GUERRA, RAUL ANTONIO

ID announced 10/26/2007  and  02/21/2019

Name: Raul Antonio Guerra
Rank/Branch: E3/US Navy
Unit: Early Warning Squadron 111, Detachment 34, USS ORISKANY (CVA34)
Date of Birth: 18 December 1942 (Baja Mexico)
Home City of Record: Los Angeles CA
Date of Loss: 08 October 1967
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 160935N 1080322E (AT875905)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 3
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: E1B
Refno: 0856

Other Personnel in Incident: Roland R. Pineau; Norman L. Roggow; Donald F.
Wolfe; Andrew G. Zissu (all missing)

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project with the assistance of one or more
of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources,
correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviewed: 15
March 1990. Updated by the P.O.W. NETWORK 2019.

REMARKS: CRASH SITE CNFM - NO RECOV POSS - J

SYNOPSIS: The USS ORISKANY was one of several U.S. aircraft carriers to be
semi-permanently stationed on Yankee Station in Vietnam. Its attack wings
flew against varied targets in North Vietnam including bridges, ammunitions
stores, highways, and railroads. 1967 was a particularly active year for all
carriers, and the ORISKANY was no exception.

On October 8, 1967, LtJg. Andrew G. Zissu was the pilot of an E1B aircraft
which launched from the ORISKANY on a morning combat mission in support of a
major strike over North Vietnam. Zissu's crew that day included LtJg. Donald
F. Wolfe, LtJg. Norman L. Roggow, and ATC Roland R. Pineau. Also on board
was one passenger, Seaman Raul A. Guerra, listed as a Journalist Petty
Officer, Third Class.

The E1 aircraft was a propeller aircraft that was generally used by the Navy
for Early Warning operations, or for flight assistance in bombing missions.
Typically, the slower moving E1, unable to keep up with faster moving jet
aircraft, would be used in a standoff position for radar jamming while the
jet aircraft executed their mission.

At the completion of the combat mission, the aircraft was sent to Chu Lai,
South Vietnam for refueling before the next mission. The aircraft landed at
Chu Lai, refueled and took off again for another mission on the back to the
USS ORISKANY. Immediately after takeoff radio contact with the ship was made
and the crew reported that their flight was airborne and would be ready for
its mission upon arrival. In addition, radio contact was established
immediately after takeoff with DaNang Radar who was to keep them under
observation during their trip north to the ship. They planned to fly
directly over DaNang and then proceed to the ship. As they approached DaNang
radar on a northwesterly course, radar contact was lost, however, radio
contact was maintained with the aircraft. After overflying DaNang, radar
contact was again established at a point approximately 10 miles northwest of
DaNang in mountainous terrain. An immediate right turn was recommended by
the radar controller to a northeasterly course. The pilot acknowledged that
he was turning, right before he could complete his turn, radar and radio
contact was lost simultaneously and an alert issued by DaNang radar
immediately.

An aggressive search and rescue and operation was conducted, however,
efforts were hampered because of adverse weather, low visibility, and rain.
The weather improved and the aircraft wreckage was sighted, scattered over a
wide area on a sheer face of Monkey Mountain near Da Nang. A fellow
detachment officer flew over the crash site in an Air Force Helicopter and
positively identified the wreckage as that of the missing E1B. Because of
the hazardous terrain, the crash site was inaccessible by helicopter and too
dangerous for ground parties to be sent in. Due to the terrain
characteristics at the crash site, the force of the impact into the face of
the ridge, and the obvious complete destruction of the aircraft, it was not
believed that there were survivors.

No sign of survivors was noted. It was not possible to recover remains, and
all personnel aboard the aircraft were declared Killed/Body Not Recovered.
The Navy did not rule out the possibility of hostile interference, although
the general feeling was that inclement weather was the cause of the crash.

The Defense Intelligence Agency further expanded the men's classification to
include an enemy knowledge ranking of 3. Category 3 indicates "doubtful
knowledge" and includes personnel whose loss incident is such that it is
doubtful that the enemy wound have knowledge of the specific individuals
(e.g. aircrews lost over water or remote areas).

