Missing in Action Report

 WOGAN, WILLIAM MICHAEL  

Name: William Michael Wogan 
Rank/Branch: E4/US 
Army Unit: Company D, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division 
Date of Birth: 15 october 1947 (Brooklyn NY) 
Home City of Record: Glen Oaks NY 
Date of Loss: 16 February 1969 
Country of Loss: South Vietnam 
Loss Coordinates: 163140N 1071442E (YD395292) 
Status (in 1973): Missing in Action 
Category: 4 
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: Ground 
Refno: 1387  
Source: Compiled from one or more of the following: 
raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews. 
Updated by the P.O.W. NETWORK in 1998.  
Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing)  
 
SYNOPSIS: William M. Wogan was a rifleman assigned to Company D, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry, 
101st Airborne Division. On February 16, 1969, his unit was operating in Thua Thien Province 
about 15 miles south southeast of the city of Quang Tri. The unit had secured a small landing 
zone to evacuate wounded personnel.  After loading casualties into a helicopter at the landing 
zone, Wogan, who had been helping, stepped away from the helicopter as it prepared to lift off. 
Some 30 seconds later, a ground explosion occurred, killing and wounding an unspecified number 
of people. It was later determined that the explosion was probably caused by a 250 pound bomb. 
The explosion reportedly occurred where Wogan was standing.  A search of the area located Wogan's 
ruck sack and other personal items, but searchers found no trace of Wogan. The area was later 
searched again, and pieces of a uniform were found, but no remains that could be identified as 
those of William M. Wogan were ever found.  Even though it was thought that Wogan was standing 
at the location of the explosion, it was not certain, so he was not immediately declared dead. 
There was still the chance that he had survived. Wogan was classified Missing in Action.  

Since the war ended, nearly 10,000 reports making up "several million" documents have been 
received by the U.S. Government related to Americans missing, prisoner and unaccounted for from
the Vietnam War. Many authorities who have seen much of this information are convinced that 
hundreds of Americans remain alive today, held in captivity.  Whether Wogan survived to be 
captured is unknown. What is certain, however, is that as long as even one man remains alive, 
we owe him our best efforts to bring him home.

Information from POW Network