Almost 38 years to the day since they were shot down during fighting
that followed the Khmer Rouge’s seizure of a U.S. merchant vessel, the
remains of 13 U.S. Marines are to be buried together in Virginia today.
In a statement dated Friday, the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing
Personnel Office in Washington announced that the remains of private
first class Daniel Benedett had been accounted for on January 30 this
year.
Daniel Benedett was the final missing member of the crew of Knife 31,
a U.S. Air Force helicopter that crashed during a U.S. assault on Koh
Tang on May 15, 1975, which followed Khmer Rouge naval forces capturing
the S.S. Mayaguez, a U.S. merchant ship.
Half of the 26-man crew of the helicopter was rescued at sea but 13
were lost. The remains will be interned at the Arlington National
Cemetery today, the statement says.
According to the statement, from 1991 to 2008, more than 10
investigations and excavations were carried out and on three occasions
Cambodian authorities handed over remains believed to be those of U.S.
servicemen.
“In 1995, U.S. and Cambodian specialists conducted an underwater
recovery of the helicopter crash site where they located remains,
personal effects and aircraft debris associated with the loss,” the
statement says. “Between 2000 and 2004, all of the missing service
members from this helicopter, except Benedett, were accounted-for.”
Scientists confirmed Daniel Benedett’s remains using “circumstantial
evidence and DNA process of elimination to account for his remains,” it
says.
On May 12, 1975, the Mayaguez had strayed close to Koh Wai and was
stopped and seized by Khmer Rouge forces, apparently on alert as
ownership of the island was contested by Vietnam.
According to journalist Elizabeth Becker’s book, “When the War Was
Over,” the Khmer Rouge leadership later claimed they were unaware of the
seizure and that they ordered the ship’s release promptly after hearing
the news on Voice of America radio.
But after a 24-hour warning from the administration of then-President
Gerald Ford was not headed, the U.S. landed marines on Koh Tang to
seize the ship, which had been taken there.
“Those marines encountered heavy opposition from Khmer Rouge dug deep
into the island in preparation for a Vietnamese attack,” the book says.
Soon after the assault began, the Khmer Rouge released the crew of
the Mayaguez, who had been taken to the mainland. But fighting continued
on Koh Tang and the U.S. mounted a bombing attack on coastal military
targets, in theory to provide cover for the escape of the marines,
according to the book.
“When the fighting was over, thirty-eight American servicemen lost
their lives to save thirty-nine crew members of the Mayaguez, and most
of them died after the crew had been released.” Ms. Becker wrote.
“Those dead veterans were counted as the last American casualties in the U.S. war in Indochina.”
2 comments:
Hidden Vietnamese/Yuon faces and agents among or inside Khmer Rouges Uniforms during the Killing Fields killed those Americans who tried to fight to free the democracy lovers or people from the evil communists.
Yes, all hidden Yuon/Vietnamese agents in Khmer Rouges Uniforms controlled the weaken Khmer solders they [hidden Yuon/Vietnamese agetns] labeled named Khmer Rouges solider as killers instead just like they were so smart to spread words to be heard around the world that Khmer Rouges killed their own people.
Now, Hanoi Vientamese/Vietnamese master-minded bastards tell Yuon/Vietnamese dog Hun Sen what to do to hurt Cambodian people until these days.
អាមេរោគដើរបំផ្លាញ កាប់សម្លាប់ បង្ករសង្គ្រាម
ពេញពិភពលោក បោយសាមហិច្ឆិតាខ្លួន
គួរតែស្លាប់ កំអោយមានលើលោកនេះ មាន
អាទាហានខ្មែរខ្លៈសល់ពីរស្លាប់សម៍យ ខ្មែរក្រហម
នៅស្រម៍យអោបជើងអាមេរិកទៀត។
ប្រជាជាតិខ្លែរនៅចងចាំមិនភ្លេចការបំផ្លាញ
ប្រទេសដោយសារអាមេរិកក្នុងកំឡុងទស្សវត្តន៏
១៩៧០ ទៅ ១៩៧៥
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