Some sad and unfinished business from our Takhli tour dating back to November 1969. Captain Jim White was an F-105 pilot assigned to the 357th Squadron of the 355h TFW. He flew an afternoon Barrel Roll mission north of the PDJ in northern Laos as Number Two in a two ship formation. Flight lead made a pass and Jim was cleared to make a bomb run thru a cloud deck and wasn't seen pulling up, no chute, no beeper. Later search teams found remains of the acft but not of Capt White.

This announcement from DOD indicates they have now found enough evidence to declare him KIA.

http://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/Recent-News-Stories/Article/1247773/airman-missing-from-the-vietnam-war-accounted-for-white/#.WWoZA79I9HQ.facebook

In my role in Base Weather I briefed him on strike weather and refueling conditions and did the after action debriefs. I don't remember every pilot - but I do remember Capt White, soft spoken always polite to weather and intel briefers - we liked that. He was Capt at the time he was downed and promoted to Major during his KIA status.

His brother was Ed White one of the three Apollo Astronauts killed in the capsule fire during testing at the Cape in 1967.Their father was an Air Force Major General and that family lost both sons in service to the country.

Dick Williams
Takhli Base Weather 69-70

Hi Dick,
Thanks for the above information. I hope you and the family are doing well. I attended the reunion in Tucson in 01 (you were there as well) and the one the following year in Dayton but haven't been to one since. I remember Jim White very well. We became friends at the club and in Oct of 69, I invited him to speak at our supply Commander's Call to tell our guys how important their jobs were to the pilots and the flying mission. He did a great job and the we all really liked hearing him. A month later, he was gone. I have always known that he didn't survive. The flight lead said there was no Mayday from him, nothing on the Guard frequency, no chute seen, nothing on his portable radio on the ground, no aircraft emergency beacon; however, I am still sad that it is finally confirmed that he didn't make it.
Have you heard anything about a funeral/memorial service for him? With his parents and brother and sister dead and his wife Sharon on with her life after him, I don't know who will organize something for him after all this time. I feel sure his academy class will do something, but can't find any reference to it. if you hear anything, please let me know.
I still haven't heard a more accurate weather forecast than the one you gave at Wing Stand Up one day and said it will start raining any moment and within 10 seconds, rain was pounding so hard on the roof that we couldn't hear anything else but the pouring rain.
Best Regards,
Ron Harvey, 355th Supply Sq Jul 69-Jul 70

I worked in communication in comand post in 69-70. It wasn't till years later after i got out that a friend of mine was talking and he was a raven FAC in Loas. He was on that misson when Capt.White went down. He said he seen the crash but did not see him.

Hello Ron and Russell - Russell I was in the Base Weather office just outside the Command Post so we were very close neighbors as my tour was May 69 to May 70. I recall Sgt. Boudreaux in Comms by name - the only one whose name I've held on to.

If you were there watching the moon landing from the Command Post I was alongside you. The fact we got live TV from the outside world was as big a surprise to me as the landing itself.

I briefed and de-briefed weather for Capt White before and after his missions. The day he was lost was made for a quiet and somber building.

Thanks for that Stand up Briefing recall Ron- that got me a standing ovation with Col Bo leading the way.

Dick in Kansas City MO

HI DICK I WAS WITH THE 1980 COM GROUP. I WATCHED THE MOON LANDING IN DAY ROOM. I ALSO SEEN THE EB-66 GO BY THE COMMAND CENTER, I WAS IN BACK YARD THEN I SEEN SMOKE AFTER IT CRASHED OFF THE END OF THE RUNWAY. DID YOU LIKE COL.BOTTOMLYS BIRTHDAY PARTY AND OPEN HOUSE? I TOOK A BUNCH OF PICTURES. COURSE WE EAT POWDERD EGGS FOR A WHILE. RUSSELL WILLIAMSPORT,IN.