B52 shot down 20 December 1972

Lerner, Irwin Stuart
Air Force Major

Irwin Stuart Lerner from Stratford, Connecticut.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: December 20, 1972
Death details: On September 29, 2003, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now DPAA) identified the remains of Major Irwin Stuart Lerner, missing from the Vietnam War.
Major Lerner joined the U.S. Air Force from New York and was a member of the 346th Bombardment Squadron. On December 20, 1972, he was the electronic warfare officer aboard a B-52D Stratofortress on a bombing mission against enemy targets in Hanoi, Vietnam. The B-52D was shot down by a surface-to-air missile during the mission, and Maj Lerner was killed in the resulting crash. Enemy control of the area prevented search efforts for those lost in the incident. After the war, joint U.S. and Vietnamese search teams investigated the B-52D’s crash site. In 1986, Vietnamese officials turned over a set of remains that had been recovered from the site to U.S. custody. Advances in forensic techniques eventually allowed for the remains to be identified as those of Maj Lerner.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

McLaughlin, Arthur Vincent Jr.
Air Force cms

Arthur Vincent Jr. McLaughlin, age 38, from Roxbury, Massachusetts.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: December 20, 1972
Death details:  On December 20, 1972, a B-52 Stratofortress (tail number 56-0622, call sign “Orange 03”) with a crew of six embarked on a combat mission over Hanoi, North Vietnam. The aircraft, which was third in a flight of three, was hit by a surface to air missile while over the target. The aircraft burst into a large fireball and crashed in the vicinity of (GC) 48Q WJ 869 477. Crew members in other aircraft did not see any parachutes and detected no rescue beepers. Because of the heavy enemy fire and the fact that the loss location was deep in enemy territory, a search and rescue effort could not be conducted. It was later learned that two of the crew members survived the crash, were held as prisoners of war in North Vietnam, and were eventually released. A joint US/Vietnamese mission resulted in the recovery of the remains of two of the crew members. The other two crew members remain unaccounted for.

Master Sergeant Arthur Vincent McLaughlin Jr., who joined the U.S. Air Force from Massachusetts, served with the 307th Strategic Wing. He was the aerial gunner aboard the Stratofortress when it crashed, and his remains were not recovered. After the incident, the Air Force promoted MSgt McLaughlin to the rank of Chief Master Sergeant (CMSgt). Today, Chief Master Sergeant McLaughlin is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Stuart, John Franklin
Air Force Lieutenant colonel

John Franklin Stuart, age 39, from Indianapolis, Indiana.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: December 20, 1972
Death details: 

On December 20, 1972, a B-52 Stratofortress (tail number 56-0622, call sign “Orange 03”) with a crew of six embarked on a combat mission over Hanoi, North Vietnam. The aircraft, which was third in a flight of three, was hit by a surface to air missile while over the target. The aircraft burst into a large fireball and crashed in the vicinity of (GC) 48Q WJ 869 477. Crew members in other aircraft did not see any parachutes and detected no rescue beepers. Because of the heavy enemy fire and the fact that the loss location was deep in enemy territory, a search and rescue effort could not be conducted. It was later learned that two of the crew members survived the crash, were held as prisoners of war in North Vietnam, and were eventually released. A joint US/Vietnamese mission resulted in the recovery of the remains of two of the crew members. The other two crew members remain unaccounted for.

Major John Franklin Stuart, who joined the U.S. Air Force from Indiana, served with the 307th Strategic Wing. He was the aircraft commander of the Stratofortress when it crashed, and his remains were not recovered. After the incident, the Air Force promoted Major Stuart to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col). Today, Lieutenant Colonel Stuart is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Perry, Randolph Allen Jr.
Air Force Lieutenant colonel

Randolph Allen Jr. Perry, age 35, from Montana, Lincoln county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Wednesday, December 20, 1972

Death details: On September 29, 2003, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now DPAA) identified the remains of Lieutenant Colonel Randolph Allen Perry Jr., missing from the Vietnam War.

Lieutenant Colonel Perry joined the U.S. Air Force from Montana and was a member of the 346th Bombardment Squadron. On December 20, 1972, he was a crew member aboard a B-52D Stratofortress on a bombing mission against enemy targets in Hanoi, Vietnam. The B-52D was shot down by a surface-to-air missile during the mission, and Lt Col Perry was killed in the resulting crash. Enemy control of the are prevented search efforts for those lost in the incident. In 1985, a joint U.S. and Vietnamese search team recovered a set of remains from the B-52D’s crash site outside of Hanoi. Advances in forensic techniques eventually allowed the remains to be identified as those of Lt Col Perry.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Back To Top