CLARK, STANLEY SCOTT
Name: Stanley Scott Clark
Rank/Branch: O5/U.S. Air Force
Unit: Ubon Airfield, Thailand
Date of Birth: 22 May 1928
Home City of Record: Modesto CA
Date of Loss: 14 February 1969
Country of Loss: Laos
Loss Coordinates: 155057N 1065130E (XC990530)
Status (in 1973): Missing In Action
Category: 3
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: F4D
Refno: 1382
Other Personnel in Incident: Richard A. Walsh (lost at XD949515 on 15
February; still 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: 01
January 1990. Updated by the P.O.W. NETWORK 1998.
REMARKS:
SYNOPSIS: When North Vietnam began to increase their military strength in
South Vietnam, NVA and Viet Cong troops again intruded on neutral Laos for
sanctuary, as the Viet Minh had done during the war with the French some
years before. The border road, termed the "Ho Chi Minh Trail" was used for
transporting weapons, supplies and troops. Hundreds of American pilots were
shot down trying to stop this communist traffic to South Vietnam.
Fortunately, search and rescue teams in Vietnam were extremely successful
and the recovery rate was high.
Still there were nearly 600 who were not rescued. Many of them went down
along the Ho Chi Minh Trail and the passes through the border mountains
between Laos and Vietnam. Many were alive on the ground and in radio contact
with search and rescue and other planes; some were known to have been
captured. Hanoi's communist allies in Laos, the Pathet Lao, publicly spoke
of "tens of tens" of American prisoners they held, but when peace agreements
were negotiated, Laos was not included, and not a single American was
released that had been held in Laos.
On February 14, 1969, LtCol. Stanley S. Clark was the commander of the lead
aircraft in a flight of two F4D's which departed Ubon Airfield, Thailand on
a night mission over southern Laos near the border of Vietnam - along the
"Ho Chi Minh Trail".
On his second pass of the target, Clark's plane was hit by anti-aircraft
fire and burst into flames. Clark climbed to about 12,000 feet and ordered
his backseater to eject. The backseater ejected as the plane began a rapid
descent. The aircraft entered a cloud layer at about 10,000 feet and was
obscured from view, but was later seen as it crashed in a river. Contact was
established with the co-pilot as he descended in his parachute, but no other
parachute was seen, and no emergency signals were heard. All attempts to
contact Clark failed.
At 0500 hours on February 15, 1969, LtCol. Richard A. Walsh III departed as
the pilot of the lead aircraft in a flight of two A1J "Spad" aircraft from
Nakhon Phenom, Thailand on a Search and Rescue mission over southeastern
Laos. The A1J was commonly used for flying rescue, close air support and
forward air control (FAC) missions. Walsh's job that day was to rescue the
pilot of an F4 that had been shot down the day before in Saravane Province
near the city of Ban Bac. It is believed that this pilot is Stanley Clark's
backseater.
The common procedure in A1 escorted rescues was for two A1s to fly directly
to the general search area and look for some sign of the downed crewmen
while two other A1s escorted the rescue helicopter to the area. If it was
determined that the pilot was in a hostile area, the A1s would commence a
bombing attack using rockets, bombs and 20 mm cannon fire to suppress enemy
defenses so that the helicopter could land.
Upon arrival in the assigned area, LtCol. Walsh and the second A1J were
joined by two other A1 aircraft and two helicopters. Walsh became on-scene
commander of the rescue operation. Walsh made several low passes over the
target area attempting to make visual contact with the downed pilot. He
established radio contact with the downed pilot and ordered helicopters to
pick him up.
While flying at about 1000 feet Walsh radioed that he was receiving ground
fire. This was the last transmission received from him. At the same time,
members in the flight observed flashes and air bursts of 37mm anti-aircraft
fire behind Walsh's aircraft and along his flight path. Although the weather
was clear, no parachute was seen and no emergency radio beeper signals were
heard. While all the flight members did not have the aircraft under
continuous observation, these events appear to have been closely witnessed
by the wingman, except when he momentarily looked into his cockpit to change
radio frequencies to alert the search and rescue coordinator of the
situation. Flight tapes recorded during this period were still classified as
of 1985.
The downed pilot was recovered, and later stated that he heard an
anti-aircraft site open fire as Walsh's aircraft approached, and shortly
thereafter heard the explosion of impact. He further stated that it was less
that 15 seconds from the time he heard the engine begin to race until he
heard the aircraft impact the ground. He could not observe the incident due
to dense jungle and foliage. The incident occurred approximately 38 miles
northeast of Chavane, Laos, in a sparsely populated, mountainous, and
heavily wooded area.
The search for LtCol. Walsh and LtCol. Clark was terminated and both men
were classified Missing In Action. LtCol. Clark's family later learned that
although no second parachute was seen, no body was found with his plane.
NEITHER WAS HIS EJECTION SEAT, which indicated that Clark escaped the
aircraft.
The area in which Clark and Walsh were lost was recaptured by friendly
forces about three months later. Walsh's wife was told that the wreckage of
her husband's aircraft was located, but there were no remains at the crash
site.
During the years following the loss of Clark and Walsh both men were
promoted to the rank of Colonel. The families of both men have been very
active in the effort to obtain information related to the nearly 2500
Americans listed missing in Southeast Asia, with particular emphasis on the
nearly 600 lost in Laos.
Mrs. Walsh received an early report that someone was killed at the same time
that Col. Walsh went down. The US Air Force was never able to confirm this
report, and was not certain of its origin.
In 1985, an intelligence source reported that Col. Walsh had been seen in
Laos. He was also reported to be seen in one other location in Laos, in
captivity, and was the leader of 17 other American POWs. This report was
never confirmed.
Col. Richard Walsh's family still lives in the Twin Cities in Minnesota.
They neither believe nor disbelieve that he is alive, but follow up every
lead and every report to the best of their ability.
Col. Stanley Clark's family still lives in California. His son, Michael
greatly resembles his father. Michael doesn't know if his father is alive,
but is convinced that many Americans are still alive. "If not my father,
then SOMEONE's father is alive," says Michael. "We owe them our every effort
to bring them home."
Were it not for the thousands of reports concerning Americans still held
captive in Southeast Asia, the Clark and Walsh families might be able to
close this tragic chapter of their lives. But as long as Americans are
alive, being held captive, Richard A. Walsh and Stanley S. Clark could be
among them. It's time we brought these men home.
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