THE WALL OF FACES

Your sacrifice is not forgotten.

POW-MIA...Never Forget

Never forget.

HOOAH

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. The remembrance from Ron Keys is touching. It remains my fervent hope you will be returned home after the passage of so many years.

Dear Lt Douglas Burd,
Thank you for your service as a Weapons System Officer. You are still MIA, Your 47th anniversary just passed.
PLEASE COME HOME - YOU ARE NEEDED HERE.
It is important for us all to acknowledge the sacrifices of those like you who answered our nation's call. Please watch over America, it stills needs your courage and faithfulness. Be at peace with the angels.

On August 1, 1969, just four years after he graduated from the Air Force Academy, CAPT Tommy L. Callies found himself in the Vietnam war as the pilot of an F-4E Phantom fighter/bomber jet. On this day, 1LT Douglas G. Burd was his back-seater, having charge of navigation and bombing. It was Callies' dream to become a career pilot, and he and Burd were flying one of the most exciting aircraft of the time. The Phantom, used by Air Force, Marine and Navy air wings, served a multitude of functions including fighter-bomber and interceptor, photo and electronic surveillance. The two man aircraft was extremely fast (Mach 2), and had a long range (900 - 2300 miles, depending on stores and mission type). The F-4 was also extremely maneuverable and handled well at low and high altitudes. The F-4 was selected for a number of state-of-the-art electronics conversions, which improved radar intercept and computer bombing capabilities enormously. Most pilots considered it one of the "hottest" planes around. It was equipped with Skyspot radar, which helped ground radar track the plane. When the Phantom flown by Callies was in Quang Ngai Province, South Vietnam, just about 25 miles southwest of the city of Quang Ngai, the Skyspot was put to test. The plane was shot down. Observers feel that Tommy Callies and Doug Burd died in the crash of their plane, and circumstances surrounding the area of crash indicate a very good chance the enemy knew what happened to them. The two are on the rolls of the missing because their bodies were never returned. [Narrative taken from pownetwork.org; image from wikipedia.org]