WILLIAMS, DAVID BERYL

Remains Returned
ID Announced 26 October 1989

Name: David Beryl Williams
Rank/Branch: 03/U.S. Marine Corps
Unit: VMA 224, Detachment C
Date of Birth: 06 August 1941
Home City of Record: Lafayette LA
Date of Loss: 03 May 1972
Country of Loss: North Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 174859N 1072957E (YE649715)
Status (in 1973): Missing In Action
Category: 3
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: A6A
Refno: 1842

Other Personnel in Incident: Joseph W. McDonald (missing)

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 01 April 1990 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,
interviews. Updated by the P.O.W. NETWORK 2020.

REMARKS:

SYNOPSIS: The Grumman A6 Intruder is a two-man all weather, low-altitude,
carrier-based attack plane, with versions adapted as aerial tanker and
electronic warfare platform. The A6A primarily flew close-air-support,
all-weather and night attacks on enemy troop concentrations, and night
interdiction missions. Its advanced navigation and attack system, known as
DIANE (Digital Integrated Attack navigation Equipment) allowed small
precision targets, such as bridges, barracks and fuel depots to be located
and attacked in all weather conditions, day or night. The planes were
credited with some of the most difficult single-plane strikes in the war,
including the destruction of the Hai Duong bridge between Hanoi and Haiphong
by a single A6. Their missions were tough, but their crews among the most
talented and most courageous to serve the United States.

On May 3, 1972, an A6A flown by 1Lt. Joseph W. McDonald was launched on a
mission over North Vietnam. Flying as "guy in back" for McDonald was Capt.
David B. Williams. At a point on the coast of North Vietnam, near the city
of Ron in Quang Binh Province, their aircraft was shot down. Both men were
placed in the category of Missing In Action.

The Defense Intelligence Agency further clarified McDonald's and Williams'
categories with an "enemy knowledge" qualifier. Both men received ratings of
Category 3, which 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).

Even though both men were classified Missing in Action, Defense Department
notes indicate some likelihood that McDonald, at least, was captured. There
are no such notations relating to Williams. The Vietnamese denied any
knowledge of either crewman.

In late October, 1989, it was announced that remains returned to the U.S. by
the Vietnamese had been identified as being those of David B. Williams. No
word of McDonald has been publicly announced.

Since these men disappeared in May 1972, the U.S. has received nearly 10,000
reports relating to Americans missing in Southeast Asia. Many officials who
have reviewed these reports have reluctantly concluded there are still
hundreds of Americans alive in Southeast Asia, held captive by our long-ago
enemy.

Whether Joseph W. McDonald survived the crash of his aircraft to be captured
is not known. What is certain, however, is that the Vietnamese should be
able to provide answers as to his fate. It's time we got those answers, and
time we brought all living American prisoners home.


 

Subject: LOVELETTERS
Date: Sat, 1 Feb 2020 08:39:26 +0000
From: W. Rusty Lane, Jr. <twolane2@msn.com>
   

To the family of David B. Williams,

When I returned from our WESTPAC tour aboard the USS Coral Sea with Marine
All Weather Attack Squadron 224 I purchased a POW/MIA bracelet from Capt.
David B. Williams’ wife and still have it to this day.  I wore it constantly for over
50 years until it developed a crack in it.  I put it up with my memories of Vietnam
so it wouldn’t break into.  After all these years I’ve been searching to find if my
friend was finally returned to the U.S. and today I found this information.  I have
kept Capt. David B. Williams in my heart and mind ever since he was shot down
on that 3rd day in May of 1972.  His sacrifice has not been in vain and he will always
live in my heart and memory.  Even though I only got to talk to him a couple of times
during our deployment I always thought of him as a fine Marine officer and considered
him as a friend.  All these years of searching has finally paid off as I just found out
that his remains were returned in 1989.  I’ve always kept you (his family) in my prayers. 
Thank you.

 

Respectfully,

Sgt. W. Rusty Lane VMA(AW)-224 USS Coral Sea CVA-43


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

02/2020

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt000000qaMh4EAE

MAJ DAVID BERYL WILLIAMS

Return to Service Member Profiles

On October 19, 1989, the Central Identification Laboratory-Hawaii (CILH, now DPAA) identified the remains of Major David Beryl Williams, missing from the Vietnam War.

Major Williams joined the U.S. Marine Corps from Louisiana and was a member of Marine All Weather Attack Squadron 224. On May 3, 1972, he was the bombardier and navigator aboard an A-6A Intruder (bureau number 155709) on a strike mission near Dong Hoi, Vietnam. Major Williams' Intruder went missing during the return flight from the mission, and search efforts failed to locate the missing aircraft. He died at some point following his Intruder's disappearance, but details of his fate are unknown. In June 1989, the Vietnamese government repatriated a set of unidentified remains that were later identified as those of Maj Williams. 

Major Williams 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.