THE WALL OF FACES

The Department of Defense conducted a ceremony at the Pentagon on Friday, 20 September 2019 in recognition of POW/MIA Recognition Day. Deputy Defense Secretary David L. Nordquist remembered the 1,587 MIAs from the Vietnam War as well as all those still unaccounted for from WWII, the Korean War, the Cold War and other conflicts. Since the 2018 Ceremony, DPAA has positively identified 7 Vietnam War MIAs. SFC Douglas Randolph Blodgett, USA, is one of those 1,587 MIAs unaccounted for in Southeast Asia from the Vietnam War. He is also one of 7 MIAs whose name is chiseled into a stone bench beneath a Gold Star at the Captain Rocky Versace Plaza and Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Alexandria, VA. The other 6 MIAs (rank, name & service) are: (1) Major Joe Davies, USAF; (2) Major Morgan Donahue, USAF; (3) 1LT Larry Lilly, USA; (4) 1LT Leland McCants, USA; (5) CPT Humbert “Rocky” Versace, USA; & (6) SA John Winkler, USN.

This is the link to the DoD story about the ceremony:

https://www.defense.gov/explore/story/Article/1967474/prisoners-of-war-missing-in-action-remembered-at-pentagon-ceremony/

This is the link to the C-Span video of the ceremony:

https://www.c-span.org/video/?464524-1/pentagon-hosts-national-powmia-recognition-day-ceremony

I served with Douglas. On April 18, 1968 I was assigned to replace Douglas on the following day because Doug had a cast on his wrist. He removed it and replaced me. Lost a few friends that day

I've been wearing Ssgt. Blodgett's Hope Bracelet since I was 12 y.o. when I did a book report on POW/MIAs. I still wear the bracelet daily.

According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) website at the below link, the MIA status of SFC Douglas R. Blodgett is ACTIVE PURSUIT:

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000BTOZEA4

As of the latest DPAA update (22 February 2019), SFC Blodgett is one of 1,589 Americans still unaccounted for in Southeast Asia from the Vietnam War. Of Alexandria, Virginia's 68 Vietnam War Fallen Heroes, he is one of 7 men still MIA.

https://www.dpaa.mil/portals/85/Documents/VietnamAccounting/2019_stats/Statistics%20as%20of%20February%2022,%202019.pdf

On the date of his loss, 19 April 1968, SP4 Blodgett was one of the crewman on a CH-47 Chinook helicopter from Company A, 228th Aviation Battalion (Assault Helicopter), 11th Aviation Group, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) providing air logistical re-supply to units of the 1st Cav Div at "Landing Zone Tiger" in the A Shau Valley, Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam. The CH-47 crashed after coming under intense ground fire by enemy forces. The pilot and co-pilot were able to escape. Crewmembers Douglas Blodgett, William R. Dennis and Jesus A. Gonzalez all perished in the crash and their remains were not recovered. While in MIA status, SP4 Blodgett received promotions in absentia to SGT, SSG and, finally, SFC.

MIA SFC Douglas R. Blodgett has his name chiseled into one of the stone "Courts of the Missing" at the Honolulu Memorial in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (the "Punchbowl") on the island of Oahu in the state of Hawaii. See the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) website at this link:

https://www.abmc.gov/node/319254#.Wfn7U7pFzIU