GOLZ, JOHN BRYAN

Name: John Bryan Golz
Rank/Branch: O2/US Navy
Unit: Attack Squadron 172
Date of Birth: 19 July 1945
Home City of Record: Rock Island IL
Date of Loss: 22 Apri 1970
Country of Loss: Laos
Loss Coordinates: 155904N 1064053E
Status (in 1973): Body Not Recovered
Category: 3
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: A4C
Refno: 1599
Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing)

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 March 1991 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 2020.

REMARKS:

SYNOPSIS: When Douglas Aircraft created the A4 Skyhawk the intent was to
provide the Navy and Marine Corps with an inexpensive, lightweight attack
and ground support aircraft. The design emphasized low-speed control and
stability during take-off and landing as well as strength enough for
catapult launch and carrier landings. The plane was so compact that it did
not need folding wings for aboard ship storage and handling. In spite of its
diminutive size, the A4 packed a devastating punch and performed well where
speed and maneuverability were essential.

Ltjg. John B. Golz was the pilot of an A4C Skyhawk sent on a bombing raid
over the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos on April 22, 1970. During the mission,
his plane crashed and exploded when struck by enemy fire. His family holds
little hope that John survived the incident and feels that he was probably
dead before he hit the ground. The alternative, they say, thinking of him as
a prisoner for all those years, would be unbearable. They feel they may have
more peace of mind than other families.

The Golz family is lucky to have information that indicates their son is
dead. Nearly 600 Americans were lost in Laos, and even those who were known
to be alive on the ground and captured, disappeared without a trace. The Lao
made public statements that they held prisoners, and that they would be
released only from Laos, yet no agreement was ever made with the Lao
regarding American prisoners.

In the years following the fall of Saigon in 1975, refugees have fled
Southeast Asia, bringing with them reports of Americans still alive and in
captivity in their homelands. By early 1987, the number of these reports
topped the 5000 mark. A committee charged with investigating Defense
Intelligence Agency, the entity charged with analysis of these reports,
concluded that there was a strong possiblity that Americans were being held
against their will.

John Golz was willing to die trying to keep a little nation free from
communism. How much more willing he would be to fly one more mission for
those of his comrades who were left behind in the hands of those communists.
The Bush administration has stated that the resolution of the POW/MIA issue
is one of "highest national priority". President Nixon said the same thing.
These words have no meaning to the hundreds of Americans thought to be still
alive. They need to be brought home.
 

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01/2020

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt00000001URbEAM

LTJG JOHN BRYAN GOLZ

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Lieutenant Junior Grade John Bryan Golz entered the U.S. Navy from Illinois and served in Attack Squadron 172, embarked aboard the USS Shangri-La (CVS 38). On April 22, 1970, he piloted a single-seat A-4C Skyhawk (bureau number 148484, call sign "Holloway 305") on a night strike mission against enemy targets in Laos. During the mission, his aircraft crashed in the target area near (GC) XC 79986780, close to an enemy 37mm anti-aircraft artillery position. No parachutes were observed nor rescue beepers detected following the crash, and searches of the area revealed no signs of LTJG Golz. Further attempts to locate him were unsuccessful. Today, Lieutenant Junior Grade Golz 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 Active Pursuit.

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.

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