In Memory of ..... Col. Peter Joseph Stewart.
*** Air Force Col. Peter J. Stewart, 47, born in Glasgow, Scotland, raised in Winter Haven, Florida, accounted for on Feb. 28, 2018, will be buried June 18 in Winter Haven.
Contributor: SBR
*** Colonel Stewart was a member of the 8th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Ubon Airfield, Thailand. On March 15, 1966, he was the bombardier/navigator of a McDonnell Douglas Phantom II Fighter (F-4C) on an armed reconnaissance over Dien Binh Phu, North Vietnam. On making a bombing run on trucks, his aircraft was shot down and exploded. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
You may be gone, no longer living on this earth; but you will live on - in the memories of your family and friends. There will always be a part of you living in your family who knew you and loved you. You will live on because we remember you!
PETER JOSEPH STEWART - Air Force - COL - O6
Age: 61
Race: Caucasian
Date of Birth Aug 12, 1918
From: WINTER HAVEN, FL
Religion: ROMAN CATHOLIC
Marital Status: Married - Margaret Mary DeHaven Stewart (AKA Marsharika Twynette Smith). 6 yrs younger, Born Jan. 30, 1924. Married in Nov. 11, 1944 in Polk C., Florida (Lived in Washington,DC/Lexington,Virginia). has a brother.
* In-Laws: Ford Jewell DeHaven and wife.
*****************************************
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. -- The body of an Air Force colonel is returning home to Florida more than 52 years after his plane was shot down over Vietnam.
Col. Peter Stewart died in the plane crash in 1966. He was 48 years old at the time.
Stewart's family said the military wasn't sure exactly what happened to him until last month.
"When they first notified us all those years ago, there was some thought he might have been a prisoner of war," said Jim Stewart, Stewart's son. "Between the time the first plane cycled back around, there was time for a guy to have gotten out and parachuted to the ground."
For years, the family searched. They even made several trips to Vietnam themselves.
The military notified them last month that his remains had finally been found.
"There's a big hole in our hearts for 52 years that we finally feel like something is there now. We can move on. We can get over this," Jim said.
On Tuesday, the mayor of Winter Haven, along with city council members, presented the family with a resolution honoring Stewart for his service.
"He was such a great guy, and I'm sorry everybody didn't get to meet him," said Stewart's widow, Margaret, noting that her husband would have been almost 100 years old now.
She said having the city honor him and having his remains returned meant a lot to her.
"I'm so grateful I could live long enough to be here," she said.
Stewart's remains will be flown to Tampa on June 16.
His family plans to hold a memorial service and funeral mass in Winter Haven.
*****************************************
***** WASHINGTON (6 April 2018) -- Air Force Col. Peter J. Stewart, missing from the Vietnam War, has now been accounted for.
On March 15, 1966, Stewart, a member of Headquarters, 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, U.S. Air Force, Ubon Airfield, Thailand flying a two-seat McDonnell Douglas Phantom II Fighter (F-4C) aircraft, the second in a flight of two on an armed reconnaissance mission over Dien Binh Phu, North Vietnam. The lead aircraft spotted two vehicles as the flight approached the target area and Stewart responded he was going to strafe the trucks. The lead aircraft, while maneuvering to engage the targets, lost sight of Stewart’s aircraft, but saw a bright orange explosion over the trucks. The flight lead immediately attempted to contact Stewart’s aircraft without result. No parachutes or emergency signals were seen, and all subsequent attempts to contact Stewart and his aircraft commander were unsuccessful. An organized search was not possible due to hostilities in the area. Stewart was subsequently declared missing in action. His status was later amended to deceased.
In June 2017, DPAA identified the remains of the aircraft commander, Col. Martin R. Scott
(Find A Grave Memorial 136725839 & 45121161).
Contributor:SBR
***** Meghan Stewart-McDonagh
My Great Uncle
I am honored that my daughter and I will soon see this memorial. We will pray for you when we arrive and touch your name for my father, your namesake, Peter Stewart.
