THE WALL OF FACES

Thank you for your service and your sacrifice. Thank you for stepping up and answering your country's call. Rest easy knowing you will never be forgotten.

Cessna's A37 "Dragonfly" was a two-seat light strike aircraft. Although the B version was equipped for aerial refueling, the earlier A model was restricted to its fully-armed range of about 450 miles. The easily maintained jet was flown by both the U.S. and South Vietnamese Air Force and remained on station in Vietnam until the fall of Saigon in 1975. 1LT John T. Welshan was a pilot trained on the Dragonfly and attached to the 604th Air Commando Squadron at Bien Hoa Airbase in South Vietnam. On March 3, 1968, Welshan was assigned a frag mission in Bac Lieu Province, South Vietnam. (NOTE: Air Force accounts of Welshan's incident do not refer to a second crew member. As this type aircraft is a two-seater, it is speculated that the second crew member may have been Vietnamese. The U.S. does not normally maintain any records on the identities of foreign nationals lost with U.S. personnel in Southeast Asia.) 1LT Welshan's aircraft did not return from the mission at the appointed time, and he was declared Missing in Action. His last location is listed as being approximately 5 miles south of the city of Bac Lieu, near the shoreline of South Vietnam. 1LT Welshan was maintained missing until July 15, 1975, at which time he was administratively declared dead based on no specific information that he was alive. He had been advanced to the rank of Major during the period he was maintained missing. [Narrative taken from pownetwork.org; image from courtesyaircraft.com]

Dear Major John Thomas Welshan, 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, and the best salute a civilian can muster for you, Sir

Curt Carter

Photo taken from The Virtual Wall website.

John has a military marker in his memory at Arlington National Cemetery.