This Military Service Page was created/owned by
SMSgt R. Hensel (Bob / Ole Buck)
to remember
Widdis, James Wesley, Jr. (Jim), Lt Col.
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Casualty Info
Home Town Newark, New Jersey
Last Address Nakhon Phanom RTAFB, Thailand
Casualty Date Mar 23, 1969
Cause MIA-Finding of Death
Reason Air Loss, Crash - Land
Location Laos
Conflict Vietnam War
Location of Interment United States Air Force Academy Cemetery (VLM) - Colorado Springs, Colorado
The Ban Karai Pass was one of several passes through the mountainous border of Vietnam and Laos. U. S. aircraft flew through them regularly, and many aircraft were lost. On the Laos side of the border coursed the " Ho Chi Minh Trail", a road heavily traveled by North Vietnamese troops moving material and personnel to their destination through the relative safety of neutral Laos. The return ratio of men lost in and around the passes is far lower than that of those men lost in more populace areas, even though both were shot down by the same enemy and the same weapons. This is partly due to the extreamly rugged terrain and the resulting difficulty in recovery.
The Douglas A-26 was a twin engine attack bomber with World War II service. In Vietnam, it served the French in the 1950s and also the U.S. in the early years of American involvement in Southeast Asia. In 1966, eight A-26s were deployed to NaKhon Phanon (NKP) to perform hunter-killer missions against truck convoys in Southern Laos.
Some of these A-26s were assigned to the 609th Special Operations Squadron at NKP. On March 23,1969, an A-26A departed NKP on a combat mission with a crew consisting of Capt. James W. Widdis jr., pilot, and Capt. Robert C. Davis, navigator. As the two were about 15 miles west of Ban Karai Pass, the aircraft was struck by hostile fire.
No parachutes were seen and no beepers were heard, but the opportunity existed for the two to safely eject, and they were listed as "Missing In Action". Davis was determined presumed dead in 1975 and Widdis in 1978. During the period they were listed missing, Widdis was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and Davis to Major.
AIR FORCE Lt. Col. JAMES W. WIDDIS jr. AND AIR FORCE MAJOR ROBERT C. DAVIS, LOST MARCH 23,1969 IN LAOS. JOINT FIELD ACTIVITIES IN 1994 AND 1995 RESULTED IN THE RECOVERY OF "AIRCRAFT WRECKAGE AND HUMAN REMAINS. THE REMAINS OF BOTH MEN WERE INCLUDED IN A GROUP REMAINS IDENTIFICATION. MITOCHONDRIAL DNA TESTING AIDED IN CONFIRMING THE IDENTIFICATION OF DAVIS". DEFENSE POW/MIA WEEKLY UPDATE OCTOBER 30,1996.
