Data Sources - Air Force Manual No. 200-25A, Department of the Air Force, Washington, October 16, 1961 page 1. Sanitized copy. National Archives KOREAN Conflict Casualty File (KCCF) 1950-1954.
MIAs in incident: Collins, Joseph Stephen; Koontz, Frederick Russell
03/92 -- Korea, and the men yet to be accounted for -- the "official list" -- is a list of U.S. servicemen known to have been
held as prisoners of war by the red Chinese and North Koreans from the Korean War
but not released or accounted for by the communists, as released on May 27,
1957 at a hearing of the House Subcommittee on the Far East and Pacific by the Department
of Defense.
The lists, the printed minutes of the May 27, 1957 hearing and the
"sense of congress" resolution were subsequently buried in the
archives. The original list had 450 names compiled from American POWS who were
repatriated by the Reds, as well as from photographs released by the Reds, Chinese
radio propaganda broadcasts, and letters written home by captured men. The "revised" list was narrowed down in august of 1961 to 389 men, and
all were arbitrarily declared dead by the military services, the USG still
lists them as "unaccounted for".
Names and ranks only were released at the time, and printed in "The
Spotlight" on August 27, 1979, along with the above information and background.
Further information has been compiled by the P.O.W. Network from the Hawaii POW/MIA
Korean Memorial records, National Archives documentation, and public United
States Air Force documentation, and changes made to the original published
information. (FEBRUARY 1992)
Joseph Collins is listed on the "HONOR ROLL OF FORGOTTEN AMERICANS" yet is noted as having died "while missing" by the National Archive.
03/11/2021
- KOREAN WAR
- UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
- Unaccounted For
Just after midnight on September 2, 1951, a B-26C Invader (tail number 44-34342A) took off from Kunsan Air Base (K-8), South Korea, with a crew of three aviators. The briefed mission was a night intruder operation targeting the North Korean rail network, in support of Operation Strangle. Shortly after the Invader's departure, ground air control (call sign “Snowflake”) radioed to change the area of operations to the main supply routes known between Pyongyang and Wonsan, known as Green Six. This was the last radio contact with the Invader. When the aircraft became overdue, the 3rd Bombardment Group initiated a ramp check of friendly airfields and an air search of the target area, with no results. On October 5, a North Korean propaganda broadcast claimed that the aircraft had crashed near Yongdok. The bombardier is the only crew member known to have survived this crash. He was captured by enemy forces and later died in captivity. The two other crew members remain unaccounted-for.
Captain Joseph Stephen Collins entered the U.S. Air Force from Florida and served with the 90th Bombardment Squadron (Light), 3rd Bombardment Group. He was the navigator aboard this Invader when it was lost. No returning POWs mentioned contact with Capt Collins, nor was he seen at any known holding point, interrogation center, hospital, or permanent POW camp. He remains unaccounted-for. Today, Captain Collins is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual's case to be in the analytical category of Deferred.
If you are a family member of this serviceman, DPAA can provide you with additional information and analysis of your case. Please contact your casualty office representative.