Wallace W. Leeper
LEEPER, WALLACE WILSON
Name: Wallace Wilson "Skeeter" Leeper
Rank/Branch: W2/US Army
Unit: 48th Assault Helicopter Co. 268th Combat Aviation Btn., 17th Group
Date of Birth: 24 April 1947
Home City of Record: Wellington CO
Date of Loss: 02 December 1967
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 125807N 1092417E
Status (in 1973): Missing In Action
Category: 4
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: UH1D
Refno: 9333
Other Personnel In Incident: Richard A. Crosby; Manuel J. Moreida; Floyd W.
Strange (all missing)
REMARKS:
Source: Compiled from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S.
Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families,
published sources, interviews. Updated by the P.O.W. NETWORK in 1998.
SYNOPSIS: On December 2, 1967, WO Wallace Leeper, aircraft commander; WO
Floyd W. Strange, co-pilot; SP4 Manuel J. Moreida, crewchief; and SP4
Richard A. Crosby, door gunner, were crewmembers aboard a UH1D helicopter
(serial #6600811). The helicopter departed Phu Hiep airfield, Phu Kanh
(formerly Phu Yen) Province, Vietnam, in marginal weather, to return Captain
Woo Shik Pak, a Korean, to his unit which was located about 25 miles south
along the coast.
When the aircraft did not return to Phu Hiep at the scheduled time, a
communications and ramp check was initiated without success. Further
unsuccessful search and rescue efforts were conducted along the coastal and
mountain area from December 3-9. The aircraft was last seen as it departed
Phu Hiep airfield and headed in a southeasterly direction along the coast.
Subsequent information indicates that the aircraft crashed and burned in the
mountains north of Vung Ro Bay.
On September 3, 1973, a source reported that 3 local villagers of Hoa Xuan
village reported that they discovered a U.S. helicopter with 2 or 3 remains
in uniform at the crash site. Other reports were received that possibly
correlated with this incident, but were resolved to other cases.
No one knows for sure what happened to the crew of the UH1D that was lost on
December 2, 1967. All but Strange are classified in categories that would
indicate that the enemy probably does not know what happened to them.
Strange, however, is in a category of strong suspicion that his fate is
known by the enemy. While the Army currently carries them dead, body not
recovered, their status in 1973 was Missing In Action. Because of these
unusual discrepancies, it can be assumed that the whole story is not known.
With mounting evidence accumulating that indicates hundreds of Americans are
still alive in Southeast Asia, one must wonder if Skeeter Leeper is one of
them. And if so, what must he be thinking of us?
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