Joseph Gales Greenleaf |
||||
Killed In Action - Body Not Recovered
SUMMARY
SYNOPSIS: Lieutenants Joseph Greenleaf and Clemie McKinney were pilots assigned to Fighter Squadron 114 onboard the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk. On April 14, 1972, they launched in their F4E fighter jet for a bombing mission at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). On the flight, Greenleaf was the pilot and McKinney was the Radar Intercept Officer. During their bombing run, the F4 was hit by anti-aircraft fire and was observed to continue its dive until impact. No ejections were observed. The crash occurred 1 mile south of Cam Lo village, South Vietnam. Reports at that time indicated that because the aircraft had taken a direct hit into the cockpit was involved in a low-level bombing dive as well, that successful ejection would have been virtually impossible.
On August 14, 1985, the Vietnamese government returned remains proported to be
The difficulty in successfully identifying remains that have withstood the wearing effects
of trauma and years of exposure is recognized, as are scientific achievements making
Under the circumstances, it is not clear whether the identification of Clemie McKinney When the military confirms an identificaton of remains, that case is closed. No one is looking for Clemie McKinney. Should a report that he is alive be received, it will be discounted because he has been proven to be dead. If there are Americans still alive in captivity in Southeast Asia, no books should be closed until they are all home. We cannot afford the abandonment of even one of these men, America's finest sons. |