His tour began on Mar 15, 1966
Casualty was on Jan 28, 1980
In NORTH VIETNAM
Hostile, died while missing, FIXED WING - PILOT
AIR LOSS, CRASH ON LAND
Body was not recovered
Panel 06E - Line 12
Other Personnel In Incident: Martin R. Scott (missing)
On 15 March 1966, Capt. Martin R. Scott, pilot; and then Lt. Col. Peter J. Stewart, co-pilot; comprised the crew of an F4C, call sign "Boron 02," that was the #2 aircraft in a flight of two conducting a late afternoon armed reconnaissance mission along Route 19, south of Dien Binh Phu, North Vietnam.
Once in the target area, Boron Lead contacted the airborne battlefield command and control center (ABCCC), call sign "Crown." Boron flight was directed to reconnoiter Route 19 from south to north for signs of enemy activity. As the flight progressed northward toward Dien Bien Phu, Boron 02 was flying in trail behind the lead aircraft when Lead saw two trucks on the road.
After reporting sighting enemy traffic, Lead initiated a left-hand turn and requested that Capt. Scott and Lt. Col. Stewart to also identify the trucks.
At 1812 hours, Boron 02 confirmed the enemy trucks and Capt. Scott transmitted his intention to strafe them. Approximately 5 seconds later the aircrew of Boron 01 observed a bright orange explosion on the ground covering an area 600 feet long by 100 feet wide.
Boron 01 completed a 300-degree turn while attempting to contact his wingman. When no contact could be established, he contacted Crown with a status report. Crown asked if they saw any parachutes and Lead replied that they had not.
Approximately 2 minutes after impact, the pilot of Boron 01 saw a red double star flare, which rose about 25 feet above the terrain, indicating that at least one of Boron 02's aircrew was alive on the ground and free at least for the moment.
Boron 01 remained in the area conducting an electronic search for approximately 20 minutes when they were relieved by Steel flight. During the time Boron 01 conducted the electronic search, no emergency radio beepers were heard.
No formal organized search and rescue (SAR) mission was initiated because the loss was deep within enemy-held territory and subject to extremely hostile ground fire.
At the time the electronic search was terminated, Peter Stewart and Martin Scott were declared Missing in Action.
***************************************
In 1975, US casualty personnel showed the families of POW/MIAs the US government's "post-capture photo album of unidentified Prisoners of War" in an attempt to identify these men. During their examination of the album, the Stewart family identified one specific photo of a prisoner in captivity as Peter Stewart. Later Air Force representatives assured the Stewart family that the photo they identified as being Lt. Col. Stewart was really another officer who returned to US control during Operation Homecoming.
When the family showed another returned POW the photo of the unidentified prisoner and asked "is the man in the photo and the man the US government claimed to be the same person," the returnee said, "there was 'no way' it was the officer in question." It was later learned that the officer in question had never been shown that photo for identification purposes and he never identified it as being himself.
Over the years Peter Stewart's family continued to follow every lead possible in their search for him. In 1985, they talked to a returned POW who told the family he recalled Peter Stewart's name being passed around the prison camps in which he was held prior to his own release. While this returned POW was able to provide very sketchy information about Peter Steward, he could provide no information about the fate of Martin Scott.
*********************************
.
*** Air Force Col. Peter J. Stewart, 47, born in Glasgow, Scotland, raised in Winter Haven, Florida, accounted for on Feb. 28, 2018, will be buried June 18 in Winter Haven.
Contributor: SBR
*** Colonel Stewart was a member of the 8th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Ubon Airfield, Thailand. On March 15, 1966, he was the bombardier/navigator of a McDonnell Douglas Phantom II Fighter (F-4C) on an armed reconnaissance over Dien Binh Phu, North Vietnam. On making a bombing run on trucks, his aircraft was shot down and exploded. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
You may be gone, no longer living on this earth; but you will live on - in the memories of your family and friends. There will always be a part of you living in your family who knew you and loved you. You will live on because we remember you!
PETER JOSEPH STEWART - Air Force - COL - O6
Age: 61
Race: Caucasian
Date of Birth Aug 12, 1918
From: WINTER HAVEN, FL
Religion: ROMAN CATHOLIC
Marital Status: Married - Margaret Mary DeHaven Stewart (AKA Marsharika Twynette Smith). 6 yrs younger, Born Jan. 30, 1924. Married in Nov. 11, 1944 in Polk C., Florida (Lived in Washington,DC/Lexington,Virginia). has a brother.
