Unit: HHC, 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division
Date of Birth: 28 June 1945
Home City of Record: Bradenton FL
Date of Loss: 05 February 1970
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 163045N 1072824E (YD494093)
Status (in 1973): Returned POW
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: UH1H
Other Personnel in Incident: Tom Y. Kobashigawa,
Daniel H. Hefel (returned POWs); James M. Lyon
(missing)
REMARKS: 730327 RELSD BY PRG
Source: Compiled by HOMECOMING II and the P.O.W.
NETWORK from one or more of the following: raw
data from U.S. Government agency sources,
correspondence with POW/MIA families, published
sources, interviews.
SYNOPSIS: At 1530 hours on February 5, 1970, Capt.
James M. Lyon, pilot, Capt. John W. Parsels,
copilot, SP5 Tom Y. Kobashigawa, crew chief, and
SP4 Daniel Hefel, door gunner, were flying a UH1H
helicopter (serial #68-16441) on a maintenance
mission from Hue to Phy Bai, South Vietnam. When
the aircraft was about 18 miles northwest of Hue
City, the helicopter caught fire and crashed (due
to a malfunction). Capt. Lyon was thrown clear of
the aircraft and was burned extensively over his
body and part of his right leg. His leg was
severed four inches below the knee. The other
crew members were also injured and could not take
evasie action. They were captured at 1630 hours
by NVA troops and spent the night near the crash
site. Throughout the night, the crew members
heard their pilot yelling and moaning in pain. At
0600 hours, Capt. Lyon moaned and then a shot was
heard from his position about 30 feet from the
aircraft wreckage. No other outcry from Capt.
Lyon was heard, and the others believed that he
had been killed by the guard. Two weeks later,
Capt. Parsels was told by 1Lt. Lee Van Mac (an
NVA commander at "Camp Farnsworth") that Capt.
Lyon died from his wounds and was buried at the
crash site. 1Lt. Lee Van Mac gave Capt. Parsels
the personal effects of Capt. Lyon, including his
ID card and several photos which appeared to be
of Lyon's wife. In late March, 1973, Parsels,
Hefel and Kobashigawa were released from prisons
in North Vietnam. In their debriefings, all three
concurred on the story that Lyon had apparently
been shot. They considered it a mercy killing,
because their pilot had been so seriously injured
that they doubted that he could survive.
Curiously, the Vietamese have not returned the
body of Capt. James M. Lyon, nor have they been
forthcoming with information concerning him.
Tragically, Capt. Lyon has been a prisoner of war
for nearly 20 years - alive or dead. Even more
tragic are the thousands of reports that continue
to flow in indicating that some hundreds of
Americans are still prisoner in Indochina. It's
long past time we brought our men home.
SOURCE: WE CAME HOME copyright 1977
Captain and Mrs. Frederic A Wyatt (USNR Ret),
Barbara Powers Wyatt, Editor P.O.W. Publications,
10250 Moorpark St., Toluca Lake, CA 91602
Text is reproduced as found in the original
publication (including date and spelling errors).
UPDATE - 09/95 by the P.O.W. NETWORK, Skidmore, MO
JOHN W. PARSELS
Captain - United States Army
Shot Down: February 5, 1970
Released: March 27, 1973
I was born 28 June 1945 in Tecumseh, Michigan. I
have a sister six years younger, a brother nine
years younger and a brother three years older. I
spent my early childhood in a small town near
Jackson, Michigan. At age fourteen my family
moved to Bradenton, Florida where I attended
Southeast high school until I got married during
the summer of my junior-senior year. My wife and
I completed our high school education at Manatee
Adult education and graduated on June 4th 1964.
We were divorced in 1966. I have two boys, Donny,
age 6, and Johnny, age 9. I was drafted in
December 1965 and took basic training at Ft.
Benning, Georgia where I applied for Officer
Candidate School (OCS). Upon completion of OCS I
went to Korea as a 2nd Lieutenant, Infantry. I
spent 9 months as an Instructor and Asst.
