AC47D Spooky

Christiano, Joseph
Air Force Colonel

Joseph Christiano, age 43, from Monroe County Rochester, New York .

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Friday, December 24, 1965
Death details: On April 5, 2012, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now DPAA) identified the remains of Colonel Joseph Christiano, missing from the Vietnam War. Colonel Christiano entered the U.S. Air Force from New York and was a member of the 4th Air Commando Squadron. On December 24, 1965, he was a crew member aboard an AC-47D Spooky (serial number unknown), carrying five other crew members on an armed reconnaissance mission against enemy targets over southern Laos. The gunship aircraft crashed during the mission in Savannakhet Province, and Col Christiano was killed in the incident along with the other crew members. In 1995, a joint U.S./Laotian team investigated a reported location in Savannakhet Province that led the team to the Spooky’s crash site and recovery of aircraft wreckage. The team re-visited the site from 1999 to 2001, and again in 2010 and 2011, and recovered human remains, personal items, and military equipment. Modern forensic techniques identified Col Christiano among the remains recovered. Colonel Christiano is memorialized in the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed along with all his fallen comrades on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.
Cemetery: Arlington National

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Colwell, William Kevin
Air Force Chief master sergeant

William Kevin Colwell, age 44, from Nassau County Glen Cove, New York .

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Friday, December 24, 1965
Death details: Hostile, died missing, Laos; The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of six servicemen, missing in action from the Vietnam War, were recently identified and are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors. Air Force Col. Joseph Christiano of Rochester, N.Y.; Col. Derrell B. Jeffords of Florence, S.C.; Lt. Col. Dennis L. Eilers of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Chief Master Sgt. William K. Colwell of Glen Cove, N.Y.; Chief Master Sgt. Arden K. Hassenger of Lebanon, Ore.; and Chief Master Sgt. Larry C. Thornton of Idaho Falls, Idaho, will be buried as a group in a single casket representing the entire crew on July 9 in Arlington National Cemetery. On Dec. 24, 1965, the crew was aboard an AC-47D aircraft nicknamed “Spooky” that failed to return from a combat strike mission in southern Laos. After a “mayday” signal was sent, all contact was lost with the crew. Following the crash, two days of search efforts for the aircraft and crew were unsuccessful. In 1995, a joint United States-Lao People’s Democratic Republic (L.P.D.R.) team investigated a crash in Savannakhet Province, Laos. Local villagers recalled seeing a two-propeller aircraft, similar to an AC-47D, crash in December 1965. A local man found aircraft wreckage in a nearby field while farming, and led the team to that location. The team recovered small pieces of aircraft wreckage at that time and recommended further investigative visits. Joint U.S.-L.P.D.R. investigation and recovery teams re-visited the site four times from 1999 to 2001. They conducted additional interviews with locals, recovered military equipment, and began an excavation. No human remains were recovered, so the excavation was suspended pending additional investigation. In 2010, joint U.S.-L.P.D.R. recovery teams again excavated the crash site. The team recovered human remains, personal items, and military equipment. Three additional excavations in 2011 recovered additional human remains and evidence. Scientists from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command used dental records and circumstantial evidence in the identification of their remains.
Cemetery: Arlington National

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Eilers, Dennis Lee
Air Force Captain

Dennis Lee Eilers, age 27, from Linn County Cedar Rapids, Iowa .

Parents: Walter Eilers

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Friday, December 24, 1965
Death details: Hostile, missing, body not recovered in Laos; The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of six servicemen, missing in action from the Vietnam War, were recently identified and are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors. Air Force Col. Joseph Christiano of Rochester, N.Y.; Col. Derrell B. Jeffords of Florence, S.C.; Lt. Col. Dennis L. Eilers of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Chief Master Sgt. William K. Colwell of Glen Cove, N.Y.; Chief Master Sgt. Arden K. Hassenger of Lebanon, Ore.; and Chief Master Sgt. Larry C. Thornton of Idaho Falls, Idaho, will be buried as a group in a single casket representing the entire crew on July 9 in Arlington National Cemetery. On Dec. 24, 1965, the crew was aboard an AC-47D aircraft nicknamed “Spooky” that failed to return from a combat strike mission in southern Laos. After a “mayday” signal was sent, all contact was lost with the crew. Following the crash, two days of search efforts for the aircraft and crew were unsuccessful. In 1995, a joint United States-Lao People’s Democratic Republic (L.P.D.R.) team investigated a crash in Savannakhet Province, Laos. Local villagers recalled seeing a two-propeller aircraft, similar to an AC-47D, crash in December 1965. A local man found aircraft wreckage in a nearby field while farming, and led the team to that location. The team recovered small pieces of aircraft wreckage at that time and recommended further investigative visits. Joint U.S.-L.P.D.R. investigation and recovery teams re-visited the site four times from 1999 to 2001. They conducted additional interviews with locals, recovered military equipment, and began an excavation. No human remains were recovered, so the excavation was suspended pending additional investigation. In 2010, joint U.S.-L.P.D.R. recovery teams again excavated the crash site. The team recovered human remains, personal items, and military equipment. Three additional excavations in 2011 recovered additional human remains and evidence. Scientists from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command used dental records and circumstantial evidence in the identification of their remains.
Cemetery: Arlington National

