Earl Pearson Hopper, Jr
Name: Earl Pearson Hopper, Jr
Rank/Branch: Lieutenant Colonel/ US Air Force
Unit: 13th Tactical Fighter Squadron,
Udorn AB TH
Date of Birth: 21 July 1943
Home City of Record: Glendale AZ
Date of Loss: 10 January 1968
Country of Loss: North Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 202559N
1044659E (VH774777)
Status (in 1973): Missing In Action
Category: 2
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: F4D "Phantom II"
Other Personnel In Incident: Keith N. Hall (released POW)
Remarks: EJECTION PROBS, DWN/CRASH
SYNOPSIS: The McDonnell F4 Phantom used by Air Force, Marine and Navy air
wings served a multitude of functions including fighter/bomber, interceptor,
photo/electronic surveillance, and reconnaissance. The two man aircraft was
extremely fast (Mach 2) and had a long range, 900 -2300 miles depending on
stores and mission type. The F4 was also extremely maneuverable and handled
well at low and high altitudes. It was selected for a number of state-of-the-art
electronics conversions, which improved radar intercept and computer bombing
capabilities enormously. Most pilots considered it one of the "hottest" planes
around.
On 10 January 1968, Capt. Keith N. Hall, aircraft commander, and then 1st
Lt. Earl P. Hopper, Jr., pilot, comprised the crew of a F4D, call sign "Rematch
3," that departed Udorn Airfield as the #3 aircraft in a flight of 4. Their
mission was to escort and protect a flight of F105s who were to bomb the
Hoa Loc MiG Base, 23 miles northwest of Hanoi.
During the MiG-Cap portion flown over the communist airfield, a Surface-to-Air
missile (SAM) exploded 100 feet below and to the right of the aircraft damaging
the hydraulic and fuel systems. Neither man was injured by the blast. After
initial ejection problems, Capt. Hall, bailed out. The other pilots in the
flight marked Hall's position, then continued with Earl Hopper while he headed
for Laos in an attempt to overfly that country to return to Udorn; or at
a minimum, to reach more friendly territory. Further, the other pilots stationed
their aircraft in an escort formation - one on each side of the damaged jet,
and the third behind and slightly above it.
Just before 1st Lt. Hopper's jet entered a 5,000 foot undercast of clouds,
and after flying the Phantom for approximately 8 to 10 minutes, the other
pilots saw two objects leave it - one was believed to be the canopy, the
other the ejection seat. They did not see his parachute open because of the
cloud cover. However, they did pick up two emergency radio signals, one being
very strong and the other rather weak. Keith Hall was captured about 25 minutes
after bailing out near Ta Lao Hamlet, Xuan Nah Village, Son La Province,
North Vietnam. He arrived at the Hao Lo (Hanoi Hilton) Prison Camp 4 days
later. The last known position for Earl Hopper was approximately 5 miles
across the river west of Ban O Veuo, Son La Province, North Vietnam.
According to official reports, Earl Hopper's emergency beeper was tracked
for three onsecutive days by search and rescue (SAR) aircraft, as well
as others overflying the rugged, jungle covered mountains approximately 1
kilometer north of the Vietnamese/Lao border where his aircraft was downed.
The beeper signal was weak and voice contact could not be established. On
the second or third day, a pilot monitoring the beeper gave 1st Lt. Hopper's
authenticator code and said: "Lt. Hopper, if that's you, give me 15-second
intervals (in the signal)." The pilot received 6 15-second intervals in a
positive response. This information was released to his family in an 8 February
1968 communiqué. By the time formal SAR efforts were terminated, Earl
Hopper was listed Missing in Action.
Capt. Keith Hall returned to US control on 14 March 1973 during Operation
Homecoming. During his debriefing, and later to Earl Hopper's father, Capt.
Hall recounted an incident that occurred in August 1970 - over 2 1/2 years
into his captivity. He was pulled out of his cell in
the Hanoi Hilton and interrogated at length about 1st Lt. Hopper's personal
life: Was he married - Did he have children - Where was he from - Where did
he go to school - What were his hobbies, etc? The important fact is: If Earl
Hopper was dead at that time, the Vietnamese would have no interest in him
or his background. When the guard began to leave, Keith Hall asked if this
meant that Earl Hopper was also imprisoned there? The guard just shrugged
his shoulders in a noncommittal manner and left.
In February 1980, the Department of Defense and the US Air Force determined
it was time for a Status Review Hearing, the purpose of which was to declare
Earl P. Hopper, Jr. Killed in Action under a Presumptive Finding of Death.
After several days of testimony, the case inexplicably became inactive for
2 1/2 years. This was highly unusual since all other POW/MIAs having Status
Review Hearings during this same timeframe, had their status's changes within
60 to 90 days. On 14 July 1982, Earl P. Hopper, Jr., the last man listed
as POW/MIA in North Vietnam, ceased to "live" according to the United States
Air Force and the US Government.
