BIDWELL, BARRY ALAN

Name: Barry Alan Bidwell
Rank/Branch: E5/US Navy
Unit: Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 130, Detachment 3
Date of Birth: 13 January 1948
Home City of Record: Greensburg PA
Date of Loss: 18 June 1971
Country of Loss: North Vietnam/Over Water
Loss Coordinates: 185559N 1072457E (YF544950)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 5
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: EKA3B
Refno: 1755
Other Personnel In Incident: Raymond V. DeBlasio; John R. Painter (both
missing)

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 01 April 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 1998.

REMARKS: CRASH IN WATER - N RADI - N SURV - J

SYNOPSIS: Lt. John R. Painter, Jr. was a pilot assigned to Tactical
Electronic Warfare Squadron 130, Detachment 3. On June 18, 1971, he launched
in his EKA3B Skywarrior aircraft on an operational flight. The other crew
onboard the aircraft that day consisted of LTJG Raymond V. DeBlasio and ADJ2
Barry A. Bidwell.

The A3 Skywarrior is a three-place light bomber, reconnaisance plane,
electronic warfare craft or aerial tanker, depending upon its outfitting.
The Skywarrior flown by Painter aircraft was outfitted to serve as the
tanker aircraft, prepared to render valuable assistance to other aircraft
returning to the ship with very little fuel. This was an extremely important
job, as some types of fighter aircraft launched with a minimum amount of
fuel in order to accomodate a heavier bomb load, and sometimes arrived back
at ship low on fuel.

Upon launch, Painter's aircraft had some mechanical failure and crashed into
the Gulf of Tonkin. No remains were recovered for the crew. They were listed
as Reported Dead/Body Not Recovered and as a Non-Battle casualty.

The three-man crew were listed as killed, body not recovered. They are among
over 2300 Americans who remain unaccounted for from the Vietnam war. The
cases of some, like Painter, DeBlasio and Bidwell 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?

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