* In-Laws: Ford Jewell DeHaven and wife.
*****************************************
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. -- The body of an Air Force colonel is returning home to Florida more than 52 years after his plane was shot down over Vietnam.
Col. Peter Stewart died in the plane crash in 1966. He was 48 years old at the time.
Stewart's family said the military wasn't sure exactly what happened to him until last month.
"When they first notified us all those years ago, there was some thought he might have been a prisoner of war," said Jim Stewart, Stewart's son. "Between the time the first plane cycled back around, there was time for a guy to have gotten out and parachuted to the ground."
For years, the family searched. They even made several trips to Vietnam themselves.
The military notified them last month that his remains had finally been found.
"There's a big hole in our hearts for 52 years that we finally feel like something is there now. We can move on. We can get over this," Jim said.
On Tuesday, the mayor of Winter Haven, along with city council members, presented the family with a resolution honoring Stewart for his service.
"He was such a great guy, and I'm sorry everybody didn't get to meet him," said Stewart's widow, Margaret, noting that her husband would have been almost 100 years old now.
She said having the city honor him and having his remains returned meant a lot to her.
"I'm so grateful I could live long enough to be here," she said.
Stewart's remains will be flown to Tampa on June 16.
His family plans to hold a memorial service and funeral mass in Winter Haven.
*****************************************
***** WASHINGTON (6 April 2018) -- Air Force Col. Peter J. Stewart, missing from the Vietnam War, has now been accounted for.
On March 15, 1966, Stewart, a member of Headquarters, 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, U.S. Air Force, Ubon Airfield, Thailand flying a two-seat McDonnell Douglas Phantom II Fighter (F-4C) aircraft, the second in a flight of two on an armed reconnaissance mission over Dien Binh Phu, North Vietnam. The lead aircraft spotted two vehicles as the flight approached the target area and Stewart responded he was going to strafe the trucks. The lead aircraft, while maneuvering to engage the targets, lost sight of Stewart’s aircraft, but saw a bright orange explosion over the trucks. The flight lead immediately attempted to contact Stewart’s aircraft without result. No parachutes or emergency signals were seen, and all subsequent attempts to contact Stewart and his aircraft commander were unsuccessful. An organized search was not possible due to hostilities in the area. Stewart was subsequently declared missing in action. His status was later amended to deceased.
In June 2017, DPAA identified the remains of the aircraft commander, Col. Martin R. Scott
(Find A Grave Memorial 136725839 & 45121161).
Contributor:SBR
***** Meghan Stewart-McDonagh
My Great Uncle
I am honored that my daughter and I will soon see this memorial. We will pray for you when we arrive and touch your name for my father, your namesake, Peter Stewart.
His tour began on Mar 15, 1966
Casualty was on Jan 28, 1980
In NORTH VIETNAM
Hostile, died while missing, FIXED WING - PILOT
AIR LOSS, CRASH ON LAND
Body was not recovered
Panel 06E - Line 12
Other Personnel In Incident: Martin R. Scott (missing)
On 15 March 1966, Capt. Martin R. Scott, pilot; and then Lt. Col. Peter J. Stewart, co-pilot; comprised the crew of an F4C, call sign "Boron 02," that was the #2 aircraft in a flight of two conducting a late afternoon armed reconnaissance mission along Route 19, south of Dien Binh Phu, North Vietnam.
Once in the target area, Boron Lead contacted the airborne battlefield command and control center (ABCCC), call sign "Crown." Boron flight was directed to reconnoiter Route 19 from south to north for signs of enemy activity. As the flight progressed northward toward Dien Bien Phu, Boron 02 was flying in trail behind the lead aircraft when Lead saw two trucks on the road.
After reporting sighting enemy traffic, Lead initiated a left-hand turn and requested that Capt. Scott and Lt. Col. Stewart to also identify the trucks.