Source: National Archives, Department of Defense. Findagrave.com

Hassenger, Arden Keith
Air Force Major sergeant

Arden Keith Hassenger, age 29, from Linn County Lebanon, Oregon .

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Friday, December 24, 1965
Death details: On March 22, 2012, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now DPAA) identified the remains of Chief Master Sergeant Arden Keith Hassenger, missing from the Vietnam War. Chief Master Sergeant Hassenger entered the U.S. Air Force from Michigan and was a member of the 4th Air Commando Squadron. On December 24, 1965, he was a crew member aboard an AC-47D Spooky gunship carrying five other crew members on an armed reconnaissance mission against enemy targets over southern Laos. The aircraft crashed during the mission in Savannakhet Province and CMSgt Hassenger was killed in the incident along with the other crew members. In 1995, a joint U.S./Laotian team investigated a reported location in Savannakhet Province that led the team to the Spooky’s crash site and recovery of aircraft wreckage. The team re-visited the site from 1999 to 2001, and again in 2010 and 2011, and recovered human remains, personal items, and military equipment. Modern forensic techniques were able to identify CMSgt Hassenger among the remains recovered.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Jeffords, Derrell Blackburn
Air Force Colonel

Derrell Blackburn Jeffords, age 40, from Maricopa County Arizona.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Friday, December 24, 1965
Death details: On March 5, 2012, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now DPAA) identified the remains of Colonel Derrell Blackburn Jeffords, missing from the Vietnam War. Colonel Jeffords entered the U.S. Air Force from South Carolina and was a member of the 4th Air Commando Squadron. On December 24, 1965, he was the pilot of an AC-47D Spooky (serial number unknown) that carried five other crew members on an armed reconnaissance mission against enemy targets over southern Laos. The gunship aircraft crashed during the mission in Savannakhet Province and Col Jeffords was killed in the incident along with the other crew members, but his remains were not recovered at the time. In 1995, a joint U.S./Laotian team investigated a location in Savannakhet Province that led the team to the Spooky’s crash site and recovery of aircraft wreckage. The team returned to the site in 1999 to 2001, and again in 2010 and 2011, and recovered human remains, personal items, and military equipment. Modern forensic techniques identified Col Jeffords among the remains recovered.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Thornton, Larry C.
Air Force Chief master sergeant

Larry C. Thornton, age 33, from Bonneville County Idaho Falls, Idaho .

Parents: Cliff Thornton

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Friday, December 24, 1965
Death details: On April 10, 2012, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now DPAA) identified the remains of Chief Master Sergeant Larry C. Thornton, missing from the Vietnam War. Chief Master Sergeant Thornton entered the U.S. Air Force from Idaho and was a member of the 4th Air Commando Squadron. On December 24, 1965, he was a crew member aboard an AC-47D Spooky gunship carrying five other crew members on an armed reconnaissance mission against enemy targets in southern Laos. The aircraft crashed during the mission in Savannakhet Province and CMSgt Thornton was killed in the incident along with the other crew members. In 1995, a joint U.S./Laotian team investigated a reported location in Savannakhet Province that led the team to the Spooky’s crash site and recovery of aircraft wreckage. The team re-visited the site from 1999 to 2001, and again in 2010 and 2011, and recovered human remains, personal items, and military equipment. Modern forensic techniques were able to identify CMSgt Thornton among the remains recovered.

Source: National Archives, UPI (1965), Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

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