ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 158703
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| Date: | Wednesday 6 September 1972 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Grumman A-6A Intruder |
| Owner/operator: | VA-75, US Navy |
| Registration: | 155626 |
| MSN: | I-352 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Klan An Airfield, 10 miles SW of Haiphong, North Vietnam -
 Vietnam
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | USS Saratoga (CV-60), Gulf of Tonkin, North Vietnam |
| USS Saratoga (CV-60), Gulf of Tonkin, North Vietnam | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
A-6A Intruder BuNo. 155626/'AC 505' of VA‑75, US Navy, on board the USS Saratoga (CVA-60) as part of CVW-3. Lost on combat operations September 6, 1972: hit by 2 SAMs, 10 Miles South West of Haiphong, North Vietnam near Klan An airfield at approximate Coordinates: 20'46.10"N 106'38.00"E
Both crew - Lt (JG) Roger G. Lerseth (bombardier/navigator) and Lt Commander Donald F. Lindland (pilot) - ejected safely and were seen alive on the ground, Roger Lerseth had significant injures from the ejection, and was captured quickly by a teenage Vietnamese male, who promptly started beating him. He was taken to Hanoi, and would emerge from a PoW camp in February 1973.
Don Lindland was seen to be moving on the ground and may have avoided capture for hours, but he would not return alive. The 36-year-old native of Oakridge, Oregon, would apparently be killed while evading. He was initially posted as MIA; Although Hanoi radio reported that both had been captured, Lerseth was told by the Vietnamese that Lindland was dead.
His status was changed from MIA to KIA, body not recovered, with effect from August 2, 1978. He never appeared on the POW lists and the Vietnamese Government returned Don's bones on June 3, 1983 and they were confirmed as identified on June 27, 1983. His remains were returned to his widow Bobbe Lindland for a private burial ceremony. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
Lerseth returned to flight status in 1976 with VA-35. In 1979, he was assigned to the U.S. Naval Academy as an instructor and academic advisor. In 1981, he served as VA-95 Operations Officer aboard the USS America (CVA-66) and the USS Enterprise (CVN-65). In 1982, following recurring medical problems from his combat injuries, he was reassigned as A-6 Plans and Program Manager at COMMATVAQWINGPAC. He then served as Officer in Charge, Naval Support Activity, Gaeta, Italy, followed by assignment at the Naval Center for Cost Analysis. His last active naval assignment was as a faculty member of the Strategy and Policy Department, Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island, from which he retired in August, 1994. He received a Ph.D. in Political Science from Boston University in 2001.
Comander Roger Gene Lerseth, United States Navy (retired), age 57, died at his home on Saturday, March 27, 2004, following a brief illness.
Sources:
1. A-6 Intruder Units of the Vietnam War By Rick Morgan
2. http://web.archive.org/web/20180422222159/http://www.millionmonkeytheater.com/A-6.html
3. http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries19.html
4. http://web.archive.org/web/20171103001143/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk:80/aircraft_by_type/a6_prowler.htm
5. http://www.virtualwall.org/dl/LindlandDF01a.htm
6. http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/rglerseth.htm
7. https://navy.togetherweserved.com/usn/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=ShadowBoxProfile&type=AssignmentExt&ID=1501202
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 20-Aug-2013 09:00 | Uli Elch | Added |
| 20-Aug-2013 09:35 | Uli Elch | Updated [Date, Registration, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Location, Narrative] |
| 15-Mar-2016 03:16 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Date] |
| 26-Mar-2016 01:00 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 26-Mar-2016 01:05 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 23-Nov-2016 18:07 | TheBrig | Updated [Narrative] |
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