After the status change, 1st Lt. Hopper's parents, at the urging of their
casualty officer, filed for the POW compensation pay awarded all Prisoners
of War for inadequate food and housing while being held captive ($5.00 per
day). A three-man judiciary committee from the Foreign Claims Settlement
Commission, Department of Justice, determined, based on information including
classified documents provided them by the U. S. government, that "for the
purpose of this act, Earl P. Hopper, Jr. survived the crash and was captured
on 10 January 1968. The Commission further finds that he remained a Prisoner
of War from that date until 1 April 1973, the date upon which the last known
prisoner of war was returned to the control of the United States."
During the first few months of 1984, additional information concerning Earl
Hopper surfaced through a reliable former intelligence official that adds
new depth and dimension to the extent of the suppression of information in
this case. A check of his file maintained by the CIA revealed that the agency
always listed him as a POW, not MIA as claimed by the Air Force and the Defense
Intelligence Agency. Further, that file yielded facts that the Agency tracked
him climbing the most rugged mountain in the region as he headed for a "safe"
area in Laos; that there were heavy concentrations of NVA and Pathet Lao
troops in the area searching for the downed pilot; and that the CIA sent
in a Free Lao team to extract him. When Earl Hopper realized he was in imminent
danger of capture, he turned his radio on and hid it behind some rocks thus
marking his location of capture.
Additionally in 1984, Earl Hopper's father received data unofficially from
a sensitive intelligence source, that a computer profile of his son's personality
traits, his training, all known incident data and the known treatment of
POWs up to this time frame had been run. The results of this profile, based
upon all known parameters, stated "there is a 55% probability that Earl P.
Hopper, Jr. is ALIVE TODAY."
From 1981 to 1984, the Special Forces Detachment, Korea was charged by President
Reagan with the responsibility of collecting live POW information throughout
Southeast Asia. "SFDK" was commanded by Major Mark Smith, himself a returned
POW from the Vietnam War. Through his efforts, and those of team Intelligence
Sergeant Mel McIntire, an agent net of 50 agents was established, specifically
in Laos. This intelligence net resulted in Major Smith compiling a list of
some 26 American POWs by name and captivity location with Earl Hopper being
one of them. In April 1984, Major Smith received a message from one of his
agents specifying that on 11 May three US Prisoners of War would be brought
to a given location on the Lao/Thai border. The only prerequisite was that
an American be on the Thailand side of the border to receive the men.
When this information was reported up his chain of command, Major Smith's
team was ordered not to leave Korea, to destroy all documents pertaining
to LIVE POWs and they were sent back to the United States 6 months early.
According to Major Smith and SFC McIntire, they believe Earl P. Hopper, Jr.
was one of those three Prisoners who could have been returned on 11 May 1984.
This documented information was provided to the United States Senate Veterans
Affairs Committee in sworn testimony on 28 January 1986.
Why was 1st Lt. Hopper's family not given this information in previous years
when it was first known by US Intelligence agencies? And why did the family
have to learn these details from private sources rather than through normal
channels? Was Earl Hopper captured in North Vietnam as the official record
indicates, or had he already crossed into Laos before capture? Further, who
captured him, the North Vietnamese who claim to have returned all Prisoners
of War during Operation Homecoming or the Pathet Lao who RETURNED NONE?
Earl P. Hopper, Jr. could easily be one of nearly 600 Americans who disappeared
in Laos. Many of these men were known to be alive on the ground. The Laotians
admitted holding "tens of tens" of American Prisoners of War, but these men
were never negotiated for either by direct negotiation between our countries
or through the Paris Peace Accords which ended the War in Vietnam since Laos
was not a party to that agreement.
Since the end of the Vietnam War well over 19,000 reports of American prisoners,
missing and otherwise unaccounted for have been received by our government.
Many of these reports document LIVE American Prisoners of War remaining captive
throughout Southeast Asia TODAY. Fighter pilots in Vietnam were call upon
to fly in many dangerous circumstances,
and they were prepared to be wounded, killed or captured. It probably never
occurred to them that they could be abandoned by the country they so proudly
served.
Earl P. Hopper, Jr. graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in
1965.
"WHEN ONE MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN ARMED FORCES, IS NOT
WORTH THE EFFORT
TO BE FOUND, THEN WE AS AMERICANS
HAVE LOST OUR NATIONAL HONOR"
You think we would have gotten our act together and learned a few things,
but no!
As we fight and try to get a full accounting from previous wars for our Pow/Mia's
we are faced with it from our most recent one.. The Gulf War
We have MIA's unaccounted for from the Persian Gulf as well.
Don't YOU think it is time
YOU got involved and DID something!!!
The people in office are there because WE put them there..
To me, that means they are to do and speak for US...
WE WANT OUR MEN/WOMEN ACCOUNTED FOR!!
I think as Americans, we are entitiled to that much..
and our Pow/Mia's deserve no less than that!
CALL, WRITE, FAX.. YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS
NOW!!!!
My Adopted MIA from the
Gulf War
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Visit the GW Memorial, listing the others
MIA from the Gulf
along with a brief bio on each .. For a more extensive bio, email
The VetCenter with request
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