Bird Dog 9 June 1970

Hilbrich, Barry Wayne
Army Captain

Barry Wayne Hilbrich, age 22, from Corpus Christi, Texas, Nueces county.

Parents: Alfred (1922-95) and Ottie Hilbrich

Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Carroll High (1964)

Date of death: Tuesday, June 9, 1970
Death details: On June 9, 1970, an O-1F Bird Dog (tail number 57-2890, call sign “Mike 81”) with two crew members departed Pleiku Air Base on a visual reconnaissance mission over Kontum Province, South Vietnam. West of Pleiku, the pilot contacted the tactical air control center on a routine communication check and did not report any problems. The pilot missed the next scheduled radio communication and was not heard from again, and the aircraft never returned to base. Bad weather prevented search and rescue efforts from beginning until the following day, and searches then continued for nine days without success. Neither crew member could be located following the incident. Captain Barry Wayne Hilbrich, who joined the U.S. Army from Texas, served in Company B, 5th Special Forces Group. He was the observer in the Bird Dog when it disappeared, and his remains were not recovered. Today, Captain Hilbrich is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Corpus Christi Times

Ryder, John Leslie
Air Force 1st lieutenant

John Leslie Ryder, age 23, from Chisholm, Minnesota, Saint Louis county.

Parents: John Ryder

Service era: Vietnam
Schools: United State Air Force Academy (1968)

Date of death: Tuesday, June 9, 1970
Death details: Ryder was the pilot of an O1F spotter aircraft. He departed Pleiku Airbase on a visual reconnaissance mission south of Ben Het in South Vietnam with a destination of Camp Dak Saeng. The aircraft was located just north of Pleiku and was in radio contact with the tactical air control center. The next scheduled radio contact was at 1327 hours, but no further communication was established. He was reported missing. No immediate visual search could be initiated because of weather, and an electronic search conducted produced no trace of the aircraft of the crew. During June 10-19, an extensive search was conducted. He was officially classified Missing In Action. It cannot be determined whether the enemy knew their fates. Ryder’s mother visited the Vietnamese in England in 1976. While she said they were very cordial, they repeated “they will give out no information on the missing men until the U.S.A. has rebuilt Vietnam.”

Source: National Archives, The Bemidji Pioneer (1973)

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