21 Feb 1998 REMEMBERED ACROSS THE YEARS by one who wore his MIA bracelet, Stephanie Hanson stephjs2@aol.com

 

18 Oct 2006 Thank you for your service to our country. I will never forget... From a fellow American, Doug Patterson dgpatterson2@tva.gov

 

27 Nov 2006 Thank you to a fellow American and fellow Air Force Officer for allowing me to serve our country now, as you did so many years ago. I am only able to do this because of individuals like you that gave the ultimate sacrifice. You and all the other POW/MIA's are in my thoughts day in and day out as I wear the uniform that I have come to love as a member of the United States Air Force. You especially, Captain Ned Herrold, are special because I have your bracelet and have had it since I was an Airman. I hope to return it to your family someday only after you are returned home to the loved ones who are waiting for you. Capt Stephani Luebben, USAF spudusaf@aol.com

 

Notes from The Virtual Wall Then-Major Dayton Ragland and 1LT Ned R. Herrold, flying an F-4C (tail number F-4C 63-7664) from Udorn RTAFB, were shot down while conducting an armed reconnaissance mission along the coast south of Than Hoa, North Vietnam. Their F-4 was hit by AAA fire, continued out to sea, and exploded on water impact. There were no signs that either crewman ejected or survived the impact. Both the POW Network and Task Force Omega (TFO) biographies associate this loss with the downing of a C-130 which conducted a night bombing attack on the Than Hoa Bridge the night of 31 May/01 June (see SMSgt P J Stickney), but the F-4 was lost several hours before the C-130's time-on-target. Indeed, TFO states that Ragland/Herrold went down at 1812 on 31 May, about 6 hours before the C-130 took off from Danang shortly after midnight (i.e., on 01 June). It therefore seems unlikely that the Ragland/Herrold mission had anything to do with the separate effort flown against the bridge. When search and rescue efforts failed to locate either Ragland and Herrold, they were classed as Missing in Action. The POWs who returned in 1973 had no knowledge of either man, and the Secretary of the Air Force approved Presumptive Findings of Death for both men on 19 July 1973. Lieutenant Herrold was promoted to Captain while in MIA status. Their remains have not been repatriated.

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