O'LAUGHLIN, STEPHEN M.
Name: Stephen M. O'Laughlin
Rank/Branch: Civilian
Unit: Merchant Marine, SS Express Baltimore {Merchant Marine historians say
this ship is the EMPRESS BALTIMORE}
Date of Birth: 26 March 1943
Home City of Record: Selma AL
Date of Loss: 25 December 1965
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 160400N 1081300E (CR081220)
Status (in 1973): Missing In Action
Category: 3
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: Ground
Other Personnel In Incident: Ruben C. Bailon (missing)
Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 30 June 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 in 1999.
REMARKS:
SYNOPSIS: Ruben Bailon was a Merchant Marine seaman aboard the ship SS
Express {EMPRESS} Baltimore. On Christmas Day, he and the second officer,
Stephen O'Laughlin went to the harbor town of Qui Nhon, South Vietnam, to
arrange for a flight to Saigon to find and assist the return of the ship's
captain, who had been sick. They stayed in a cheap hotel.
The hotel owner reported seeing the two in the hotel bar the next day, but
neither boarded their planes that day. They simply disappeared. The two had
about $300 between them.
On May 26, 1968, a Vietnamese being interrogated in Binh Dinh Province
identified O'Laughlin's photo, stating he had seen Steve and two other
American POWs in a Viet Cong jungle camp near Da Nang, where he himself had
been held several months. The Vietnamese stated he saw Steve last in early
May 1968, before his own escape. Steve's family was not notified of the
report until 1972.
A rallier later identified Bailon's photograph as a prisoner he had seen.
CIA analysis could find no reason for the identification as no other U.S.
POWs had reported being held with Bailon or O'Laughlin.
In June 1973, remains were recovered from a grave in Phu Yen Province, which
were identified in December 1976 as those of Stephen O'Laughlin. It is
reported that he was captured in a Saigon hospital. No one is looking for
Steve any longer.
Ruben Bailon is among nearly 2400 Americans who remain missing. Thousands of
reports have convinced experts that many are still alive, held captive.
Bailon is one of scores of civilians who disappeared. He could be alive. If
so, what must he be thinking of his country? Why don't we bring these men
home?
Stephen M. O'Laughlin's name is not engraved on the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial in Washington D.C.
[r0223.97]
PROJECT X SUMMARY SELECTION RATIONALE
NAME:BAILON, Ruben and
O'LAUGHLIN, STEPHEN M.,, Civilians,, Merchant Seamen
OFFICIAL STATUS: MISSING
CASE SUMMARY: SEE ATTACHED
RATIONAL FOR SELECTION: Both individuals were identified in photographs by
government ralliers as having been prisoners of war. The last reported
sighting was three years after their disappearance. No correlated reports of
death have been received for either individual.
REFNO: 0223 19 Apr 76
(U) CASE SUMMARY
1. On 25 December 1965, Second Officer Stephen M. O'Laughlin and Seaman
Ruben (NMN) Bailon, both of the Merchant Marine, disappeared while assigned
to the SS Express {EMPRESS} BALTIMORE which was anchored in the port of Qui
Nhon, South Vietnam. The last known location of these two men was in the
Casino Bar in Qui Nhon with a Eurasian female identified as Marie Simons.
Both men possibly took lodging at a hotel at 72 Gia Long in Qui Nhon, but
this can be confirmed only by a single witness. on 26 May 1968, a rallier
identified Stephen O'Laughlin from a photograph as being a PW he observed
several weeks earlier. The sighting occurred on 5 May 1968 at an unknown
camp location near Da Nang. In September 1968, a rallier identified Ruben
Bailon from a photograph as a Pw in a camp near the Ashau Valley. The date
of the sighting is unknown. Single photo identifications cannot be
considered enough evidence for a change of status of either individual. (The
coordinates CR 081 220 are given for Qui Nhon City.) (Ref 1 - 6)
2. ADO LMR II Comment - Numerous inquires were made to the Province
Representative, Province Chief, National Police 31 and other possible
sources of information in the area. The PubCom program saturated the area
with generalized requests for information, but all of these efforts produced
no results. These individuals' names and identifying data were turned over
to the Four-Party Joint Military Team with a request for any information
available. No response was forthcoming, Second Officer O'Laughlin and Seaman
Bailon are currently carried in the status of Missing.
REFERENCES USED
1. LTR (U), from James March, 8 Jan 66.
2. LTR (U), From Mrs. Ross O'Laughlin, 30 Jun 66.
3. Telegram (U), 18 Jan 66.
4. LTR (U), MACPM, 29 Jan 66.
5. MSG.(C)CI Team 2nd Bn(PROV)525 MIGP Qui Nhon, 030705Z Jun 68.
6. RPT (U), HQ 3rd MARDIV (REIN) FMF #002A6068, 18 Sep 68.
ASSOCIATED INDIVIDUALS
1. Ruben (NMN) Bailon 0223-0-01
2. Stephen M. O'Laughlin 0223-0-02
* National Alliance of Families Home Page
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