THE WALL OF FACES

The war may be forgotten but the warrior will always be remembered !!!! All gave Some-Some gave All. Rest in peace David. :-(

I have found a POW/MIA bracelet in a trunk that was purchased at an estate sale. The name is David Zook.....would like to make contact with his family and return this bracelet to them as he is now found and at rest in Liberty Ohio per my research. Please contact me if you have any information on family members/children.

In 1962, when American involvement in Southeast Asia was little known to many Americans, CAPT David H. Zook Jr. was at the U.S. Air Force Academy serving as assistant professor of history. Zook was in the military despite his pacifist Amish background. He had "left the flock." In 1967, Zook found himself in Vietnam, now advanced to the rank of major. On October 4 of that year, MAJ Zook was given a psychological warfare mission in Binh Duong Province, South Vietnam, flying a U-10B aircraft out of Bien Hoa Air Base. At 1036 hours the pilot of a C-7A Caribou reported that he had just collided with an aircraft he thought was an O-1E Birddog. The pilot of the C-7A stated that he saw the other aircraft hit the ground and then saw a bright orange fireball. The pilot did not see a parachute. (It was later learned that MAJ Zook had not been wearing a parachute because of the space considerations in his aircraft.) When the first Air Force rescue helicopter entered the area they noticed an Army CH-47 helicopter was hovering above the crash site and had dropped a crewman to the wreckage to look for the pilot. As other aircraft began to search the area, the Army crewman was picked up and replaced on the ground by an Air Force pararescueman to examine the crash site. After being on the ground for 20 minutes he was recovered. The pararescueman reported that while examining part of the wreckage, he noticed a large cave or tunnel entrance with skid marks and foot prints around it. Later in the day the same pararescueman was reinserted with another U.S. personnel from Tan Son Nhut Air Base. They remained on the ground for 30 minutes. In that time they were able to positively identify the crashed aircraft as a U-10, but found no sign of MAJ Zook, any weapons, or personal equipment. MAJ Zook was declared Missing in Action. In 1992, a joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) team, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), investigated the incident in Song Be Province. The team interviewed Vietnamese citizens who witnessed the crash and saw remains amid the wreckage. The team surveyed the site and found evidence consistent with Zook's crash. While later examining the evidence recovered from the site, a small fragment of bone was found. In 1993, another joint team excavated the crash site and recovered a bone fragment and non-biological material including small pieces of military clothing. In March 2008, a final excavation was conducted and more human remains were recovered. Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and also used dental comparisons in the positive identification of Zook's remains. [Taken from pownetwork.org and coffeltdatabase.org]

Back in 1967, I was 10 years old. My older sister and I each had POW/MIA bracelets. Mine was for Lt Col. David Zook. I misplaced the bracelet decades ago. But I'll aways remember his name. Too modest a tribute to someone who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Dear Colonel David Hartzler Zook Jr, 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