Other Personnel In Incident: Peter J. Stewart (missing)
Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 October 1990 from one or more of the following: raw data from US Government agency sources,correspondences with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews.
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 North Vietnam. Scott and Stewart were number 2 in a two-plane flight.
About 1 mile south of 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 a 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 states that Stewart's planes was the only plane shot down in that area, but could not specify the date or the year. The DOD added, "POSS DEAD IR1516032672" to Scott's record's.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 J. 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 J. Stewart. Whether Scott's name was ever mentioned as a possible POW is not known. Whether Scott and Stewart survived the crash of their airplane on March 15 1966,will not be known with certainty until either they themselves or their remains are returned. Although over 10,000 reports concerning Americans alive in Southeast Asia have been received by the U.S Government, we have yet to discover the formula that would secure the freedom of these men. Martin Scott and Peter Stewart could be among them.
Peter J. Stewart and Martin R. Scott were both promoted to the rank of Colonel during the period they were maintained Missing In Action. "All Biographical and loss information on POW's provided by Operation Just Cause have been supplied by Chuck and Mary Schantag of POWNET.Please check withPOWNET regularly for updates."
Name: Martin Ronald Scott
Rank/Branch: 03/US Air Force
Date of Birth: 10 April 1931
Home City of Record: Tulsa Ok
Date of Loss: 15 March 1966
Country of Loss: North Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 212300N 1030000E (TJ928640)
Status (in 1973): Missing In Action
Category: 2
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: F4C
