PAUL SAMPLE wrote on July 31, 2011
City and State:
Unit:
Service or Relationship: FAMILY MEMBER
Comments: My relative, FLIGHT LIEUTENANT JOHN KING, RAF, was posted from the RAF to be an F86 Sabre Jet pilot in the 25th Fighter Squadron, 51st Interceptor Wing of the USAAF, based at Suwon (K13) during the Korean War.
He went Missing in Action on 4th June 1953. I am trying to find out as much as I can about his Unit and trying to find his last known resting place.
One of his colleagues, Bob Lysgaard, later wrote: "We were assigned to the 25th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 51st FIW, USAF at Suwon in Korea in February 1953... On this mission I was flying No 4 through an awful thunderstorm over North Korea, north of the DMZ. John was No 3 and suddenly hauled back on his stick. I tried hard but could not keep up with him and that erratic maneuver. He did not respond to any radio transmissions and I was lucky to return with the formation to K-13, Suwon.
"No one could contact him from the formation or from the base. The (accident) investigation considered severe vertigo, oxygen failure or a heart attack. Personally, I never considered the wildest rumor, which was possible defection to North Korea or Vladivostok in Russia.
"As a Las Vegas dentist, I had the opportunity to talk with Halal Fisher. He shot down 10 Mig-15s in Korea before getting shot down himself deep in China. Hal was held as a prisoner of war for three years. Naturally, the Russians also interrogated him. He did learn enough Russian to read a book that claimed that John King had been shot down by a Russian pilot. This I do not believe because John King's aircraft remains were recovered along with his dog tags from a mountain nearer the DIZ in North Korea. The area is south of the range of Russian fighter aircraft and near where we encountered that terrible thunderstorm."
For the sake of my family (some of whom are now very old)I would like to track down John's grave.
Is there anyone in the JCCC who knows where John King's F-86 Sabre was shot down or where his body may be buried?
I would be very grateful for any information. Please e-mail me at: paul.sample@themustardagency.com
Keywords: FLIGHT LIEUTENANT JOHN KING, RAF, F86 Sabre, Pilot, 25th Fighter Squadron, 51st Interceptor Wing, USAAF, Suwon (K13), Korean War, British, English, grave, family.
http://www.koreanwar.org/html/units/usaf/25fis.htm