CHARLES HAROLD W. READ JR.
Rank/Branch: O4/US Air Force
Unit: 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Udorn
Date of Birth: 03 February 1929
Home City of Record: Miami FL
Date of Loss: 24 August 1968
Country of Loss: North Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 174000N 1062400E (XE456547)
Status (in 1973): Missing in Action
Refno: 1262
Other Personnel in Incident: Melvin E. Ladewig
(missing)
Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 March
1991 from one or more of the following: raw data
from U.S. Government agency sources,
correspondence with POW/MIA families, published
sources, interviews. Updated by the P.O.W.
NETWORK 1998.
REMARKS:
SYNOPSIS: The Phantom, used by Air Force, Marine
and Navy air wings, served a multitude of functions
including fighter-bomber and interceptor, photo
and electronic surveillance. The two man aircraft
was extremely fast (Mach 2), and had a long range
(900 - 2300 miles, depending on stores and
mission type). The F4 was also extremely
maneuverable and handled well at low and high
altitudes. Most pilots considered it one of the
"hottest" planes around.
Maj. Charles H.W. Read Jr. was the pilot and 1Lt.
Melvin E. Ladewig the Weapons Systems Officer
onboard an F4D from the 497th Tactical Fighter
Squadron based at Udorn, Thailand. On August 24,
1968, they were the crew of the number 2 aircraft
in a flight of two assigned an armed
reconnaissance mission over North Vietnam.
As the flight was over Quang Binh province about
10 miles southwest of the city of Quang Khe, a
bombing run was made and afterwards, Read's
aircraft was seen as a large fireball on the
ground by the pilots of the lead aircraft. They
reported no radio contact with either pilot prior
to the crash, nor did they see parachutes or hear
any emergency radio beeper signals to indicate
Read and Ladewig ejected from the aircraft prior
to its crashing.
However, Ladewig and Read were not declared dead,
so the possibility existed that they safely left
the aircraft. Both were listed Missing in Action.
Since the war ended, the Defense Department has
received over 10,000 reports relating to the men
still unaccounted for in Southeast Asia, yet
concludes that no actionable evidence has been
received that would indicate Americans are still
alive in Southeast Asia. A recent Senate
investigation indicates that most of these reports
were dismissed without just cause, and that there
is every indication that Americans remained in
captivity far after the war ended, and may be
alive today.
It's time we learned the truth about our missing
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