5 Feb 2003 I was 13 in 1967 and grew up during the Viet Nam War. When the POW/MIA bracelets first came out, my entire family bought them, and most of us still have them. I got Major Boggs' name on my bracelet. I remember when I got it, making a promise to wear it until he came home. I still have this bracelet 35 years later. I don't know Major Boggs, nor did I know anything about him until recently when I started researching the Viet Nam War. I found myself looking for him and was saddened to learn that he is now listed as Died while Missing and that his body has not been recovered. I pray that his family and loved ones have found peace and know that until he comes home, there are many of us who will continue the vigil. 29 Dec 2003 I posted a memorial to Major Paschal Boggs whose MIA bracelet I wore for many years. Since posting the memorial, I have heard from his sister, Ceil, and her son, Marvin. They told me that Pat (Pascal) had just returned to duty following R&R in Hawaii with his wife and two young kids, when he went out on this mission and did not return. His mother died several years later while he was still listed as MIA. His father is still alive and just turned 90 this summer. In the years after he went missing, they lost touch with his wife and kids - she remarried and moved away. The last I heard, they had been in touch with her and were trying to plan a reunion. I sent Marvin my bracelet and he promised to give it to Pat's kids. I have also heard from over 10 others who also wore Major Bogg's bracelet, and have passed on their messages to Pat's family as well. 6 Jan 2005 Since posting this memorial for Major Boggs, I have kept in touch with his sister, Ceil. Her husband, Ron, recently sent the following note to me: My wife, Cecile (Ceil) was Pat's sister. Unfortunately, Ceil died of pancreatic cancer 28 November 2003. Pat and Ceil's father, Gilmer Boggs, just had his 91st birthday. He is the youngest of 13 children. Pat's mother died in 1984. Pat and Ceil also have a sister, Helen. Early this year, Gilmer Boggs and I attended a family briefing in Los Angeles on any new information on Pat. They discovered his crash site in 1995 near Quang Hanh Village, and did a detailed excavation over the next two years and sent some aircraft artifacts related to the crewman to Hawaii for analysis. They recently concluded, based on artifact and site analysis, and Vietnamese eye witness accounts of the 1967 incident, that the evidence indicates that the aircraft crashed into a large rock karst at high speed, and the ordnance exploded on impact destroying the remains of both crewmen. North Vietnam claimed to have shot down the plane. Pat's wife was Nancy Jo (Jo), they had two children, Gil and Nancy. Gil went on to be a star performer with the American Ballet Theater. He retired recently and is now a golf pro. Nancy is a lawyer. 30 Apr 2005 This is the first note I have received from someone who served with him and I think it appropriate to be included. Captain Boggs and Major Bacik were the first aircrew we lost from VMA(AW)-533 in VietNam. I know because I was there. They will never be forgotten. My job was to maintain the Comm/Nav and ECM equipment for all the squadron's aircraft. I remember vividly waiting for them to return from their mission. When they did not there was great sadness throughout the squadron. Officers and enlisted men alike both admired and respected these Marines very much. There is hardly a day that passes that I don't remember. God bless you and your work. John W. Mitchum, Jr. LCpl USMC in August 1967 From Deb Strange dastrange@cox.net

 

23 May 2004 I received a POW bracelet with Major Boggs' name with the date of 8/27/67. I was in junior high when I got the bracelet - that was 1972. It is sad that 37 years have passed and servicemen are still being killed in an action that is/was ill-advised. Bryce Sabin brycesabin@aol.com

 

28 Dec 2003 I got Paschal Boggs' MIA bracelet when I was 10 years old and my whole family got them. I wore it for years and I just found it the other day and began to wonder. I was saddened to find that he was in a crash and presumed dead. deasonteresa@earthlink.net

 

24 Jan 2005 I received my MIA bracelet in 1972 as a sophmore in high school. I have not taken it off since. I still wear it to this day. I never met Major Boggs, but yet it seems like I know him. It was nice to see a picture of him - to put a face with the bracelet. He is still remembered. Jeanne Huening huening32@aol.com

