WESTBROOK, DONALD ELLIOT

      Date of Birth: 28 August 1926
     Home of Record: Sherman TX
        Rank/Branch: O4/US Air Force
               Unit: Fighter Pilot/A1
       Date of Loss: 11 March 1968
    Country of Loss: Laos
   Loss Coordinates: 202600N 1034400E (UH680600) 
   Status (in 1973): Killed In Action/Body Not Recovered
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: Acft
              Refno: 2052


SYNOPSIS: 

  One of the most intriguing cases of the Vietnam war is the Lima
Radar Site 85 at Phou Pha Thi and the men who went missing there. 
Donald Westlake, involved into the incident by the luck of the draw 
will perhaps never know Just how intriguing it was.

Lima 85 was on a peak in the Annam Highlands near the village of Sam Neua on
a 5860 ft. mountain called Phou Pha Thi. The mountain was protected by sheer
cliffs on three sides, and guarded by 300 tribesmen working for CIA. Unarmed
US "civilians" operated the radar which swept across the Tonkin Delta to Hanoi.

These "civilians" were actually Air Force personnel who were temporarily relieved
of active duty to take jobs with Lockheed Aircraft Corporation serving with Project
Heavy Green at Lima 85. The project was so secret that the men's wives were also
required to sign secrecy agreements. Absolutely no one was to know about the
assignment. Laos was a neutral country and as such, U.S. military presence was
internationally prohibited.

For three months in early 1968, a steady stream of intelligence was received
which indicated that communist troops were about to launch a major attack on
Lima 85. Intelligence watched as enemy troops even built a road to the area
to facilitate moving heavy weapons, but the site was so important that
William H. Sullivan, U.S. Ambassador to Laos, made the decision to leave the
men in place.

When the attack finally came March 11, some were rescued by helicopter, but
eleven men were missing. The President announced a halt in the bombing of
North Vietnam.

Donald Westbrook was flying one of 4 A1E's orbiting on stand-by to search for
survivors of the attack at Phou Pha Thi when his plane was shot down March 13.
Westbrook was never found. Observers said there was no parachute seen, no
beepers heard, and no voice contact made. The wreckage of Westbrook's aircraft
was seen scattered over a wide area and smoking. Finding no survivors, the Air Force
destroyed Lima 85 to prevent the equipment from falling into the hands of the enemy.
Westbrook was declared Missing In Action, with a high probability that the enemy
knew his fate - and had perhaps even captured him.

In mid March, the Lima Site wives were notified that the site had been overrun by
enemy forces, and that the men who had not escaped had been killed. Many years
later, they learned that was not the whole truth.

Two separate reports indicate that all the men missing at Phou Pha Thi did
not die. One report suggests that at least one of the 11 was captured, and
another indicates that 3 were captured; another that 6 were captured.
Information has been hard to get.  The fact that Lima Site 85 existed was
only declassified in 1983, and finally the wives could be believed when they
said their husbands were missing in Laos. Some of the men's files were shown
to their families for the first time in 1985.

The Lima Site wives have talked and compared notes. They still feel there is a lot 
of information to be had. They think someone survived the attack on Lima Site 85.
Perhaps Don Westlake survived. They wonder if their country will bring those men 
home.

I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to keep pushing this issue inside 
the Beltway... he need to get specific answers is more important now than ever 
before. If still alive, some MIAs are now in their 70s...They don't have much time 
left. We have to demand the answers from the bureaucrats and keep standing on their 
necks (figuratively speaking) until they get the message that THEY work for US and 
that we are serious about getting these long overdue responses. Diplomatic 
considerations aside... We can no longer allow questionable protocols established 
by pseudo-aristocratic armchair strategists, to determine or influence the fate of 
the men who were in the trenches while the diplomats were sharing sherry and canapes 
and talking about "Their Plans" for the future of SE Asia.