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    Maj. Joseph E. Bower United States Air Force Status (in 1973)-Killed/Body Not Recovered Date of Loss-3 August 1965 Country of Loss: North Vietnam Category: 3   Article written by Erin Macgillivray Smith--In Memoriam: Joseph Edward Bower |
Major Bower was born in 1929 and records state that his home of record was Ely, NV.  The F105 Thunderchief ("Thud") in its various versions, flew more missions against North Vietnam then any other U.S. aircraft. It also suffered more losses, partially due to its vulnerability, which was constantly under revision. Between 1965 and 1971, the aircraft equipped with armor plate, a secondary flight control system, better blind bombing capability and ECM pods for the wings. While the D version was a single-place aircraft, the F model carried a second crewman which made it well suited for the role of suppressing North Vietnam's missile defenses. Major Joseph E. Bower was an F105D pilot assigned an operational mission over North Vietnam on 3 August 1965. During the mission, Bower's aircraft was struck by hostile fire and Bower radioed that he was heading for sea (to facilitate easier rescue). Shortly afterward, the aircraft became uncontrollable. Bower ejected from the aircraft. He was at the time about 20 miles southeast of the city of Vinh in Ha Tinh Province, North Vietnam, very near the coastline.  Observers say that Bower's parachute did not open until just prior to his impact with the water. Air Force narratives do not describe search and recovery efforts, but Bower was not recovered, and was declared Missing in Action. Because of the proximity to the coastline, there was every reason to suspect that, if he survived the ejection, Bower might have been captured by any of the multitude of enemy vessels which dotted the coastline. On 9 August, unspecified information was received by U.S. intelligence that Bower died at the time of the incident. He was then declared Killed in Action/Body Not Recovered. Because his remains have not been recovered and returned, Bower is listed by the Department of Defense as unaccounted for in Southeast Asia. Bower's unit in Vietnam is not recorded by the Air Force. His last known duty assignment was with the 421st Tatctical Fighter Squadron at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas. Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 30 April 1990 from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Governement agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews. Copyright 1990 Homecoming II project. Updated by the P.O.W. Network 1998. Received by: Operation Just Cause Adopt a POW/MIA Program "No serviceman or woman from any war, is still noted by the United States Government as being a "Prisoner of War" (POW) or "Missing in Action" (MIA). Presumptive Finding of Death hearings have been held on each and every one, as mandated by the Missing Service Personnel Act. The result has been status changes from POW and MIA to Killed in Action/Body not Recovered (KIA/BNR) or Presumptive Finding of Death (PFOD). Included in these status changes, were the 324 servicemen in the Vietnam conflict that were "last known alive."
All posted biographies will state the status as of 1973, prior to many PFOD hearings, and promotions at the time of the hearings. Most family members and concerned citizens still refer to the ORIGINAL status of their loved ones -- using POW or MIA." Credits-Thank You ^i^
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