William Joseph Potter Jr.
| LtCol William J. Potter, Jr | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
Military Service
- Rank: Lt Col (promoted while missing)
- Serial Number:
- Type: Co-Pilot/Navigator
- Squadron: 606th Air Commando Squadron
Lt Col Potter first served in the US Army and was a member of the Honor Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Missions
29 Dec 1967 - Pilot Capt Carlos Rafael Cruz, co-pilot Cpt William J. Potter Jr., and crewmember SMS Paul Leonard Foster comprised the crew of an A-26A Invader (64-17641) assigned a mission in Laos December 29, 1967. The three flew from Nakhon Phanom from the 606th Air Commando Squadron to a target area along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. At 1358 hours, as the Invader made an attack pass on its target, it was struck by enemy ground fire and seen to crash on the east side of a mountain with a jungle covered valley. The last known location for the plane was about 15 miles northwest of the city of Muang Xepone (Sepone) in Savannakhet Province. This is just about due west of the DMZ in Vietnam. No parachutes were seen, and no emergency radio beeper signals were heard by aircraft in the area. A day or so before the Invader was shot down, Lao Premier Souvanna Phouma reported that North Vietnamese troops had started a general offensive against Lao government forces in southern Laos. North Vietnam denied this report on December 29th, the day the Invader was shot down. The three men onboard the Invader were declared Missing in Action. The U.S. believes the enemy may know their fates. Unfortunately, although the Pathet Lao stated publicly that they held American prisoners, the U.S. never negotiated for their freedom. Consequently, no American held in Laos has ever been released. For decades the fates of the crew of the Invader remained unknown. Then on October 18, 1995 it was announced that remains had been recovered and positively identified as the lost crewmen. (Taken from pownetwork.org)
The following correspondence to Carlos Cruz's daughter sheds more light on the final mission:
February 25, 2010,
Dear Ms. Carla Cruz,
I just received my copy of the Air Commando Newsletter and read your letter regarding the death of your father in 29th day of Dec. 1967. I was also stationed at NKP during that time and I flew a C-123 and your dad flew the B026's. The night of 29 Dec., your father and I went to church together at 5PM and then we went to intelligence briefing at 6PM. After briefing , we went to our own aircraft and took off between 6:30 and 7:00PM.
My aircraft's job was to find trucks on the roads in Laos. For your info "Alley Cat" was the control ship and would schedule the roads to check. Sometime around 10PM we found some trucks and reported it to Alley Cat. Alley Cat sent us a bomber and it was your Dad. He came down and we talked to him by radio and pointed out where the truck was. We had dropped 4 flashes which lighted the area. Your Dad made one strike as we made a 180 degree turn and came back to drop 4 more flares. He then made a strike again and we made a 180 degree turn. As I turned around there was a stream of ground fire and it hit his aircraft and he was on fire.
I hollered on the radio to him and I said "GET OUT" and the last word your Dad said to me was "I CAN'T" and then he crashed in the mountain.
I often think of that night and hear his last two words. He was outstanding and I will never forget that night. I returned from the Air Force as a Col. in 1979 and moved to Texas. I am sorry for your loss and God Bless all of you.
Yours,
Raymond G Mong
Citations & Awards
- Purple Heart
- Air Medal
- Air Force Presidential Unit Citation
- Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
- Army Good Conduct Medal
- National Defense Service Medal
- Vietnam Service Medal
- Air Force Longevity Award
- Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon
- Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation
- Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
Planes
Crew
Cpt Carlos Rafael Cruz
SMsgt Paul Leonard Foster
Disposition
- MIA 29 Dec 1967
- Remains recovered 17 Mar 1993
- Remains identified 18 Oct 1995
He is listed on the Vietnam Wall, Panel 32E, Line 96.
Personal Life
William Joseph Potter, Jr was born 24 Sep 1935 in Ambridge, Beaver County, PA.
Potter is buried in a joint grave in Arlington Cemetery with his crewmembers, Paul Leonard Foster & William Joseph Potter Jr..
Family
Images
Records and Personnel Information
Personnel Data on these pages came from the following sources:
- Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund - Wall of Faces (www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces)
- Honor States (www.honorstates.org)
- Together We Served (http://airforce.togetherweserved.com/usaf)
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