John Robertson
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Name: John Leighton Robertson

Rank/Branch: O4/USAF pilot

Unit: Ubon, Thailand 555th TFS

Date of Birth: 11 October 1930

Home City of Record: Seattle WA

Date of Loss: 16 September 1966
Country of Loss: North Vietnam

Loss Coordinates: 211157N 1062558E (XJ487447)

Status (in 1973): Missing In Action

Category: 2
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: F4C

Other Personnel In Incident: Hubert E. Buchanan (released POW)

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. Update
by the P.O.W. NETWORK March 1997

REMARKS: IN INTERROG PO60 TOLD SUBJ DIED

SYNOPSIS: Maj. John L. Robertson was a highly valued member of the Inspector
General's team that checked combat readiness of the nation's air bases when
he wrote a 28-page letter requesting Vietnam service. When his request was
granted and he was assigned to Ubon Air Base, Thailand, he was so elated
that he did cartwheels and back flips around the family pool.

On September 16, 1966, a four-plane squadron headed from Ubon for a railroad
bridge in the Red River Delta. Robertson's plane was in the number three
position designated "Moonglow 3", and his systems operator on the flight was
1Lt. Hubert E. Buchanan. The squadron came under heavy fire, Robertson's
plane was hit and went down. Buchanan successfully ejected, and was taken
prisoner.

John Robertson's fate is unknown. When he was released in 1973, Buchanan
supplied more information about the events of September 16, 1966. During his
descent after ejection, Buchanan could not see above his parachute (the
back-seater ejects first) to verify that Robertson had also ejected. He saw
a large fire about one half mile away, but could not say with certainty that
it was the plane or jettisoned fuel that was burning.

Buchanan later reported that because the Vietnamese did not display any
strong reaction to the lies he told them regarding his mission, he presumed
that they were only hearing one (his) story. Further, another returned
prisoner, Maj. Douglas B. Peterson, was shown Robertson's ID card during an
interrogation session.

If Robertson went down in a burning plane, how did his ID card survive? If
he survived the crash, what happened to him?

The Vietnamese have certain knowledge of the fate of John Robertson.
Robertson's wife and four children still work to find information that will
answer their questions. They wait as sightings of live Americans mount into
the thousands. Barbara Robertson says, "I don't think about if it's Johnny
(that's alive), but rather that there are live prisoners over there. My
husband is so special, but each one of those men is so special, and each one
is someone's husband or father or son."

John L. Robertson was promoted to the rank of Colonel during the period he
was maintained Missing in Action. Hubert E. Buchanan was promoted to the
rank of Captain during his captivity.


Senate Select Committee - Vessey 135 Discrepancy Cases
North Vietnam John L. Robertson
(0459)

On September 16, 1966, Major Robertson and First Lieutenant Hubert F. Buchanan were in one in a flight of four F-4C aircraft on a mission over North Vietnam. They were engaged by hostile MIG aircraft while en route to their target. Major Robertson's aircraft was last seen in an aerial engagement with a MIG by other aircraft in their flight.
First Lieutenant Buchanan was captured alive and released in March 1973. During his post-release debriefing he described how their aircraft was attacked by a MIG-17 and that he was forced to eject. He did not have contact with Major Robertson during, or after, his ejection. Other U.S. POWs reported being questioned about Major Robertson on September 17th and having been told Major Robertson was dead.
Major Robertson was in MIA status as of Operation Homecoming. In June 1978, he was declared dead/body not recovered based on a presumptive finding of death.
In January 1987, U.S. intelligence received a report about the wartime crash of an F-4 aircraft which appeared to correlate to this incident. One crewman was reportedly captured, and one died in the crash. From February through April 1990, U.S. field investigators in Vietnam visited Hai Hung Province and interviewed witnesses who described an aerial encounter between a U.S. jet and a MIG aircraft. One crewman ejected and was captured. The team visited the crash site and determined the aircraft's wreckage had been dug up and removed to a nearby warehouse. The team was provided a small packet of remains, allegedly from the crash site, which were determined to be non-human. Also during April 1990, Vietnam repatriated remains it identified as Major Robertson which were later determined to be the skeletal remains of a large animal (possibly a horse or cow) and a piece of non-bone material, possibly a rock.
During November and December 1991, the site was excavated and personal property of an individual, probably American, was recovered and sent for analysis. Parts of the aircraft were recovered, including a data plate, as well as possible bone material. This case continues to undergo investigation.



John Leighton Robertson
Photo Courtesty of his wife Barbara, who submitted it to thevirtualwall.org


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Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Panel 10E, Row 103


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