JOHN GROVE TRAVER III
Unit: 176th Aviation Company, 14th Aviation
Battalion, 16th Aviation Group, 23rd
Infantry Division (Americal)
Date of Birth: 20 May 1949
Home City of Record: Jacksonville FL
Date of Loss: 22 March 1971
Loss Coordinates: 163623N 1063343E (XD666365)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: UH1H
Refno: 1733
Source: Compiled 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 in 1998.
Other Personnel In Incident: Reginald D. Cleve;
Walter R. Hall; Donald P. Knutsen (all missing)
REMARKS: CRASH - N EXITS OBS - NO SEARCH - J
SYNOPSIS: The families of the men aboard the UH1H
aircraft lost on March 22, 1971 were given the
following account: On March 22, 1971, W1 Reginald
Cleve, aircraft commander; W1 John G. Traver,
pilot; SP4 Donald P. Knutsen, crew chief; and
Walter R. Hall, door gunner, comprised the crew
of a UH1H helicopter in a flight of five
helicopters conducting an emergency resupply
mission when the helicopter burst into flames and
crashed.
The aircraft was flying at an altitude of about
5000 feet above sea level in Savannakhet Province,
Laos, when it was fired upon by a hostile ground
force and an explosion occurred in the cargo
compartment. The helicopter impacted essentially
in one piece and again exploded and continued to
burn. No one was observed to exit the aircraft,
and it was the opinion of the investigating
committee that no one could have survived. No
rescue attempts were made due to the heavy
concentration of enemy troops and the aircraft
fire in the area.
A family member of one of the crew states, "one
reason for our feeling that he may still be alive
is that his craft was hit, and he radioed to the
leader of the mission that he would be forced to
land. The remainder of the aircraft went on to
deliver their cargoes, and as they returned to
their base, they reportedly passed over this site.
They saw (the downed helicopter) on the ground,
but there was NOT any fire, nor did they see any
of the men around it."
Because thousands of reports have been received
that Americans are still alive in Indochina, and
because distorted stories were given many family
members, particularly relatives of those men
missing in Laos (where we were "not at war"), it
is understandable that many family members have
lost faith in what they are told about the fates
of their men.
Experts believe that hundreds of Americans may be
alive today in Southeast Asia as captives. The
crew aboard the UH1H lost that day in May 1971
could be among them. Surely they expected that
they might be injured or killed.
The thought that they might be abandoned probably
never crossed their minds.
What are we doing to bring these men home?
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