RANDER, DONALD J.
Name: Donald J. Rander
Rank/Branch: E9/United States Army
Unit: 525th MI GP
Date of Birth: 04 July 1938
Home City of Record: Bronx NY
Date of Loss: 01 February 1968
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 162734N 1073551E
Status (in 1973): Returnee
Category:
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: Ground
Other Personnel in Incident: Gostas, Theodore USA (released); Henderson,
Alexander CIV (released); Meyer, Lewis CIV (released); Olsen, Robert CIV
(Released); Page, Russell CIV (Released); Daves, Lawrence CIV (Released);
Rushton, Thomas CIV (Released); Spalding, Richard CIV (Released); Stark,
Lawrence CIV attached to USN (Released); Willis, Charles CIV (Released).
Source: Compiled by P.O.W. NETWORK 15 February 1997 from one or more of the
following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources and information
provided by Ret. Major Gostas and Lawrence Stark.
REMARKS: 730327 Released by PRG
SYNOPSIS:
Rander was working in the northern part of South Vietnam during TET '68 when
Hue came under seige. Ret. Major Ted Gostas (135th MIBN PROV) recalls being
trapped without his radio in the city, and being unable to warn hundreds of
5th Marines as they walked into an ambush and their death. Government
records indicate Rander and 11 others were captured soon afterward. Ten of
those were civilians working with the Vietnamese.
Donald Rander was held captive for 4 1/2 years prior to his release on March
27, 1973.
SOURCE: WE CAME HOME copyright 1977
Captain and Mrs. Frederic A Wyatt (USNR Ret), Barbara Powers Wyatt, Editor
P.O.W. Publications, 10250 Moorpark St., Toluca Lake, CA 91602
Text is reproduced as found in the original publication (including date and
spelling errors).
UPDATE - 09/95 by the P.O.W. NETWORK, Skidmore, MO
DONALD J. RANDER
Specialist First Class - United States Army
Captured: February 1, 1968
Released: March 27, 1973
SFC Donald John Rander was born on June 4,1938, in the Bronx, New York. He
attended parochial school there and was graduated from Cardinal Hayes High
School in 1955. He attended Adelphi College in Garden City, L.I., N.Y. for a
short period and subsequently worked for the First National City Bank of New
York, Capitol Airlines as a reservation clerk, and British Overseas Airlines.
In November,1961 he was drafted into the Army.
Don took his basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey and advanced training as a
Military Policeman at Fort Gordon, Georgia. He also served for 20 months in a
Security Company in France and MP duty at both Fort Benning, Georgia and Fort
Holabird, Maryland. In July, 1965, Don entered the Intelligence School, then
located at Holabird, remaining there as an instructor in the Department of
Counterintelligence until volunteering for Vietnam in 1967. He was assigned to
the Hue Field Office as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge when the city
was overrun during the Tet offensive in February, 1968. He was captured during
this time-and thus began his years of imprisonment. After a year in solitary
confinement, Don was allowed "the privilege" of joining other prisoners. His
tremendous sense of humor, his faith in God and country and family helped in
sustaining him and his cellmates through the trying times of prison life.
In 1960 Don had become reacquainted with his childhood sweetheart, Andrea
Haywood and, after an exceedingly long courtship, they were married on October
3, 1964. They have two daughters, Lysa and Donna Page.
Andrea and the two girls waited faithfully for Don for 62 long months. During
that time, they never received any word from him. Originally listed as MIA,
his status was changed to POW in March, 1968 as a result of the successful
escape of Sergeants Bob Hayhurst and Ed Dierling who worked for and were
captured with Don. Andrea, who had decided to remain in Baltimore where Don
had left her, relentlessly tried to bring the POW issue to public attention
and twice travelled to Paris in an attempt to meet with the NFL delegation to
the Paris Conference on Vietnam. Persistently, she made many attempts to get
word to or from Don, but to no avail. Living with faith and love, and with the
prayers of many relatives and friends, this brave and lonely woman became
involved in the work of the National League of Families. In addition to her
many obligations and duties as a working mother, she became a board member of
that organization.
On March 8, 1973 Andrea received her first and only letter from Don since his
captivity. He was never allowed to write prior to that. In his letter he
stated he felt of sound mind and body and of his anxiety to be reunited and
learning to live again.
On March 27, 1973, her long vigil was rewarded when Don was returned to
American hands. They were reunited at Valley Forge Army Hospital on March 30,
1973. Since Don's intentions are to remain in military service, the family
will probably continue to live in Maryland, though closer to Washington, D.C.,
as that is where Don wants to be assigned and to settle, once his career in
the military is completed. He was recently appointed as warrant officer. The
happy couple are quickly readapting to each other and they plan to renew
their marriage vows on their anniversary. They also plan to take that Hawaiian
honeymoon that they were unable to take in 1968 because of Don's imprisonment.
Don promised, in early 1968 before captivity, to take Andrea on a honeymoon
they really never had, and for Christmas, 1973, that dream was fulfilled at
Montego Bay, Jamaica.
In the many months since his return, Don has met many groups of concerned
people. He has presented many speeches - his constant messages to the American
people have been: "Thank you Americans and please remember the MlA's."
02/15/97
Donald Rander retired from the United States Army as a CW4. He and his wife
Andrea reside in Maryland.
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