Name: Bruce E. Lawrence
Rank/Branch: USAF O2
Unit:
Date of Birth: 12 January 43
Home City of Record: Phillipsburg, NJ
Date of Loss: 05 July 68
Country of Loss: North Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 171300N 1062800E
Status (in 1973): Missing in Action
Category: 2
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: F4C
Other Personnel In Incident:
Edward E. Silver
Source:
Compiled by THE P.O.W. NETWORK 02 February 93 from the following
published sources - POW/MIA's -- Report of the Select Committee on POW/MIA
Affairs United States Senate -- January 13, 1993. "The Senate Select
Committee staff has prepared case summaries for the priority cases that the
Administration is now investigating. These provide the facts about each
case, describe the circumstances under which the individual was lost, and
detail the information learned since the date of loss. Information in the
case summaries is limited to information from casualty files, does not
include any judgments by Committee staff, and attempts to relate essential
facts. The Committee acknowledges that POW/MIAs' primary next-of- kin know
their family members' cases in more comprehensive detail than summarized
here and recognizes the limitations that the report format imposes on these
summaries."
On July 5, 1968, Major Silver and First Lieutenant Lawrence were the crew of an F-4C on a night armed reconnaissance mission over North Vietnam. Their aircraft was hit by hostile anti-aircraft fire. Their wingman observed their aircraft turn into a large fireball with streaks of fire trailing out of the bottom, followed by a second smaller explosion. There were no parachutes observed and no beepers heard. Intense hostile fire prevented a daylight search of the area. Both airmen were declared missing in action. During Operation Homecoming, a returning POW reported seeing a propaganda film which included the showing of a body in a flight suit. The returnee was "almost positive" the name strip on the suit was "Silver."
No returning U.S. POW was able to report either of the missing crewmen in captivity. Both were later declared killed in action, body not recovered, based on a presumptive finding of death
