THE WALL OF FACES

My daughters father. Craig " Tree" Philips purchased a POW BRACELET back in 1991, He wore this bracelet every day until January 11, 2012 which is the day he passed away. We would like to let the family know that he wore this in hopes that one day he was found.

On March 15, 1966, MAJ Glenn D. McElroy flew in from Saigon to accompany CAPT John M. “Mike” Nash on a photo reconnaissance run along Route 91 on the west side of the Se Nam Kok River valley northwest of Tchepone, Laos. Their radio call sign was "Ironspud". McElroy was the pilot of the OV-1A Mohawk (serial #6313124) on this "Tigerhound" operation. McElroy was an intelligence officer assigned to HQ MACV J-2 in Saigon. There was a large number of NVA in the area maintaining a truck park along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, as well as 6 gun emplacements (3 AA + 3 AW). At about 1:00 PM, shortly before Nash and McElroy began their photo run on the west side of the valley, an Air Force O-1E flown by LTC David H. Holmes was shot down on the valley's east side by at least one of the gun emplacements. Another O-1E, call sign "Hound Dog 50," was dispatched immediately, and observed Holmes, apparently unconscious, sitting in the cockpit of his plane. About 2:35 PM, Hound Dog 50 also observed the OV-1 Mohawk flown by Nash and McElroy enter the line of enemy fire on the west side of the valley. The OV-1 was hit by anti-aircraft fire and crashed. One parachute was observed leaving the damaged plane from the right side, and from the crew placement in the plane, it is believed that Nash ejected from the aircraft. Because of the plane losses and the discovery of the troops and gun emplacements, F-4's (call sign Oxwood 95) and A-1E Skyraiders were called in and the ensuing battle raged for 4-5 hours that afternoon in the operational area known as "ECHO". On March 16, a search and rescue team flew to the crash site of David Holmes' O-1E and found that the plane was empty. Their report states that he was either removed from the plane or left under his own power. URC-10 emergency radio signals were heard four times in the next six days, but it was thought that the signals were initiated by the enemy as voice contact was never made. Holmes, Nash and McElroy all had URC-10 radios. The fates of the three are unknown. Just over 20 years from the day Nash and McElroy's aircraft crashed, U.S. teams had the opportunity to examine and excavate the site. There was no shred of evidence that anyone died in the aircraft. No human remains or bone fragments were found. In 1973, 591 Americans were released from prisons in Vietnam. Nash, McElroy and Holmes were not among them. In April 2011, the Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced that the remains of U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Glenn D. McElroy and Captain John M. Nash had been identified and were to be returned to their families for interment with the honors earned. The remains of both officers were jointly recovered November 11, 2008 and identified February 5, 2010. No reason was given for the extended delay in posting the accounting for these two US army officers. [Taken from pownetwork.org]

Dear LTC Glenn David McElroy, sir

As an American, I would like to thank you for your service and for your sacrifice made on behalf of our wonderful country. The youth of today could gain much by learning of heroes such as yourself, men and women whose courage and heart can never be questioned.

May God allow you to read this, and may He allow me to someday shake your hand when I get to Heaven to personally thank you. May he also allow my father to find you and shake your hand now to say thank you; for America, and for those who love you.

With respect, Sir

Curt Carter

Photo taken from the Find-A-Grave website.

Glenn is buried at Mount Hope Cemetery, Sidney, Champaign County,IL.