 

06 May 2005 I also wore Major Paschal Boggs' bracelet in 1972 when I was 10 years old and attending Resurrection Catholic School. I've kept it all these years and have treasured it. If one of the family members would like it, I'd be more than happy to send to you, please advise. Susan Knight susan@susanknightinsurance.com

 

14 Sep 2005 I live in East Point, Georgia, Mr. Boggs's Home of Record. We have a small park, "Victory Park", where all the names of those residents killed in action are listed. I found out about him on-line a few years ago and visited Victory Park, but his name was not there. Being a cemetery preservationist and a relative of another person whose name is listed in the park, I was a bit put off by his name not being listed. I went before the city council and addressed them about him not being listed and told everything I had learned about him. The Mayor arranged contact with the VFW post commander. He told me he would arrange it but he apparently forgot because Mr. Boggs's name has never been added. Every time I pass the park I remember him, though I never knew him. Hopefully his name will one day be added. From Steven K. Bramlett eastpointgraves@bellsouth.net

 

25 Jul 2006 I received a Major Boggs bracelet in 1984 when I was 11 years old. My mother purchased it at the post office in a small town in Missouri and kept it for over ten years before I became owner of it. Like everyone else I wore it for many years. I also was drawn to him and felt he had a good soul. Later, when I visited the Memorial Wall with my parents, I found the family address and mailed the bracelet back to them. This man touched many lives while alive and his life has carried through generations in death. How wonderful a gift we helped to give his mother, and later his father, as every few years, we sent loving reminders of how much the loss meant to humanity. Jennifer White litlover237@sbcglobal.net

 

25 Aug 2007 I was also in the squadron when Captain Boggs was shot down. Every time I go to the Wall in Washington D.C. I go to his name. In January of last year (2006) I was in Hawaii on business with several friends. We went to the Punch Bowl, which is a huge military cemetery. I had been there before, so when they went to the top of the Memorial, I stayed at the bottom. There are large memorials there with additional names carved into them. To my suprise, the first one I looked at had Captain Boggs's name carved into it. Captain Boggs was one of the best officers I have ever had the pleasure to serve with. I feel a tremendous surge of pride every time I see his name on one of these memorials. From a former squadron member, Andrew L. Heffner, MSgt USMC (Retired) top_dawg6586@hotmail.com

 

13 Mar 2008 I have had the pleasure of wearing Major Glenn Paschal Boggs's name on my right wrist since 1985... The only time I take it off is when I go through various check points at airports. May he and all who have served and have gone to our Supreme Commandant... May they rest in peace! SEMPER FI Al Pasquale USMC 54-62 HMR(L)-161, MAG-13 (56-58) 24-S Schuylkill Avenue, Jeffersonville, Pa. 19403 pasquale@bigplanet.com

 

Notes from www.VirtualWall.org VMA(AW)-533 was the second Marine A-6 Intruder squadron to arrive in Vietnam, taking up residence at Chu Lai on 01 April 1967. While the squadron's primary function was close air support to the Marines on the ground, they also flew against targets in North Vietnam and Laos. On the night of 26/27 August 1967, Major Vladimir H. Bacik, pilot, and Captain Paschal G. Boggs, bombardier-navigator, in A-6A BuNo 152639 were targeted against a storage site a few miles east of Hon Gay, NVN. As they were making a low-level delivery run over the target the aircraft was hit by antiaircraft fire and crashed. It appeared the crew did not have a chance to eject before ground impact. The casualty database indicates that Lt Col Bacik was carried as Missing in Action until the Secretary of the Navy approved a Presumptive Finding of Death on 30 Jan 1979, whereas Major Boggs was carried as Missing in Action until a review board determined that all available evidence indicated that he died in the crash on 27 Aug 1967. The remains of the two men have not been recovered.

Contact Us

© Copyright 1997-2019 www.VirtualWall.org, Ltd ®(TM)

Last update 08/15/2019