At 1812 hours, Boron 02 confirmed the enemy trucks and Capt. Scott transmitted his intention to strafe them. Approximately 5 seconds later the aircrew of Boron 01 observed a bright orange explosion on the ground covering an area 600 feet long by 100 feet wide.
Boron 01 completed a 300-degree turn while attempting to contact his wingman. When no contact could be established, he contacted Crown with a status report. Crown asked if they saw any parachutes and Lead replied that they had not.
Approximately 2 minutes after impact, the pilot of Boron 01 saw a red double star flare, which rose about 25 feet above the terrain, indicating that at least one of Boron 02's aircrew was alive on the ground and free at least for the moment.
Boron 01 remained in the area conducting an electronic search for approximately 20 minutes when they were relieved by Steel flight. During the time Boron 01 conducted the electronic search, no emergency radio beepers were heard.
No formal organized search and rescue (SAR) mission was initiated because the loss was deep within enemy-held territory and subject to extremely hostile ground fire.
At the time the electronic search was terminated, Peter Stewart and Martin Scott were declared Missing in Action.
***************************************
In 1975, US casualty personnel showed the families of POW/MIAs the US government's "post-capture photo album of unidentified Prisoners of War" in an attempt to identify these men. During their examination of the album, the Stewart family identified one specific photo of a prisoner in captivity as Peter Stewart. Later Air Force representatives assured the Stewart family that the photo they identified as being Lt. Col. Stewart was really another officer who returned to US control during Operation Homecoming.
When the family showed another returned POW the photo of the unidentified prisoner and asked "is the man in the photo and the man the US government claimed to be the same person," the returnee said, "there was 'no way' it was the officer in question." It was later learned that the officer in question had never been shown that photo for identification purposes and he never identified it as being himself.
Over the years Peter Stewart's family continued to follow every lead possible in their search for him. In 1985, they talked to a returned POW who told the family he recalled Peter Stewart's name being passed around the prison camps in which he was held prior to his own release. While this returned POW was able to provide very sketchy information about Peter Steward, he could provide no information about the fate of Martin Scott.
*********************************
.
In Memory of ..... Col. Peter Joseph Stewart.
*** Air Force Col. Peter J. Stewart, 47, born in Glasgow, Scotland, raised in Winter Haven, Florida, accounted for on Feb. 28, 2018, will be buried June 18 in Winter Haven.
Contributor: SBR
*** Colonel Stewart was a member of the 8th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Ubon Airfield, Thailand. On March 15, 1966, he was the bombardier/navigator of a McDonnell Douglas Phantom II Fighter (F-4C) on an armed reconnaissance over Dien Binh Phu, North Vietnam. On making a bombing run on trucks, his aircraft was shot down and exploded. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
You may be gone, no longer living on this earth; but you will live on - in the memories of your family and friends. There will always be a part of you living in your family who knew you and loved you. You will live on because we remember you!
PETER JOSEPH STEWART - Air Force - COL - O6
Age: 61
Race: Caucasian
Date of Birth Aug 12, 1918
From: WINTER HAVEN, FL
Religion: ROMAN CATHOLIC
Marital Status: Married - Margaret Mary DeHaven Stewart (AKA Marsharika Twynette Smith). 6 yrs younger, Born Jan. 30, 1924. Married in Nov. 11, 1944 in Polk C., Florida (Lived in Washington,DC/Lexington,Virginia). has a brother.
* In-Laws: Ford Jewell DeHaven and wife.
*****************************************
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. -- The body of an Air Force colonel is returning home to Florida more than 52 years after his plane was shot down over Vietnam.
Col. Peter Stewart died in the plane crash in 1966. He was 48 years old at the time.
Stewart's family said the military wasn't sure exactly what happened to him until last month.
"When they first notified us all those years ago, there was some thought he might have been a prisoner of war," said Jim Stewart, Stewart's son. "Between the time the first plane cycled back around, there was time for a guy to have gotten out and parachuted to the ground."
For years, the family searched. They even made several trips to Vietnam themselves.
The military notified them last month that his remains had finally been found.
"There's a big hole in our hearts for 52 years that we finally feel like something is there now. We can move on. We can get over this," Jim said.
