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Missing Vietnam War Serviceman Identified

A serviceman missing in action from the Vietnam War has been identified and
returned to his family for burial.

He is Air Force Col. Lester E. Holmes of Plainfield, Iowa.

On May 22, 1967, Holmes was flying a forward air control mission over
Quang Binh Province, North Vietnam, when his 0-1E "Bird Dog" aircraft was struck by
enemy fire. Another forward air controller in the area saw Holmes' aircraft spiral
toward the ground, but there were no emergency radio beacons picked up for the next
several days. Enemy activity in the area prevented a search and rescue operation.

During two investigations in 1991 and 1997, a joint team of U.S. and
Socialist Republic of Vietnam specialists interviewed villagers in the province and
surveyed three crash sites where Holmes' plane was allegedly lost. The searches
met with negative results.

In October 1997, Vietnamese officials turned over to the United States
the results of a unilateral investigation in which they confirmed specifics of the
shoot down, though documented witnesses could not place the exact location of the
crash. Another joint team interviewed a retired Vietnamese general officer who
recalled witnessing on radar the downing of the aircraft. He claimed to have
visited the crash site but could offer only a general location.

A full-scale excavation of one of the crash sites first investigated in
1991 was carried out in late July 1998, when aircraft debris and human remains were
recovered. Additionally, fragments of an eyeglass lens found at the site were
consistent with a prescription issued to Holmes.

The recovered remains and other circumstantial evidence were identified
by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, which also led the joint field operations
in Vietnam. More than 88,000 Americans are missing in action from all conflicts.
Of these, 1,859 are from the Vietnam War.