THE WALL OF FACES

I am the Curator of the POW/MIA Bracelet Display in the Vietnam Hangar of the Palm Springs Air Museum in Palm Springs, California where we now have over two thousand bracelets and would be honored to include your bracelet in our Display. If you are an immediate family member (spouse, fiancé, sibling, child, grandchild, cousin, niece, nephew) or close friend I can order one for the Display in your name.
https://palmspringsairmuseum.org/vietnam-pow-bracelet-display/
Dr. Dave Thompson
Palm Springs Air Museum
POW/MIA Bracelet Display Curator
Lt. Commander U.S. Navy 1964-1970
10-103 Lakeview Dr. Rancho Mirage, Ca 92270
760-328-0859 760-408-7660 [email protected]

The Col. and I flew together at Cherry Point NC (MAG-14) and went to DaNang on the same set of Orders about April 1967. When his plane went missing we went up on a two-plane mission the next morning to cruise the coast and call for them on Guard channel.
Those were some tough nights of Rolling Thunder missions into Route Package Six.
He was a great Marine and Commanding Officer to the Bats of 242. RIP Skipper.

Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die.

As long as you are remembered you will never truly die.

On November 25, 1967, pilot COL Lewis H. Abrams and bombardier/navigator 1LT Robert E. Holdeman were the crewmen of a U.S. Marine Corps A-6A Intruder (#152612), callsign Packard, from Fighter Attack Squadron (All Weather) 242 (VMA[AW]-242), Marine Aircraft Group 11 (MAG-11),1st Marine Aircraft Wing (1st MAW), on a single aircraft night strike mission against the Kien An Airfield near Haiphong, NVN. An EA-6A electronic countermeasure (ECM) aircraft and three F-4B fighter-bombers flew in support of the mission. At 4:25 AM, COL Abrams radioed that they had crossed the coast of North Vietnam and were on track for the target. The ECM aircraft remained on station until 4:57 AM with no further contact with Abrams. They reported that no anti-aircraft artillery or surface-to-air missile firings were observed during the time they orbited the proposed track for the target run. A sea-air rescue mission for the missing Intruder was conducted along the ingress and egress routes of the mission strike with negative results. Both Abrams and Holdeman were place in Missing in Action status. In 1995, a Joint Task Force-Full Accounting (JTF-FA) search and recovery mission excavated a crash site and recovered remains and other items that were consistent with the loss of Abrams’ A-6A. Equipment found at the site indicated that both crewmen were in the aircraft at the time of impact. The human remains were repatriated and positively identified in June 1997. Abrams was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and Holdeman was promoted to Major during the time they were missing. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org]

Colonel Lewis Herbert Abrams, Served with Marine All-Weather Attack Squadron 242 [VMA-242 (AW)], Marine Aircraft Group 11 (MAG-11), 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, Third Marine Amphibious Force.