POW/MIA Report

MIA Found After 41 Years
The first time Bill Braniff was in Vietnam was 1968 with the U.S. Army. Since then, he's made over 30 trips back there, and operates a tour service for veterans who want to visit Vietnam again. On a recent trip, he discovered the grave site of an American soldier – a friend – who had been MIA after an ambush.

By Bill Braniff

I have made over 30 trips to Vietnam since 1996, and one trip in 1968. I take vets back to Vietnam on healing tours. Last April I took a small group back to Vietnam. One of the group was the widow of one of my men KIA along with four others, and one MIA on 10 October, 1968, in the Trang Bang district.

She wanted to see the area where her husband was killed to hopefully bring her some much-deserved peace and healing. After searching for the proper area, we were directed to the Central Communist Comittee for the area. They provided us with a guide who was actually the Deputy Director for the Committee. During the long war, he lost his father (he was VC) and had an uncle who has never been found, also a VC.

He knew the area we were searching for, since he had family from there. The area was only a few kilometers from Trang Bang. On the way to the area, we picked up a former high-ranking VC, who had recently retired as the head man for the entire district. He was the political commander for all the local VC forces in the area during the war.

He thought he remembered the battle I was referring to, since it coincided with the maps I had from that day when my men were ambushed (I was in Valley Forge Hospital at the time).

In discussing that day, he mentioned (before I told him anything) that the Americans had left a man behind that day – and that his men had buried the man somewhere nearby.

I was flabbergasted when my guide and Vietnamese friend told me that. He stated he wasn't there that day, but knew of it because it was his job to be aware of all things that happened in battles in his area. He told me that the American was killed by one of his men in a VC tunnel, where he had sought shelter from an American air strike. He told me everything he remembered about that day.

He took me to meet the son of the man who had killed my friend and squad member, as his father had died. We were told how he died. His father was a young VC caught in a large American air strike, and was very scared, when part of the tunnel he was hiding in was exposed, and the American sought shelter there also. The VC killed him. I was a company tunnel rat, and I can't blame him at all.

We were taken to meet another man who was actually there the day of the ambush. He was suffering from severe PTSD, and couldn't talk to us, as he was sobbing the entire visit, but talked to us through his wife. He was there when they buried my friend, but couldn't remember where – but a friend of his knew, and would probably talk to us. But the friend was away visiting relatives in the North, and he didn't know when he would be back.

Disappointed, but feeling very happy with the news, we reluctantly left the area to continue our tour of the old South Vietnam. During the time we had left for our tour, my friend and guide kept in contact with our communist guide to find out if he had any more news on where the American was buried. No such luck.

After returning to the United States, I had my friend keep in weekly contact with Mr. Hai, ourcommunist guide. I received some very welcome news. Mr. Hai had found the VC who actually buried my friend, and had also found a VC major who was at the ambush that day, and who knew where my friend was buried. I immediately booked yet another trip to Vietnam to go to the site, and interview those men.

Through Mr. Hai, our guide, he took us to meet the political commander and the men who had been at the ambush that day, including the man who actually buried our MIA.

They took us to the site where they had buried him. Although they could not remember the exact site, they could tell within 300-square meters, pretty close for a JPAC team to investigate. I contacted a good friend of mine in the U.S., trying to find out where I should funnel this info. I was contacted by JPAC rep, Ron Ward in Vietnam. He was very enthusiastic about my find, and purportedly had his Vietnamese counterparts go to the area to interrogate my witnesses – with excellent results, according to Mr. Ward.

After that, everything bogged down after I returned to the U.S. I had to call in favors from friends to get Senatorial help to get JPAC moving. Then the unthinkable happened. My friend and guide, Mr. Vu, told me that he had found out from Mr. Hai that the body had been dug up and re-buried, but they didn't know where it had been re-buried. There were no answers to the many questions going through my mind. Why? Where? When?

In October, 2009, I received a very happy message from my friend. They had found out where our MIA had been re-buried, along with the woman who had dug him up and re-buried him. Once again I made reservations to return yet again to Vietnam. This would be my fourth trip of the year.

I had found out JPAC was supposed to be on-site on or about November 9th, but I wouldn't be able to get there until the following week – so I asked if they would wait for me before they interviewed more people again. They, of course, did not respond.

I got to Vietnam, and my friend Vu took me to the site, saying Mr. Hai had told him I couldn't go to the site, as he had orders from higher up not to allow me on the site. Needless to say, I was upset, and couldn't believe they would do this to me. But they did.

They allowed my friend to go to the site and interview the woman, and to photograph her and the site where our MIA had been re-buried – and the site where she found him the first time. She had been digging a small irrigation ditch for their garden when she came across the body. She then buried our MIA next to her father's grave.

I was totally perplexed at the attitude of our government, although the orders came from Vietnam, I firmly believe it was JPAC who issued the order. I returned home just before Christmas, and will be taking a small group of vets back to Vietnam in April.

As a result of the ambush in 1968, five men were KIA, and one was MIA. Three of the KIAs received the Distinguished Service Cross medal for their heroic action that day.

The name of the MIA is Eugene Handrahan, MIA 10 October, 1968. 1st Platoon, 2/12th Infantry, 25th ID – and he was from Minnesota. I had been his squad leader before I was hospitalized. I am a Canadian (green-card carrying), now living in Maine.

Contact Bill Braniff at www.backtothenam.org

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