HICKS, TERRIN DINSMORE
Name: Terrin Dinsmore Hicks
Rank/Branch: O3/US Air Force
Unit: 14th TRS
Date of Birth: 01 October 1936
Home City of Record: Silver Springs MD
Date of Loss: 15 August 1968
Country of Loss: North Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 174858N 1062058E (XE450450)
Status (in 1973): Missing in Action
Category: 2
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: RF4C
Other Personnel in Incident: Joseph F. Shanahan (released POW)
Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 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: DEAD/CS-317/09141-72
SYNOPSIS: The Phantom, used by Air Force, Marine and Navy air wings, served
a multitude of functions including fighter-bomber and interceptor, photo and
electronic surveillance. The two man aircraft was extremely fast (Mach 2),
and had a long range (900 - 2300 miles, depending on stores and mission
type). The F4 was also extremely maneuverable and handled well at low and
high altitudes. Most pilots considered it one of the "hottest" planes
around.
Capt. Terrin D. Hicks was the pilot and Capt. Joseph F. Shanahan the
navigator on a reconnaissance version of the Phantom conducting a recon
mission over North Vietnam on August 15, 1968. During the mission, the
aircraft was shot down and crashed about 5 miles east of the city of Ron in
Quang Binh Province. Hicks and Shanahan ejected from the aircraft and talked
during the descent. They landed about a mile apart with a hill between them.
Shanahan was captured immediately and thought he heard a gun battle in
Terry's direction. When Shanahan asked about Hicks in camp, he was told that
Terry had been shot in the leg and was in Dong Hoi hospital.
Hanoi media reported the capture of Hicks, but not Shanahan. On the 1969
list provided to international agencies, Shanahan's name appeared, but not
Hicks'. The U.S. apparently received intelligence that Hicks was dead, but
the nature of this information is not publicly known.
In 1973, Shanahan was released by the Vietnamese, but Hicks was not. Vietnam
denies any knowledge of him. Hicks was never officially declared a Prisoner
of War, but was maintained in Missing in Action status.
When the last American troops left Southeast Asia in 1975, some 2500
Americans were unaccounted for. Reports received by the U.S. Government
since that time build a strong case for belief that hundreds of these
"unaccounted for" Americans are still alive and in captivity.
"Unaccounted for" is a term that should apply to numbers, not men. We, as a
nation, owe these men our best effort to find them and bring them home.
Until the fates of men like Hicks are known, their families will wonder if
they are dead or alive - and why they were deserted.
Terrin D. Hicks was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and Joseph F.
Shanahan to the rank of Major during the period they were maintained Missing
and Prisoner of War.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
01/2020
https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000KZ0XEAW
On August 15, 1968, an RF-4C Phantom II (tail number 66-0447, call sign "Dobe") carrying two crew members took off from Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, on a photo-reconnaissance mission over North Vietnam. During the mission, the aircraft was shot down by hostile fire over Quang Binh Province, North Vietnam. Prior to its crash, both crew members ejected, and the navigator was captured, held as a prisoner of war, and returned to U.S. custody in 1973. He reported that after parachuting to the ground he heard the pilot's mayday call on his survival radio, but then heard bursts of small arms fire coming from the missing crew member's direction. The navigator never saw or heard of the pilot while held in enemy captivity, and another source indicated that the pilot was killed by enemy troops while resisting capture.
Captain Terrin Dinsmore Hicks, who entered the U.S. Air Force from Maryland, served with the 14th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron. He was the pilot of this Phantom at the time of its loss on August 15, 1968, and he did not survive his capture by the enemy. Efforts to locate his burial site following the war were unsuccessful, and he remains unaccounted-for. Following the incident, the Air Force promoted Capt Hicks to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col). Today, Lieutenant Colonel Hicks 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.
Service member profile discrepancy? Please help us ensure the accuracy of each profile by submitting documentation about a service member profile.