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Casualty Info
Home Town Renwick, Iowa
Last Address Andersen AFB, Guam
Casualty Date Dec 26, 1972
Cause MIA-Died in Captivity
Reason Air Loss, Crash - Land
Location Vietnam, North (Vietnam)
Conflict Vietnam War
Location of Interment Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia
Col. Heggen was in the lead aircraft of a three-ship cell launched from Andersen AFB, ("Olive 1", a B-52G #58-0198) Guam. The purpose of the mission was to bomb enemy targets near Hanoi, North Vietnam.
Entering the target area, the force encountered heavy surface-to-air missile (SAM) fire. At 6:10AM, Local Vietnam Time, Colonel Heggen's aircraft was hit and instantly exploded into flames. Col. Heggen was in the instructor pilot's seat in the upper compartment and would have had to use the Navigator's hatch in the lower compartment to leave the aircraft. The aircraft commander saw Colonel Heggen starting down the stairs, presumably to bail out, but the aircraft was in a steep dive with rapidly increasing airspeed.
Colonel Heggen was able to clear the burning aircraft and parachuted to safety. Listed as Missing-In-Action (MIA) Col. Heggen, however gravely injured, was captured by the Viet Cong and taken to a hospital were Colonel Heggen died of his injuries, 26 December 1972.
Crew:
Pilot:Col James Yoshikazu Nagahiro, PoW
Co-pilot:Capt Donovan Keith Walters, KIA
Lt Col Keith Russell Heggen, (Deputy Airborne Commander) PoW
Nav:Capt Lynn Richard Beens, PoW
EWO:Capt Robert Ray Lynn, KIA
Rad/Nav:Major Edward Harvey Johnson, KIA
AG:A1C Charles "Chuck" James Bebus, KIA
He had been stationed at Blytheville AFB (Eaker AFB) in Arkansas with the 97th Bombardment Wing prior to duty in SEA where he was attached to the 72nd Strategic Wing for the Linebacker II, serving TDY as the Deputy Airborne Mission Commander-TDY on the mission in which he was wounded and later died.