The Navy men on board the E1B lost on October 8, 1967 were listed as killed,
body not recovered. They are among nearly 2500 Americans who remain
unaccounted for from the Vietnam war. The cases of some, like the E1B, seem
clear - that they perished and cannot be recovered. Unfortunately, mounting
evidence indicates that hundreds of Americans are still captive, waiting for
the country they proudly served to secure their freedom.

In our haste to leave an unpopular war, it now appears we abandoned some of
our best men. In our haste to heal the wounds of this same war, will we sign
their death warrants? Or will we do what we can to bring them home?


 
 

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 1253-07

October 26, 2007

Navy Crew MIA From Vietnam War is Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of five U.S. servicemen, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been accounted-for and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors.

They are Lt. j.g. Norman L. Roggow, of Aurelia, Iowa; Lt. j.g. Donald F. Wolfe, of Hardin, Mont.; Lt. j.g. Andrew G. Zissu, of Bronx, N.Y.; Chief Petty Officer Roland R. Pineau, of Berkley, Mich.; and Petty Officer 3rd Class Raul A. Guerra, of Los Angeles, Calif.; all U.S. Navy. Pineau was buried on Oct. 8 in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. The dates and locations of the funerals for the other servicemen are being set by their families.

On Oct. 8, 1967, Zissu and Roggow were the pilots of an E-1B Tracer en route from Chu Lai Air Base, Vietnam, back to the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany. Also on board were Wolfe, Pineau and Guerra. Radar contact with the aircraft was lost approximately 10 miles northwest of Da Nang, Vietnam. Adverse weather hampered immediate search efforts, but three days later, a search helicopter spotted the wreckage of the aircraft on the face of a steep mountain in Da Nang Province. The location, terrain and hostile forces in the area precluded a ground recovery.

In 1993 and 1994, human remains were repatriated to the United States by the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) with information that linked the remains to unassociated losses in the same geographical area as this incident. Between 1993 and 2004, U.S/S.R.V. teams, all led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), investigated the incident more than 15 times in Da Nang city and Thua Thien-Hue Province.

Between 2004 and 2005, the joint teams surveyed and excavated the crash site where they recovered human remains and crew-related items. During the excavation in 2005, the on-site team learned that human remains may have been removed previously from the site. S.R.V. officials concluded that two Vietnamese citizens found and collected remains at the crash site, and possibly buried them near their residence in Hoi Mit village in Thua Thein-Hue Province. In 2006, another joint U.S./S.R.V. team excavated the suspected burial site in Hoi Mit village, but found no additional remains. In 2007, more remains associated with this incident were repatriated to the United States by S.R.V. officials.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA and dental comparisons in the identification of the remains.

For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/ or call (703) 699-1169.
 

Sailor Accounted For From Vietnam War (Guerra, R.)

By DPAA Public Affairs

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25, 2019 —Navy Reserve Journalist 3rd Class Raul A. Guerra, killed during the Vietnam War, was accounted for on Feb. 20, 2019.

On Oct. 8, 1967, Guerra was a passenger on board an E-1B Tracer, en route from Chu Lai Air Base to the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany, on which he was stationed. Approximately ten miles northwest of Da Nang, South Vietnam, radar contact with the aircraft was lost, and adverse weather hampered subsequent search efforts. Several days later, aircraft wreckage was spotted along a mountainside, approximately 11 miles northwest of Da Nang. Because of the location, type of terrain and presence of hostile forces, a ground recovery could not be conducted. Guerra, as well as the four other servicemen on board, were declared killed in action.

DPAA is grateful to the government of Vietnam for their partnership in this mission.

Guerra’s name is recorded on the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, and the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with others who are unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

For more information about DPAA, visit www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa, or call 703-699-1420/1169.

Guerra’s personnel profile can be viewed at https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000KYqtEAG

 
The U.S. Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency has made a positive identification of the
remains that have been in Hawaii for 12 years ...
 
In 2007, the defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency located the remains, but it's taken tireless work by Valencia to properly identify his friend and finally, ...
 

From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (USA) <kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil>
Sent: 27 March, 2019 13:23
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: California Sailor Accounted For From Vietnam War (Guerra, R.)

 

Dear Editor,

 

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy

Reserve Journalist 3rd Class Raul A. Guerra, 24, of Montebello, California,

killed during the Vietnam War, was accounted for on Feb. 20, 2019.

