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Owens, Joy Leonard, Col.
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Name: Joy Leonard Owens
Rank/Branch: O4/US Air Force
Unit: Udorn, Thailand
Date of Birth: 06 July 1929 (WI)
Home City of Record: Seattle WA
Date of Loss: 07 June 1967
Country of Loss: North Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 192000N 1033300E (YG479381)
Status (in 1973): Missing In Action
Category: 4
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: RF4C
Refno: 0725
Other Personnel in Incident: Harold R. Sale (missing). Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 October 1990 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: RADIO CONTACT LOST.
SYNOPSIS: In violation of, yet somewhat protected by, the neutrality of Laos accorded at Geneva in a 14-nation protocol conference July 23, 1962, the North Vietnamese and supporting communist insurgent group, the Pathet Lao, lost no time in building strategic strongholds of defense in Northern Laos and establishing a steady flow of manpower and material to their revolutionary forces in South Vietnam via the Ho Chi Minh Trail on the eastern border of the Laotian panhandle.
As a result, the Royal Lao sought help from the U.S. in stopping both initiatives. It was strategically important to do so, although every initiative had to be cleared through the U.S. Ambassador at Vientiane, so that the delicate balance of "look-the-other-way-neutrality" engaged in by
the nations involved (including China) could be preserved. Defense of non-communist activity in Laos generally fell into three categories: 1) U.S. Army and CIA's bolstering of the Meo (Hmong) army led by General Vang Pao; 2) Strategic U.S. Air Force bombing initiatives on the Ho Chi Minh Trail (Operations Commando Hunt, Steel Tiger, etc.); 3) U.S. Air Force bombing initiatives in northern Laos (Operation Barrel Roll, etc.) both against communist strongholds there (i.e. the Plain of Jars region), and in support of the Royal Lao and Gen. Vang Pao's army.
On June 7, 1967, Maj. Joy L. Owens was the pilot of an F4 Phantom fighter/bomber assigned a reconnaissance mission over the Plain of Jars region of Laos. His bombardier/navigator on the mission was 1Lt. Harold R. Sale, Jr. When the aircraft was about 10 miles east of the city of
Xiangkhoang, it was shot down. Radio contact was lost with the aircraft, and Owens and Sale were not heard from again. In the early 1970's the Pathet Lao stated on a number of occasions that they
held "tens of tens" of American prisoners and that those captured in Laos would also be released from Laos. Unfortunately, that release never occurred, because the U.S. did not include Laos in the negotiations which brought American involvement in the war to an end. The country of Laos was
bombed by U.S. forces for several months following the Peace Accords in January 1973, and Laos steadfastly refused to talk about releasing our POWs until we discontinued bombing in their country.
Consequently, no American held in Laos was ever returned. By 1989, these "tens of tens" apparently have been forgotten. The U.S. has negotiated with the same government entity which declared it held American POWs and has agreed to build clinics and help improve relations with Laos. If, as thousands of reports indicate, Americans are still alive in Indochina as captives, then the U.S. is collaborating in signing their death warrants. Joy L. Owens was born in Wisconsin and moved to Seattle at age 13. There, he graduated high school in 1947 and worked three years before enrolling in Air Force Officers Training School in San Angelo, Texas. He was commissioned Second Lieutenant in 1951 and went on to bomber training in Texas.
He was assigned to Okinawa, where he flew B-29s for several months over Korea. Owens was then stationed at Walker AFB, New Mexico. In 1962, he served three years in England, returning to finish university education at Oklahoma State University. He was stationed at Mountain Home AFB in Idaho before being sent to Udorn, Thailand in 1967. He was on his 34th reconnaissance mission when he was shot down. Owens was promoted to the rank of Colonel during the period he was Missing in Action. Harold R. Sale, Jr. was promoted to the rank of Captain during the period he was maintained Missing in Action.
On 18 September 1966, the 432d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing (TRW) was activated at Udon RTAFB, Thailand as an McDonnell Douglas RF-4C Phantom II wing. At Udon, it became one of the most diversified units of its size in the Air Force.
The mission of the wing was to provide intelligence information about hostile forces through tactical reconnaissance and use its fighter elements to destroy the targets earmarked by the intelligence data provided. The wing had numerous missions in the support area. The 432d TRW accounted for more than 80 percent of all reconnaissance activity over North Vietnam.
In addition to the reconnaissance mission, the 432d also had a tactical fighter squadron component, with two (13th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron) F-4C/D squadrons assigned. The squadrons flew strike missions over North Vietnam and the pilots and weapon systems officers of the 13 TFS and 555 TFS were credited with MiG kills.
In the fall of 1970 the wing was phased down as part of the overall American withdrawal from the Vietnam War; however, in 1972 tactical fighter strength was augmented by deployed Tactical Air Command CONUS-based tactical fighter squadrons being attached to the 432d in response to the North Vietnamese invasion of South Vietnam. In addition, the 421st TFS was reassigned trom Takhli RTAFB. During Operation Linebacker, between May and October 1972, the 432d TRW had seven F-4 tactical fighter squadrons assigned or attached, (13th, 56th, 308th, 414th, 421st, 523d and 555th) making it the largest wing in the USAF. The three Vietnam era Airforce Aces all came from the 432d – two from the 555th and one from the 13th. The CONUS-based squadrons returned to the United States in the fall of 1972.
As a result of the Paris Peace Accords of 1973, the numbers of USAF personnel and aircraft at Udon were reduced. The 421st TFS was inactivated in August and the 555th was reassigned to Luke AFB in 1974. By the spring of 1975, two operational squadrons remained, the 14th TRS (RF-4C) and the 13th TFS (F-4D/E).
Forces from the 432d participated in the SS Mayaguez action in May 1975, sinking two Cambodian Khmer Rouge ships. By 1975, the political climate between Washington and Bangkok had become sour and the Royal Thai Government wanted the USAF out of Thailand by the end of the year. Palace Lightning was the plan under which the USAF would withdraw its aircraft and personnel from Thailand.[14]
The 423nd TFW was inactivated on 23 December 1975. The 13th TFSs F-4E aircraft and some support personnel were reassigned to the 3d TFW at Clark AB, Philippines and the F-4D aircraft and support personnel to the 18th TFW at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. The 14th TRS was inactivated and the RF-4Cs were sent to Shaw AFB, South Carolina. The last USAF personnel departed Udon RTAFB on 8 January 1976.[9]