On Tuesday, the mayor of Winter Haven, along with city council members, presented the family with a resolution honoring Stewart for his service.
"He was such a great guy, and I'm sorry everybody didn't get to meet him," said Stewart's widow, Margaret, noting that her husband would have been almost 100 years old now.
She said having the city honor him and having his remains returned meant a lot to her.
"I'm so grateful I could live long enough to be here," she said.
Stewart's remains will be flown to Tampa on June 16.
His family plans to hold a memorial service and funeral mass in Winter Haven.
*****************************************
***** WASHINGTON (6 April 2018) -- Air Force Col. Peter J. Stewart, missing from the Vietnam War, has now been accounted for.
On March 15, 1966, Stewart, a member of Headquarters, 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, U.S. Air Force, Ubon Airfield, Thailand flying a two-seat McDonnell Douglas Phantom II Fighter (F-4C) aircraft, the second in a flight of two on an armed reconnaissance mission over Dien Binh Phu, North Vietnam. The lead aircraft spotted two vehicles as the flight approached the target area and Stewart responded he was going to strafe the trucks. The lead aircraft, while maneuvering to engage the targets, lost sight of Stewart’s aircraft, but saw a bright orange explosion over the trucks. The flight lead immediately attempted to contact Stewart’s aircraft without result. No parachutes or emergency signals were seen, and all subsequent attempts to contact Stewart and his aircraft commander were unsuccessful. An organized search was not possible due to hostilities in the area. Stewart was subsequently declared missing in action. His status was later amended to deceased.
In June 2017, DPAA identified the remains of the aircraft commander, Col. Martin R. Scott
(Find A Grave Memorial 136725839 & 45121161).
Contributor:SBR
***** Meghan Stewart-McDonagh
My Great Uncle
I am honored that my daughter and I will soon see this memorial. We will pray for you when we arrive and touch your name for my father, your namesake, Peter Stewart.
His tour began on Mar 15, 1966
Casualty was on Jan 28, 1980
In NORTH VIETNAM
Hostile, died while missing, FIXED WING - PILOT
AIR LOSS, CRASH ON LAND
Body was not recovered
Panel 06E - Line 12
Other Personnel In Incident: Martin R. Scott (missing)
On 15 March 1966, Capt. Martin R. Scott, pilot; and then Lt. Col. Peter J. Stewart, co-pilot; comprised the crew of an F4C, call sign "Boron 02," that was the #2 aircraft in a flight of two conducting a late afternoon armed reconnaissance mission along Route 19, south of Dien Binh Phu, North Vietnam.
Once in the target area, Boron Lead contacted the airborne battlefield command and control center (ABCCC), call sign "Crown." Boron flight was directed to reconnoiter Route 19 from south to north for signs of enemy activity. As the flight progressed northward toward Dien Bien Phu, Boron 02 was flying in trail behind the lead aircraft when Lead saw two trucks on the road.
After reporting sighting enemy traffic, Lead initiated a left-hand turn and requested that Capt. Scott and Lt. Col. Stewart to also identify the trucks.
At 1812 hours, Boron 02 confirmed the enemy trucks and Capt. Scott transmitted his intention to strafe them. Approximately 5 seconds later the aircrew of Boron 01 observed a bright orange explosion on the ground covering an area 600 feet long by 100 feet wide.
Boron 01 completed a 300-degree turn while attempting to contact his wingman. When no contact could be established, he contacted Crown with a status report. Crown asked if they saw any parachutes and Lead replied that they had not.
Approximately 2 minutes after impact, the pilot of Boron 01 saw a red double star flare, which rose about 25 feet above the terrain, indicating that at least one of Boron 02's aircrew was alive on the ground and free at least for the moment.
Boron 01 remained in the area conducting an electronic search for approximately 20 minutes when they were relieved by Steel flight. During the time Boron 01 conducted the electronic search, no emergency radio beepers were heard.
No formal organized search and rescue (SAR) mission was initiated because the loss was deep within enemy-held territory and subject to extremely hostile ground fire.
At the time the electronic search was terminated, Peter Stewart and Martin Scott were declared Missing in Action.
