This Military Service Page was created/owned by
A3C Michael S. Bell (Unit Historian)
to remember
Stroven, William Harry (Diode), Capt.
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Once Capt. Stroven and Capt. Stonebraker completed their mission, they contacted "Waterboy," the airborne command and control aircraft, to receive instructions for their new flight path into the existing traffic pattern and current weather advisories. Waterboy passed along those directions which, in turn, were acknowledged by Capt. Stroven. At 0519 hours Waterboy lost both radar and voice contact with Diode. The location of loss placed Diode over jungle covered mountains approximately 13 miles west-southwest of Dong Hoi as he egressed in that direction.
When all attempts to re-establish contact failed, search and rescue (SAR) efforts were initiated. Further, the commander of 7th Air Force instructed all units to conduct an electronic search for the missing aircraft and crew. When no trace of the William Stroven and Kenneth Stonebraker could be found, both men were listed Missing in Action.
This Veteran has an (IMO) In Memory Of Headstone in Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial, Hawaii, as well as in Maple Grove Cemetery, Fremont, Newaygo County, Michigan and Arlington National Cemetery.
Other Comments:
Other Personnel In Incident: Kenneth A. Stonebraker (missing)
REMARKS:
SYNOPSIS: Capt. William Stroven was the pilot and Capt. Kenneth Stonebraker the navigator aboard an RF4C Phantom jet assigned a photo-reconnaissance mission over North Vietnam on October 28, 1968. The aircraft departed its base at Udorn Airfield, Thailand for its target, which included an ammunition supply dump near Hanoi.
As the aircraft was over Quang Binh Province, North Vietnam, it was lost from radar. No trace was ever found of the aircraft of its crew. The last known location was over 200 miles from the intended target, and about 15 miles west of the city of Dong Hoi. Stroven and Stonebraker were declared Missing in Action, and public record reveals very little more about their fates. The U.S. Government determined that there is a good chance that the Vietnamese know the fate of Stroven, but are uncertain whether Stonebraker's fate is known.
Aircraft/Missile Information
MCDONNELL DOUGLAS RF-4C PHANTOM II McDonnell Douglas RF-4C
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In the early 1960s, the USAF recognized the need for more tactical reconnaissance aircraft to reinforce the RF-101s then in service. The USAF chose a modification of the F-4C fighter. The RF-4C development program began in 1962, and the first production aircraft made its initial flight on May 18, 1964. The Air Force officially accepted a total of 499 RF-4Cs.
The RF-4C can carry a variety of cameras in three different stations in its nose section. It could take photos at both high and low altitude, day or night. The RF-4C carried no offensive armament, although during the last few years of its service some were fitted with four AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles for defense.
The 16th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron became the first operational unit to fly the RF-4C. In October 1965 that unit deployed to Southeast Asia to provide photographic reconnaissance of the growing conflict in South Vietnam. In the following years, RF-4Cs flew reconnaissance missions around the world, including Desert Shield/Desert Storm in Iraq in 1990-1991. The Air Force retired all of its RF-4Cs by 1985.
The RF-4C on display was delivered to the USAF on Sept. 9, 1965. It served in Vietnam, Japan, Korea, Europe, Cuba and the Middle East. During Desert Shield/Desert Storm, this aircraft flew a total of 172 missions, more than any other F-4 aircraft. When flown to the museum in May 1994, it had more than 7,300 hours of flying time.
