SCOTT, MARTIN RONALD
RIP -  18 August, 2017 
Air Force Col. Martin R. Scott, missing from the Vietnam War, has now been accounted for.

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 October 1990 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 2017.

REMARKS: POSS DEAD IR 1516032672

SYNOPSIS: On March 15, 1966, Capt. Martin R. Scott was the pilot of an F4C
Phantom fighter/bomber assigned a mission over North Vietnam. His
bombardier/navigator on the flight was veteran pilot LtCol. Peter J.
Stewart. The flight departed Ubon Airfield, Thailand, in the late afternoon
for the armed reconnaissance flight that would take them over the city of
Dien Binh Phu in North Vietnam. Scott and Stewart were number 2 in a
two-plane flight.

About one mile south of the Dien Bien Phu airport, the flight leader spotted
two trucks on the main highway and directed the number two crew to make a
low bombing pass. Moments later, the leader observed what he described as an
dense explosion resembling a napalm drop in the target area. Repeated
attempts to raise the number 2 plane failed. Scott and Stewart were declared
missing.

Because the plane went down in a heavily populated area deep in enemy
territory, an organized search for Scott and Stewart was not possible. There
was no evidence of survival.

In 1972, the Defense Department received a report from a refugee who stated
he was shown the crash site and the graves of the two pilots. He stated that
Stewart's plane was the only plane shot down in that area, but could not
specify the date or year. The DOD added, "POSS DEAD IR1516032672" to Scott's
records. This report was disproven in 1986 on the basis that Scott's plane
was not the only plane shot down in the area (in fact there were several),
but the data remark remained, and the Air Force cannot verify why the "only
plane"statement was made.

In 1985, a returned POW recalled that Peter Stewart's name was one of those
passed around in POW camps before Americans were released in 1973. In 1975,
the Stewart family identified a photo of a prisoner of war as Peter Stewart.
Whether Scott's name was ever mentioned as a possible POW is not known.

Whether Scott and Stewart survived the crash of their plane on March 15,
1966 will not be known with certainty until either they themselves or their
remains are returned. 

Peter J. Stewart and Martin J. Scott were both promoted to the rank of
Colonel during the period they were maintained Missing in Action.

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From: Duus, Kristen L SFC USARMY DPAA EC (US) [mailto:kristen.l.duus.mil@mail.mil]
Sent: 18 August, 2017 07:37
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Pilot Missing In Vietnam War Accounted For (Scott, M.)

Air Force Col. Martin R. Scott, missing from the Vietnam War, has now been

accounted for.

http://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/Recent-News-Stories/Article/1282268/pilot-m

issing-in-vietnam-war-accounted-for-scott-m/

On March 15, 1966, Scott was a member of Headquarters, 8th Tactical Fighter

Wing, as the aircraft commander and wingman of a two-seater F-4C aircraft in

a flight of two on an armed reconnaissance mission over northern Vietnam.

The lead aircraft spotted two vehicles as the flight approached the target

area and the pilot of Scott's aircraft responded that he was going to strafe

the trucks. The flight leader observed an explosion in the area of the

target and immediately attempted to contact Scott's aircraft. No parachutes

or emergency signals were seen, and all attempts to contact Scott and his

pilot were unsuccessful. An organized search was not possible due to

hostilities in the area. Scott was subsequently declared missing in action.

Interment services are pending; a formal notification will be released 7-10

days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Scott's name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at an American Battle

Monuments Commission site along with the others who are missing 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.

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