 

(This identification was initially announced on Feb. 25, 2019.)

 

On Oct. 8, 1967, Guerra was a passenger on board an E-1B Tracer, en route

from Chu Lai Air Base to the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany, on which he was

stationed.  Approximately ten miles northwest of Da Nang, South Vietnam,

radar contact with the aircraft was lost, and adverse weather hampered

subsequent search efforts.  Several days later, aircraft wreckage was

spotted along a mountainside, approximately 11 miles northwest of Da Nang.

Because of the location and very steep terrain, a ground recovery could not

be conducted.  Guerra, as well as the four other servicemen on board, were

declared killed in action.

 

DPAA's predecessor commands, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC,) the Joint Task Force- Full Accounting (JTF-FA,) and the Joint Casualty

Resolution Center (JCRC,) interviewed numerous Vietnamese individuals over

the years regarding the crash.  Between 1993 and 2003, JTF-FA and JPAC teams

investigated the incident on 13 Joint Field Activities.

 

On July 9, 2004, during the 79th JFA, a joint U.S./Socialist Republic of

Vietnam team located the crash site, recovering aircraft wreckage and

material evidence.

 

On Aug. 15, 2005, the JPAC Central Identification Laboratory received

possible human remains from the crash site.  On June 12, 2007, four service

members were identified.  They were: Navy Aviation Electronics Technician

Roald R. Pineau, Navy Lt. j.g. Norman L. Roggow, Lt. j.g. Donald F. Wolfe,

and Lt. j.g. Andrew G. Zissu.  However, relevant family reference samples

for Guerra could not be obtained so a DNA match could be made.

 

To identify Guerra's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and isotopic

analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.

 

DPAA is grateful to the government of Vietnam for their partnership in this

mission.

 

Today, there are 1,589 American servicemen and civilians still unaccounted

for from the Vietnam War.  Guerra's name is recorded on the National Vietnam

Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, and the Courts of the Missing at the

National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with others who

are unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War. A rosette will be placed next to

his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

 

For family contact information, contact the Navy Casualty Office at (800)

443-9298.

 

Guerra will be buried April 25, 2019, in Whittier, California.

 

For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account

for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA

website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa

or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

 

Guerra's personnel profile can be viewed at

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000KYqtEAG

 

/////

 

SFC Kristen Duus

Chief of External Communications

Public Affairs NCOIC- D.C. Directorate

Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

2300 Defense Pentagon

Washington, D.C 20301-2300

(703) 699-1420
 
While Guerra's body was brought to Hawaii, it took the U.S. Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency 12 years to make a positive ...
 
But the U.S. Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency struggled to identify Guerra's body since his adoption left his birth family virtually ...
 
 
In 2007, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency located the remains, but it's taken tireless work by Valencia to bring his friend's body home.
 
 
Guerra was MIA until 2007, when his remains were recovered, but it wasn't until two months ago that they were identified by the Defense POW/MIA ..
   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 

01/2020

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000KYqtEAG

JO3 RAUL ANTONIO GUERRA

Return to Service Member Profiles

On February 20, 2019, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Journalist Third Class Raul Antonio Guerra, missing from the Vietnam War.

Journalist Third Class Guerra, who joined the U.S. Navy from California, served with Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 11, embarked aboard the USS Oriskany (CV 34). On October 8, 1967, he was a passenger on board an E-1B Tracer (bureau number 148132, call sign "Sea Bat 700") when it departed Chu Lai, South Vietnam, flying to Da Nang Air Base. During the mission, the aircraft crashed for unknown reasons, killing JO3 Guerra. Aerial searches located wreckage from the aircraft on a steep mountain slope northwest of Da Nang; however, enemy forces prevented recovery efforts at the crash site at the time. From 1986 to 2005, joint U.S./Vietnamese search teams visited Quang Nam-Da Nang Province to research witness accounts and travel to the crash site where investigators recovered several sets of artifacts and human remains. Analysts used modern forensic techniques that identified JO3 Guerra from among these remains.

Journalist Third Class Guerra is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

If you are a family member of this serviceman, you may contact your casualty office representative to learn more about your service member.