Baron 52: Vietnam’s Extortion and DPAA’s Betrayal Deny Our Heroes’ Truth

For over half a century, the families of the Baron 52 crew—Capt. George R. Spitz, Capt. Arthur R. Bollinger, 1st Lt. Robert E. Bernhardt, 1st Lt. Severo J. Primm III, Sgt. Dale Brandenburg, Sgt. Peter R. Cressman, Sgt. Joseph A. Matejov, and SSgt. Todd M. Melton—have lived in a purgatory of grief and unanswered questions. On the night of February 4–5, 1973, their EC-47Q aircraft, tasked with intercepting North Vietnamese communications along the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Salavan Province, Laos, was shot down, just days after the Paris Peace Accords promised the release of U.S. POWs. A U.S. reconnaissance plane captured a chilling PAVN radio transmission 5.5 hours later: “Group 210 has four pirates, they are going to the control of Mr. Van… from 44 to 93, with difficulties moving along the road.” Combined with evidence of open lap belts, a missing cargo door, and Col. Ralph Wetterhahn’s crash survivability studies, this intercept strongly suggests that four of the five back-end crew members—Bollinger, Brandenburg, Cressman, Melton, and Matejov survived the crash and were taken prisoner. Yet, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) declared all eight crew members “resolved” as killed in action (KIA) in 1995, relying on a 1993 Joint Task Force-Full Accounting (JTF-FA) excavation that recovered only scant bone fragments, a single tooth, four pistols, and parachute parts—woefully inadequate to account for eight American heroes.

As the investigative researcher for the Matejov family, I’ve poured my heart into uncovering the truth about Baron 52. My dossier, submitted to the DPAA includes declassified PAVN intercepts, Wetterhahn’s survivability analysis, and my own research linking the “four pirates” to the PAVN 377th Air Defense Division, 210th Anti-Aircraft Artillery (AAA) Regiment, and 471st Division, specifically identifying Lt. Col. Luong Khanh Van as a political officer likely involved in the transport of the captured crew. This significant information, corroborated by a 2016 hearing and a February 2, 2025, War Horse investigation by Ken McLaughlin, challenges the DPAA’s premature closure of the case. The 1996 group burial at Arlington National Cemetery, opposed by a few of the families like the Matejov’s, was based on remains so scant that scientists couldn’t confirm they were human, let alone identifiable. This is not resolution—it’s a betrayal of the DPAA’s mission to provide the “fullest possible accounting.”

The National League of Families’ 2025 report (Washington Times, July 3, 2025), authored by respected Vietnam War historian, Jay Veith, exposes Vietnam’s exploitation of the POW/MIA issue as a “revenue-generating enterprise.” Vietnam, unable to secure billions in post-war reconstruction aid, now extorts U.S. taxpayers with exorbitant fees—$10,000 per document and $15,000 per artifact—while withholding critical archival materials, including MIA identification media displayed in museums like the Ho Chi Minh Trail Museum. These fees, coupled with Vietnam’s silence on our direct humanitarian pleas for access to PAVN veterans or unit records, confirm a heartless long game: profiting off the sacrifices of American heroes like the Baron 52 crew. The DPAA’s refusal to pursue interviews with veterans such as Luong Khanh Van or Major Hoang Dinh Cuu, or to access PAVN records from the 377th, 210th, or 471st units, hinges on the case’s “resolved” status and VNOSMP’s billing practices. This aligns with the National League’s accusation that the DPAA overstates Vietnam’s cooperation to preserve diplomatic ties, abandoning families in the process.

The DPAA’s Letter to the Editor (Washington Times, July 16, 2025), authored by DPAA’s Sean Everette, claims 752 identifications since the 1980s and praises VNOSMP cooperation, citing 97 investigation teams and 167 recovery teams since 2015. Yet, it sidesteps the National League’s evidence of Vietnam’s profiteering and our dossier’s compelling case for crew survival. This disingenuous response mocks the Matejov's 52-year vigil and the sacrifices of eight brave men who risked everything for our nation. The DPAA’s inaction, hiding behind budget constraints and a flawed “resolved” designation, is a stain on their mandate. Vietnam’s refusal to engage without payment over closure for families who’ve suffered decades of torment.

The Matejov's,profiled in the Sheridan Press article (June 12, 2025), deserve answers, not excuses. Time is running out as PAVN veterans, now in their 80s or 90s, take their stories to the grave. I call on Congress to intervene, mandating VNOSMP cooperation to secure interviews with surviving Vietnamese officers and access to PAVN unit records and museum artifacts, potentially including Baron 52’s artifacts. The American public must demand transparency—our heroes’ sacrifices demand nothing less. No hero should be left behind, in life or memory. DPAA and Vietnam, stop exploiting our pain—open the archives, interview the veterans, and give our families the truth we’ve wept for over five decades.

— John Bear, Investigative Researcher

Link to Baron 52 Docu-series Podcast
Link to National League of Families’ 2025 Report Coverage

Citations:

• Gertz, Bill. “Vietnam charging millions for info on missing American soldiers while providing little in return: report.” The Washington Times, July 3, 2025.
• Everette, Sean. “Letter to the Editor: U.S. still committed to bringing home Vietnam War servicemen.” The Washington Times, July 16, 2025.
• McLaughlin, Ken. “What Happened to the Crew of a US Spy Plane.” The War Horse, February 2, 2025.
• Lodewyk, Georgia. “Story man seeks truth about brother’s Vietnam War disappearance.” The Sheridan Press, June 12, 2025.