THE WALL OF FACES

1LT Bessor, You are remembered and honored. Pilot of O-1G 51-16959 on that fateful day.

DEAR CAPTAIN BRUCE BESSOR,
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AS A FIXED WING AVIATION UNIT COMMANDER - PILOT. YOU ARE STILL MIA.
PLEASE COME HOME.
IT HAS BEEN FAR TOO LONG FOR ALL OF YOU TO HAVE BEEN GONE. WE APPRECIATE ALL YOU HAVE DONE, AND YOUR SACRIFICE. WATCH OVER THE U.S.A., IT STILL NEEDS YOUR COURAGE.. GOD BLESS YOU. MAY THE ANGELS BE AT YOUR SIDE. REST IN PEACE. MANY OF US HAVE BEGUN OUR JOURNEY TO EASTER. YOU ARE ALL IN OUR PRAYERS.

Captain Bruce Carlton Bessor, Served with the 219th Aviation Company, 223rd Aviation Battalion, 17th Aviation Group, 1st Aviation Brigade.

Dear Captain Bruce Carlton Bessor, 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

On May 13, 1969, 1LT Bruce Bessor, pilot, and SFC Mike J. Scott, observer, were flying on an O-1G aircraft (serial #51-16959) on a radio relay mission for a Special Forces reconnaissance team in the area of the Vietnam/Laos border. SFC Scott was assigned to Command and Control Central, MACV-SOG (Military Assistance Command, Vietnam Studies and Observation Group). MACV-SOG was a joint service high command unconventional warfare task force engaged in highly classified operations throughout Southeast Asia. The 5th Special Forces channeled personnel into MACV-SOG (although it was not a Special Forces group) through Special Operations Augmentation (SOA), which provided their "cover" while under secret orders to MACV-SOG. The teams performed deep penetration missions of strategic reconnaissance and interdiction which were called, depending on the time frame, "Shining Brass" or "Prairie Fire" missions. At about 0800 hours, when the recon team had radio contact with 1LT Bessor's aircraft, they heard aircraft engine noise southwest of their position followed by 15 rounds of 37mm fire and engine sputtering but no sound of crash, then a large volume of rifle fire from the same direction. The reconnaissance team then lost radio contact with the aircraft. Search aircraft attempted to enter into the suspected crash control site, but cloud cover and enemy fire prevented them from doing so. On May 18, the area was visually searched, but nothing was found. Bessor and Scott were declared Missing in Action. They were among nearly 600 Americans missing in Laos when the war ended. [Narrative taken from pownetwork.org; image from wikipedia.org]