***************************************
In 1975, US casualty personnel showed the families of POW/MIAs the US government's "post-capture photo album of unidentified Prisoners of War" in an attempt to identify these men. During their examination of the album, the Stewart family identified one specific photo of a prisoner in captivity as Peter Stewart. Later Air Force representatives assured the Stewart family that the photo they identified as being Lt. Col. Stewart was really another officer who returned to US control during Operation Homecoming.
When the family showed another returned POW the photo of the unidentified prisoner and asked "is the man in the photo and the man the US government claimed to be the same person," the returnee said, "there was 'no way' it was the officer in question." It was later learned that the officer in question had never been shown that photo for identification purposes and he never identified it as being himself.
Over the years Peter Stewart's family continued to follow every lead possible in their search for him. In 1985, they talked to a returned POW who told the family he recalled Peter Stewart's name being passed around the prison camps in which he was held prior to his own release. While this returned POW was able to provide very sketchy information about Peter Steward, he could provide no information about the fate of Martin Scott.
*********************************
.
*** Air Force Col. Peter J. Stewart, 47, born in Glasgow, Scotland, raised in Winter Haven, Florida, accounted for on Feb. 28, 2018, will be buried June 18 in Winter Haven.
Contributor: SBR
*** Colonel Stewart was a member of the 8th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Ubon Airfield, Thailand. On March 15, 1966, he was the bombardier/navigator of a McDonnell Douglas Phantom II Fighter (F-4C) on an armed reconnaissance over Dien Binh Phu, North Vietnam. On making a bombing run on trucks, his aircraft was shot down and exploded. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
You may be gone, no longer living on this earth; but you will live on - in the memories of your family and friends. There will always be a part of you living in your family who knew you and loved you. You will live on because we remember you!
PETER JOSEPH STEWART - Air Force - COL - O6
Age: 61
Race: Caucasian
Date of Birth Aug 12, 1918
From: WINTER HAVEN, FL
Religion: ROMAN CATHOLIC
Marital Status: Married - Margaret Mary DeHaven Stewart (AKA Marsharika Twynette Smith). 6 yrs younger, Born Jan. 30, 1924. Married in Nov. 11, 1944 in Polk C., Florida (Lived in Washington,DC/Lexington,Virginia). has a brother.
* In-Laws: Ford Jewell DeHaven and wife.
*****************************************
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. -- The body of an Air Force colonel is returning home to Florida more than 52 years after his plane was shot down over Vietnam.
Col. Peter Stewart died in the plane crash in 1966. He was 48 years old at the time.
Stewart's family said the military wasn't sure exactly what happened to him until last month.
"When they first notified us all those years ago, there was some thought he might have been a prisoner of war," said Jim Stewart, Stewart's son. "Between the time the first plane cycled back around, there was time for a guy to have gotten out and parachuted to the ground."
For years, the family searched. They even made several trips to Vietnam themselves.
The military notified them last month that his remains had finally been found.
"There's a big hole in our hearts for 52 years that we finally feel like something is there now. We can move on. We can get over this," Jim said.
On Tuesday, the mayor of Winter Haven, along with city council members, presented the family with a resolution honoring Stewart for his service.
"He was such a great guy, and I'm sorry everybody didn't get to meet him," said Stewart's widow, Margaret, noting that her husband would have been almost 100 years old now.
She said having the city honor him and having his remains returned meant a lot to her.
"I'm so grateful I could live long enough to be here," she said.
Stewart's remains will be flown to Tampa on June 16.
His family plans to hold a memorial service and funeral mass in Winter Haven.
*****************************************
***** WASHINGTON (6 April 2018) -- Air Force Col. Peter J. Stewart, missing from the Vietnam War, has now been accounted for.
