Jolly Green Giant 28 January 1970

Anderson, Gregory Lee
Air Force Staff sergeant

Gregory Lee Anderson, age 22, from Wheaton, Illinois, DuPage county.

Parents: Jack R. Anderson

Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Wheaton Central High (1966)

Date of death: Wednesday, January 28, 1970
Death details: On January 28, 1970, an HH-53B Super Jolly Green Giant (tail number 14434, call sign Jolly Green 71) with a crew of six took off on a search and rescue mission in Laos. While in a holding pattern over the rescue area, the helicopter was struck by enemy fire, causing it to crash. Search and rescue efforts could not be conducted due to a strong enemy presence in the area. The remains of the helicopter’s pilot were returned to U.S. custody after the war; however, the rest of the crew is still unaccounted for. Sergeant Gregory Lee Anderson, who joined the U.S. Air Force from Illinois, was a member of Detachment 9, 601st Photographic Flight. He was the aerial photographer aboard the HH-53B when it went down, and was lost with the aircraft. Attempts to recover or identify his remains have been unsuccessful. Subsequent to the incident, and while carried in the status of missing in action (MIA), the U.S. Air Force promoted Sergeant Anderson to the rank of Staff Sergeant (SSgt). Today, Staff Sergeant Anderson is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Chicago Tribune (1970), Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Bell, Holly Gene
Air Force Major

Holly Gene Bell, age 33, from Beaumont, Texas, Jefferson county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Wednesday, January 28, 1970
Death details: On June 1, 1989, the Central Identification Laboratory-Hawaii (CILHI, now DPAA) identified the remains of Major Holly Gene Bell, missing from the Vietnam War. Major Bell entered the U.S. Air Force from Texas and was a member of 40th Air Rescue and Recovery Squadron. On January 28, 1970, he piloted an HH-53B Super Jolly Green Giant (tail number 14434, call sign “Jolly Green 71”) that took off on a search and rescue mission in Laos. While in a holding pattern over the rescue area, the helicopter was hit by enemy fire and crashed, killing Maj Bell. Search efforts could not be conducted due to a strong enemy presence in the area, and Maj Bell’s remains were not recovered at the time. In 1986, a meeting between U.S. investigators and Vietnamese government officials in Hanoi led to the repatriation of human remains that correlated to Maj Bell’s loss. In 1989, U.S. investigators were able to identify Maj Bell from these remains. Major Bell is memorialized in the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Chicago Tribune (1970), Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Leeser, Leonard Charles
Air Force Captain

Leonard Charles Leeser, age 35, from Floral Park, New York, New York City county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Wednesday, January 28, 1970
Death details: On January 28, 1970, an HH-53B Super Jolly Green Giant (tail number 14434, call sign Jolly Green 71) with a crew of six took off on a search and rescue mission in Laos. While in a holding pattern over the rescue area, the helicopter was struck by enemy fire, causing it to crash. Search and rescue efforts could not be conducted due to a strong enemy presence in the area. The remains of the helicopter’s pilot were returned to U.S. custody after the war; however, the rest of the crew is still unaccounted for. Captain Leonard Charles Leeser, who joined the U.S. Air Force from New York, was a member of the 40th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron. He was the co-pilot of the HH-53B when it went down, and was lost with the aircraft. Attempts to recover or identify his remains following the incident have been unsuccessful. Today, Captain Leeser is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives

Pruett, William David
Air Force Senior Master Sergeant

William David Pruett, age 39, from Bluefield, Virginia, Tazewell county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Wednesday, January 28, 1970
Death details: On January 28, 1970, an HH-53B Super Jolly Green Giant (tail number 14434, call sign Jolly Green 71) with a crew of six took off on a search and rescue mission in Laos. While in a holding pattern over the rescue area, the helicopter was struck by enemy fire, causing it to crash. Search and rescue efforts could not be conducted due to a strong enemy presence in the area. The remains of the helicopter’s pilot were returned to U.S. custody after the war; however, the rest of the crew is still unaccounted for. Senior Master Sergeant William David Pruett, who joined the U.S. Air Force from Virginia, was a member of the 3rd Air Rescue and Recovery Group. He was a pararescueman aboard the HH-53B when it went down, and was lost with the aircraft. Attempts to recover or identify his remains following the incident have been unsuccessful. Today, Senior Master Sergeant Pruett is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives

Shinn, William Charles
Air Force Staff sergeant

William Charles Shinn, age 21, from Woodland Hills, California, Yolo county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Wednesday, January 28, 1970
Death details: On January 28, 1970, an HH-53B Super Jolly Green Giant (tail number 14434, call sign Jolly Green 71) with a crew of six took off on a search and rescue mission in Laos. While in a holding pattern over the rescue area, the helicopter was struck by enemy fire, causing it to crash. Search and rescue efforts could not be conducted due to a strong enemy presence in the area. The remains of the helicopter’s pilot were returned to U.S. custody after the war; however, the rest of the crew is still unaccounted for. Sergeant William Charles Shinn, who joined the U.S. Air Force from California, was a member of the 40th Air Rescue and Recovery Squadron. He was flight engineer aboard the HH-53B when it went down, and was lost with the aircraft. Attempts to recover or identify his remains following the incident have been unsuccessful. Subsequent to the incident, and while carried in the status of missing in action (MIA), the U.S. Air Force promoted Sergeant Shinn to the rank of Staff Sergeant (SSgt). Today, Staff Sergeant Shinn is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Sutton, William Carl
Air Force Master sergeant

William Carl Sutton, age 34, from Goldsboro, North Carolina, Wayne county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Wednesday, January 28, 1970
Death details: On January 28, 1970, an HH-53B Super Jolly Green Giant (tail number 14434, call sign Jolly Green 71) with a crew of six took off on a search and rescue mission in Laos. While in a holding pattern over the rescue area, the helicopter was struck by enemy fire, causing it to crash. Search and rescue efforts could not be conducted due to a strong enemy presence in the area. The remains of the helicopter’s pilot were returned to U.S. custody after the war; however, the rest of the crew is still unaccounted for. Technical Sergeant William Carl Sutton, who joined the U.S. Air Force from North Carolina, was a member of the 37th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Group. He was a pararescueman aboard the HH-53B when it went down, and was lost with the aircraft. Attempts to recover or identify his remains following the incident have been unsuccessful. Subsequent to the incident, and while carried in the status of missing in action (MIA), the U.S. Air Force promoted Technical Sergeant Sutton to the rank of Master Sergeant (MSgt). Today, Master Sergeant Sutton is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

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