parts for local use or scrap metal. Recovery of Remains Thorne was officially declared Missing In Action (MIA) on October 18, 1965. He was officially declared dead a year and a day later on October 19, 1966. He was assigned Joint Casualty Resolution Center (JCRC) number 0174. On May 6-7, 1993 a team from the Joint Task Force-Full Accounting (JTF-FA) traveled to the Phouc Son District and interviewed local witnesses who provided information related to this loss and guided them to an alleged crash in the vicinity of GC 48P YB 921 101. The team surveyed the site and recovered material evidence but did not find or receive any remains and was unable to correlate the wreckage. During June 1-2, 1997 a team from the 46th Joint Task Force-Full Accounting (JTF-FA) a team again investigated crash site as GC 48P YC 945 896 and recovered material evidence and possible remains. The material evidence was consistent with a UH/CH-34 helicopter but insufficient to correlate to this specific loss. During May 11-16, 1998 a team from the 50th Joint Task Force-Full Accounting (JTF-FA) a team conducted further investigations, interviewing nine witnesses, five of who had information related to this loss and guided them to the same crash site investigated in 1997 and the team recovered more material evidence including a Carl Gustaf m/45 (Swedish K) submachine gun and possible remains, but they were insufficient to correlate to the site. On July 18–August 2, 1999 a team from the 56th Joint Task Force-Full Accounting (JTF-FA) a team from Vietnam Recovery Element Six (RE 6) led by Captain Mark Higgenbothem with anthropologist Mr. Dennis Danielson plus Vietnamese personnel plus representatives from Finland returned to the crash site. The team also included representatives from Finland. On July 18, 1999 the team team conducted an initial site survey at the crash site and laid a grid over an excavation area of roughly 36m x 6m. Using local labor, they excavated and screened each 4m x 4m unit. The team recovered human remains, teeth and personal effects including two keys, a section of dog tag chain and a Vietnamese coin and a small gold nugget. They photographed the remains of the Carl Gustaf m/45 (Swedish K) submachine gun and turned over to the representatives of Finland. They also discovered air crew related material evidence and diagnostic wreckage including a Lycoming engine data plate for R-1820-940, piece of demountable power pacakge 1630-80416, three unidentified datalates and a portion of the tail roter blade with yellow stenciled part number 1615-201004, Mfg. (Manufactured) 10-8-55 Rep. 3-18-64". On August 2, 1999 the site was closed and no further work was recommended. Following the mission, the casketed remains were part of a repatriation ceremony at Noi Bai Airport attended by U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Pete Peterson then flown to Hickam AFB. At the Central Identification Laboratory (CILHI) the recovered remains underwent forensic study and were identified as Thorne based on material evidence, forensic analysis and dental. On December 2, 2002 the Department of Defense (DoD) announced the identification of Thorne. Memorial Everyone aboard was listed as Missing In Action (MIA) on October 18, 1965. For his actions on this mission, Thorne was recommended for the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). According to U.S. Army policy, Thorne was officially declared dead a year and a day later on October 19, 1966. Posthumously, he was promoted to the rank of Major on December 16, 1956. Thorne is memorialized at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl) on the courts of the missing. After his remains were identified, a rosette was added next to his name. He is also memorialized on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on panel 2E, line 126. In November 1965, a memorial service was held for Thorne at the J. F. Kennedy Center for Special Warfare Chapel in Fort Bragg. In 1967, a memorial service was held by his relatives in Helsinki, Finland. On June 26, 2003 after his remains were identified, Thone and the three Vietnamese helicopter crew was buried in a group burial at Arlington National Cemetery at section 60 site 8136. References This helicopter was officially written off October 17, 1965 [sic, crashed October 18, 1965] Navy Serial Number Search Results - HUS-1 Seahorse 148790 "148790 (MSN 581370) w/o Oct 17, 1965, Southeast Asia." Sikorsky HUS-1 / UH-34D Seahorse C/N 58-1370 Durham Herald-Sun "End Written To The Saga of Finnish 'Green Beret'" November 18, 1966 page 26 VHAF H-34 & King Bee 219th via Wayback Machine June 18, 2014 Arlington National Cemetery (ANC Explorer) - Bao T. Nguyen (group burial photo) FindAGrave - 1LT Bao Tung Nguyen (group burial photo) Arlington National Cemetery (ANC Explorer) - The L Phan (group burial photo) FindAGrave- The Long Phan (group burial photo) Arlington National Cemetery (ANC Explorer) - Van L. Bui (group burial photo) FindAGrave - Sgt Van Lanh Bui (group burial photo) U.S. Department of Justice Petition For Naturalization - Lauri Allan Torni DPAA Personnel Profile - Major Larry Alan Thorne Arlington National Cemetery (ANC Explorer) - Larry A. Thorne (group burial photo) FindAGrave - MAJ Larry Alan Thorne (courts of the missing photo, photo, news) Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund - The Wall of Faces - Larry Alan Thorne (photo) FindAGrave - MAJ Larry Alan Thorne Törni (National Vietnam Veterans Memorial photo) FindAGrave - Maj. Larry Alan Thorne Törni (Arlington National Cemetery grave photo) Library of Congress (LoC) "Detailed Report of Excavation of Case 0174" "SUBJ" (MEC) SUBJ/DETAILED REPORT OF EECATION OF CASE 0174" OCT 99" The Green Berets (1965) Soldier Under Three Flags: Exploits of Special Forces' Captain Larry A. Thorne (1998) Born a Soldier: The Times and Life of Larry A Thorne (2008) Thanks to Healing Through History for bureau number Thanks to Michael Henshaw and Daniel Seymour for additional information Contribute Information Are you a relative or associated with any person mentioned? Do you have photos or additional information to add? Last Updated October 24, 2025 |
 H-34  MIA 4 Missing Resolved |
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