THE WALL OF FACES

My name is Sharon. I received your MIA bracelet in 1970 when I was 17 and wore it for many years. I have been trying to contact any family members to let them know how often I thought of him. I recently saw a picture of him in his Army uniform and tears came to my eyes to finally see his face.

Please help us get this bracelet back to the family of Marshall F Kipina or to a museum dedicated to POW/MIA. Thank you, Kellie
God Bless every Service man & woman & their families for their service & sacrifice.

As a Marine who was at Phu Bai RVN in 1967, I had no knowledge of you. In 1970 I was given a pow bracelet with your name and I have not forgotten you

On July 14, 1966, PFC Marshall F. Kipina, observer/airborne sensor operator and CAPT Robert G. Nopp, pilot, flew out of Phu Bai Airbase at Hue in an OV-1C aircraft (serial #612675) on a classified surveillance mission over Laos. The company flew under code names "Steel Tiger" and "Tiger Hound". Their call sign was "Iron Spud" that night. The Grumman OV-1C maintained surveillance using infrared detection equipment and a forward-aimed camera, making it a valuable night surveillance plane able to detect enemy movement and designate and confirm targets. It was on such a mission that Kipina's plane vanished with no trace. Although the official data listing loss coordinates is located in Laos, about 25 miles southwest of the city of Attopeu, there is considerable doubt as to the exact location of the crash. The target area was in a region of Laos code named "Golf", east of Attopue, Laos. Source data seems to indicate that the crash may have occurred east of that point, in the mountains. During the searches for the missing aircraft, a parachute was sighted, hanging from a tree, containing a decapitated body. No attempts were made to recover the body, because of the fear of booby traps, and the hostile environment. Joint Casualty Resolution Center (JCRC) later determined the body to be, in fact, a dummy, and not one of the missing crew members. [Taken from pownetwork.org]

Marshall,

You were shot down before my birth and yet I have thought of you most of my life. I pray that you are at peace and that someday our family can have true closure to what happened to you. May God bless you and until we meet again someday. I have your bracelet and keep it close to my heart.