Commandant of the 7th Infantry Division, Counter
Guerrilla Warfare School. At that time I
transferred to 2nd Battalion 31st Infantry and
spent 4 months on the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)
before returning to Ft. Wolters, Texas to attend
Rotary Wing Flight training.I spent 4 months at
Wolters going through the primary phase of
Helicopter training and then went to Ft. Rucker,
Alabama for 4 months in the secondary phase of
training and graduated as a pilot in February
1969. On March 13, 1969 I was promoted to Captain
and went to Ft. Eustis, Virginia to attend
aircraft Maintenance Officers Course and
graduated as a maintenance officer on July 2,
1969. On August 14th, 1969 1 arrived in South
Vietnam and was assigned to 5th Transportation
Battalion, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile) at
Hue (Way) city. I spent 5 months with 5th
Transportation as shop platoon leader before
transferring to Headquarters and Headquarters
Company 2nd Infantry Brigade, Aviation Platoon,
Maintenance Officer. On 5 February 1970 while on
an area orientation flight near the Ashau Valley
the UH-1-H Huey helicopter which I was flying in
as co-Pilot, crashed into the side of a mountain
at a speed of approximately 100 mph. The aircraft
caught fire seconds after impact. I was able to
crawl away from the aircraft although I sustained
a broken leg in the crash. The other three crew
members were also able to get away from the
aircraft although the Aircraft Commander (the
other Pilot) was injured badly and I believe died
later. Approximately one hour after the crash we
were taken prisoner by what I believe to have
been North Vietnamese soldiers. They tied my
hands behind my back and left me Iying where they
found me until the next morning. At that time
they put me in a hammock and carried me for six
days over mountainous terrain to a camp I believe
to have been somewhere in Laos. My crew chief and
door gunner were also carried to this camp,
although they were kept separated from me. I was
given penicillin shots for infection and vitamin
shots to keep my health for the entire two months
that I was kept at this camp. I was given plenty
of food which consisted of rice with a bowl of
bouillon type soup three times a day. They also
straightened my leg and splinted it. In April I
was able to walk on crutches and was moved by
truck to North Vietnam. For the first eight
months I was kept at a camp outside Hanoi where
the treatment was the worst of my entire
captivity. For the first four months I was kept
in solitary confinement where I passed the time
thinking about my past, future, and the
predicament I was in at the time I also would go
mosquito hunting nightly, play with ants, watch
a baby rat playing in the room, and spend at
least a half an hour brushing my teeth each
morning along with many hours exercising my leg
and cleaning my room. After four months I was
moved in with three other pilots. Our food was
totally inadequate at this camp. It consisted
of two bowls of watery soup made of squash or
greens, and two small loaves of french type bread
and occasionally; a few chicken bones. The
medical treatment was fair. We suffered with skin
rashes, diarrhea, and occasional malaria attacks.
We were harassed constantly and spent all but
about an hour in the room. We took a bath every
other day. In November 1970 we were moved to a
Camp called Plantation Gardens located in Hanoi.
At this camp conditions were much better. We got
enough food, fairly good medical treatment and
very little harassment. We exercised approximately
one hour a day and took a bath six days a week.
We were also given several Russian novels along
with a few American novels and magazines. We were
shown movies once a month and given cards, chess
and checkers. On holidays, including our
Independence Day, we received special meals. Our
Christmas meal consisted of turkey, french fries,
salad, pork, soup, bananas, and a half bottle of
beer. We listened to the voice of Vietnam radio
daily which gave us their propaganda, any anti-war
protests from the states, some sports from the
states and sometimes American music. There were a
few instances when prisoners were beaten in this
camp for violating Camp Regulations which could
include anything they wanted to call a regulation.
I was put on my knees for about three hours with
my hands over my head and then shackled to a bed
in solitary for a week for talking to other
prisoners. Before 1969 there was a lot of beating
and torture. Also in this camp from about April
til September or October, we would constantly
sweat. The rooms were very poorly ventilated and
the temperature would stay in the high 90's or
100's. We would sweat 24 hours a day. All we had
to cool ourselves with was a small hand fan.
During this time we would break out with heat
rash and boils over our entire bodies. These
months were truly miserable. In December 1973,
we were moved to a portion of the Hanoi Hilton
which is an old French prison. The facilities
there were much better. More ventilation, larger
rooms, and we were allowed outside with everyone
else for at least half the day. This is where we
were released from in three groups. I was in the
last group released on 27 March 1973. I always
felt that someday I would be released but the
question was when? My main concern from the
beginning was to let my family and everyone know
that I was still alive. I was having a constant
battle with my faith in God and I questioned
everything - from myself, our country, our way of
life, our political system, and our government's
policies. Since I've returned to the United States
I find I have a very strong faith in God. I
believe He has guided me through my life and keeps
me headed in the right direction. I have been
exposed to communist propaganda and this has made
me appreciate our country and our way of life.
Believe me when I say this is the greatest
country in the world! I have learned the value
education, not only for the ability to have a
good job, but to be aware of what's going on in
the world. Before I was captured I was like the
majority of American people who don't take the
time to read and look into what's going on, or to
vote. When the Vietnamese started telling about
the war and the reasons we were there. I had
nothing to come back with because I had never
taken the time to look into it and find out why.
All I knew was that we were there to help the
Vietnamese people. I was also very disappointed
when I learned of the low percentage of people
who exercised their privilege to vote. I feel
that if everyone would vote, then we could make
this country a better country than it already is.
I also learned that the Vietnamese people are
human just like you and I. They love, hate, and
have the same feelings as we do. I have no hatred
towards the Vietnamese as people. All war is
senseless and should never happen. I hope the
future will bring peace to Vietnam and the WORLD.
I have a great respect for President Nixon for
getting us out of Vietnam, especially after
reading the Pentagon Papers, which allowed me to
understand the very difficult decisions which he
had to make concerning the Vietnam situation.
Also, I feel that if our return has helped to
re-unite our country, then my three years in
"captivity" have been well spent. There are still
many Americans that are still Missing in Action.
Let us not forget these men. Let us remain united
in our efforts to find out the status of these
Americans. God bless all of you for your concern
that you have shown towards us.God Bless America!
December 1996
John Parsels retired from the United States Army
as a Major. He resides in Florida.
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