VIETNAM POW/MIA BIO: THOMAS, Leo Tarlton Jr. - Kentucky

From: Margaret Bates <mrbates@swbell.net>
Date: Mon 12 Mar 2001


THOMAS, LEO TARLTON JR.

Name: Leo Tarlton Thomas Jr.
Rank/Branch: O3/US Air Force
Unit:
Date of Birth: 24 December 1940
Home City of Record: Georgetown KY
Date of Loss: 19 December 1971
Country of Loss: Laos
Loss Coordinates: 193106N 1031738E (UG176587)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 2
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: F4D

Other Personnel in Incident: Daniel R. Poynor (missing)

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 30 June 1990 from one or more of the
following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with
POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews.

REMARKS:

SYNOPSIS: Throughout the Vietnam War, the Plain of Jars region of Laos was a
contested area between Lao tribesmen and Vietnam's communist allies, the Pathet
Lao. The area was long controlled by the Pathet Lao and a continual effort had
been made by the secret CIA-directed force of some 30,000 indigenous tribesmen
to strengthen anti-communist strongholds there. The U.S. committed hundreds of
millions of dollars to the war effort in Laos. Details of this secret operation
were not released until August 1971.

Capt. Leo  T. Thomas Jr. was an F4 Phantom pilot sent on a mission over the
Plain of Jars in Laos on December 19, 1971. His bombardier/navigator on the
flight was 1LT Daniel R. Poynor. At a point about five miles north of the city
of Ban Na Mai, Thomas' aircraft was hit by enemy fire and crashed. It was not
believed that either crewmember survived. Both were listed Killed/Body Not
Recovered. However, it was believed that the enemy could probably provide
further information about the two.

Because Laos was "neutral," and because the U.S. continued to state they were
not at war with Laos (although we were regularly bombing North Vietnamese
traffic along the border and conducted assaults against communist strongholds
thoughout the country at the behest of the anti-communist government of Laos),
and did not recognize the Pathet Lao as a government entity, not one of the
nearly 600 Americans lost in Laos was ever released.

The Pathet Lao stated that they would release the "tens of tens" of American
prisoners they held only from Laos. At war's end, no American held in Laos was
released - or negotiated for.

The U.S. Government labels the return of an increasing number of American
remains as progress towards "high levels of cooperation" on the POW/MIA issue.
Although over 10,000 reports regarding Americans in captivity in Southeast Asia
have been received, convincing many experts that hundreds remain alive there,
the U.S. is content to gauge success on the return of remains. How many will die
waiting for the country they proudly served to come to their defense?


Leo T. Thomas Jr. graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1963.


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