Name: Robert Edwin Holton
Rank/Branch: O3/US Air Force
Unit:
Date of Birth: 08 April 1941
Home City of Record: Butte MT
Date of Loss: 29 January 1969
Country of Loss: Laos
Loss Coordinates: 173230N 1054500E (WE807399)
Status (in 1973): Missing In Action
Category: 2
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: F4D
Other Personnel In Incident: William E. Campbell (missing)
Source:
Compiled by Homecoming II Project 30 June 1990 from one or more of the
following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with
POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews.
REMARKS:
SYNOPSIS:
The F4 Phantom, used by Air Force, Marine and Navy air wings, served a
multitude of functions including fighter-bomber and interceptor, photo and
electronic surveillance. The two man aircraft was extremely fast (Mach 2), and
had a long range (900 - 2300 miles, depending on stores and mission type). The
F4 was also extremely maneuverable and handled well at low and high altitudes.
The F4 was selected for a number of state-of-the-art electronics conversions,
which improved radar intercept and computer bombing capabilities enormously.
Most pilots considered it one of the "hottest" planes around.
Major William E. Campbell was a Phantom pilot assigned a combat mission over Laos on January 29, 1969. His bombardier/navigator on the mission was Capt. Robert E. Holton. Their mission would take them to the Mu Gia Pass area of Laos.
The Mu Gia Pass was one of several passageways through the mountainous border of Vietnam and Laos. American aircraft flying from Thailand to missions over North Vietnam flew through them regularly, and many aircraft were lost. On the Laos side of the border coursed the "Ho Chi Minh Trail," a road system heavily traveled by North Vietnamese troops moving materiel and personnel to their destinations through the relative safety of neutral Laos, coursing into Laos through the Mu Gia Pass and traveling south. The return ratio of men lost in and around the passes is far lower than that of those men lost in more populous areas, even though both were shot down by the same enemy and the same weapons. This is partly due to the extremely rugged terrain and resulting difficulty in recovery.
During the mission, Campbell's aircraft was hit by enemy fire and crashed. Both Campbell and Holton were listed Missing in Action since the distinct possibility existed that they both survived to be captured.
Campbell and Holton are among nearly 600 Americans who are missing in Laos. The prisoners held by the Lao were not dealt for in the peace agreements that ended American involvement in Southeast Asia. When 591 American prisoners were released from Vietnam in 1973, no Lao-held American prisoners were among them. Even though the Lao publicly referred to the prisoners they held, no agreement has ever been made for their release.
Since the end of the war, over 10,000 reports of Americans alive and held in captivity have been received by our government. The evidence suggests that hundreds are still waiting to come home. Detractors say that the U.S. is ignoring good information on POWs for political expediency; the U.S. Government says that actionable evidence is not available.
There are nearly 2500 Americans missing in Southeast Asia. Unlike "MIAs" from other wars, most of these men and women can be accounted for. The overwhelming priority, however, must be for those who are alive. Every effort must be made to free them and bring them home.
William E. Campbell, who graduated from Texas A & M in 1952, was promoted to the rank of Colonel during the period he was maintained missing.