On March 15, 1966, Stewart, a member of Headquarters, 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, U.S. Air Force, Ubon Airfield, Thailand flying a two-seat McDonnell Douglas Phantom II Fighter (F-4C) aircraft, the second in a flight of two on an armed reconnaissance mission over Dien Binh Phu, North Vietnam. The lead aircraft spotted two vehicles as the flight approached the target area and Stewart responded he was going to strafe the trucks. The lead aircraft, while maneuvering to engage the targets, lost sight of Stewart’s aircraft, but saw a bright orange explosion over the trucks. The flight lead immediately attempted to contact Stewart’s aircraft without result. No parachutes or emergency signals were seen, and all subsequent attempts to contact Stewart and his aircraft commander were unsuccessful. An organized search was not possible due to hostilities in the area. Stewart was subsequently declared missing in action. His status was later amended to deceased.
In June 2017, DPAA identified the remains of the aircraft commander, Col. Martin R. Scott
(Find A Grave Memorial 136725839 & 45121161).
Contributor:SBR
***** Meghan Stewart-McDonagh
My Great Uncle
I am honored that my daughter and I will soon see this memorial. We will pray for you when we arrive and touch your name for my father, your namesake, Peter Stewart.
His tour began on Mar 15, 1966
Casualty was on Jan 28, 1980
In NORTH VIETNAM
Hostile, died while missing, FIXED WING - PILOT
AIR LOSS, CRASH ON LAND
Body was not recovered
Panel 06E - Line 12
Other Personnel In Incident: Martin R. Scott (missing)
On 15 March 1966, Capt. Martin R. Scott, pilot; and then Lt. Col. Peter J. Stewart, co-pilot; comprised the crew of an F4C, call sign "Boron 02," that was the #2 aircraft in a flight of two conducting a late afternoon armed reconnaissance mission along Route 19, south of Dien Binh Phu, North Vietnam.
Once in the target area, Boron Lead contacted the airborne battlefield command and control center (ABCCC), call sign "Crown." Boron flight was directed to reconnoiter Route 19 from south to north for signs of enemy activity. As the flight progressed northward toward Dien Bien Phu, Boron 02 was flying in trail behind the lead aircraft when Lead saw two trucks on the road.
After reporting sighting enemy traffic, Lead initiated a left-hand turn and requested that Capt. Scott and Lt. Col. Stewart to also identify the trucks.
At 1812 hours, Boron 02 confirmed the enemy trucks and Capt. Scott transmitted his intention to strafe them. Approximately 5 seconds later the aircrew of Boron 01 observed a bright orange explosion on the ground covering an area 600 feet long by 100 feet wide.
Boron 01 completed a 300-degree turn while attempting to contact his wingman. When no contact could be established, he contacted Crown with a status report. Crown asked if they saw any parachutes and Lead replied that they had not.
Approximately 2 minutes after impact, the pilot of Boron 01 saw a red double star flare, which rose about 25 feet above the terrain, indicating that at least one of Boron 02's aircrew was alive on the ground and free at least for the moment.
Boron 01 remained in the area conducting an electronic search for approximately 20 minutes when they were relieved by Steel flight. During the time Boron 01 conducted the electronic search, no emergency radio beepers were heard.
No formal organized search and rescue (SAR) mission was initiated because the loss was deep within enemy-held territory and subject to extremely hostile ground fire.
At the time the electronic search was terminated, Peter Stewart and Martin Scott were declared Missing in Action.
***************************************
In 1975, US casualty personnel showed the families of POW/MIAs the US government's "post-capture photo album of unidentified Prisoners of War" in an attempt to identify these men. During their examination of the album, the Stewart family identified one specific photo of a prisoner in captivity as Peter Stewart. Later Air Force representatives assured the Stewart family that the photo they identified as being Lt. Col. Stewart was really another officer who returned to US control during Operation Homecoming.
When the family showed another returned POW the photo of the unidentified prisoner and asked "is the man in the photo and the man the US government claimed to be the same person," the returnee said, "there was 'no way' it was the officer in question." It was later learned that the officer in question had never been shown that photo for identification purposes and he never identified it as being himself.
Over the years Peter Stewart's family continued to follow every lead possible in their search for him. In 1985, they talked to a returned POW who told the family he recalled Peter Stewart's name being passed around the prison camps in which he was held prior to his own release. While this returned POW was able to provide very sketchy information about Peter Steward, he could provide no information about the fate of Martin Scott.
*********************************
.
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