Captain John Lawrence O’Brien, who joined the U.S. Air Force from Pennsylvania, was a member of the 1st Air Commando Squadron. On November 10, 1966, he piloted a single-seat A-1E Skyraider (tail number 52-132633, call sign "Hobo 29") that took off from Pleiku, South Vietnam, to participate in an armed reconnaissance mission over Laos. His aircraft crashed while attacking enemy targets in the mission area. No parachute was observed to emerge from "Hobo 29" before it went down. Because witnesses saw no attempt by the pilot to leave the aircraft before or after the crash, a formal search for Capt O’Brien was not initiated. He remains unaccounted for. Subsequent to the incident, and while carried in the status of missing in action (MIA), the U.S. Air Force promoted Captain O'Brien to the rank of Major (Maj). Today, Major O’Brien 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.