MIA - But Not Forgotten!

CASE SYNOPSIS:

EVELYN ANDERSON and BEATRICE KOSIN

Name: Anderson, Evelyn
Rank/Branch: Civilian
Unit: Missonary - Christian Missions of Many Lands

Date of Birth: ca 1950
Home City of Record: Quincy MI
Loss Date: 27 October 1972
Country of Loss: Laos
Status (in 1973): Killed in Captivity
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: Ground

Name: Kosin, Beatrice
Rank/Branch: Civilian
Unit: Missonary - Christian Missions of Many Lands

Date of Birth:
Home City of Record: Ft. Washakle WY
Loss Date: 27 October 1972
Country of Loss: Laos
Status (in 1973): Killed in Captivity
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: Ground

Other Personnel in Incident:

Lloyd Oppel (released in 1973 - citizen of British Columbia); Samuel Mattix (released in 1973)

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 October 1990 from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews.

SYNOPSIS: In the late hours of. Saturday, October 27, 1972 a small group of North Vietnamese soldiers invaded the southern Laotian town of Kengkok, about thirty-five miles from Savannakhet. They took prisoners, Including Evelyn Anderson, Beatrice Kosin, Lloyd Oppel and Samuel Mattix. Several other Americans in Kengkok managed to escape and radioed for help.

At 9:04 on Sunday morning following the capture, an American helicopter arrived and evacuated nine Filipinos, five Lao and the Americans who had radioed for help. Less than a hour later, Sgt. Gerry Wilson returned by helicopter to try and locate the two American women, Lt. Colonel Norman Vaughn immediately set rescue plans into motion.

The American Embassy in Vientiane [Laos] heard of the rescue plan and ordered from the highest level that no attempt be made to rescue the women. The peace negotiations were ongoing and it was feared that a rescue attempt would compromise the sustained level of progress in the talks.

On November 2, 1972, a radio message was intercepted from Hanoi which ordered that the two women be executed. A captured North Vietnamese soldier later told U.S. military intelligence that the women were captured, tied back to back and their wrists wired around a house pillar. The women remained in this position for five days. After receiving orders to execute the two, the Communists simply set fire to the house where they were being held and burned them alive. A later search of the smoldering ruins revealed the corpse of Miss Anderson. Her wrist was severed, Indicating the struggle she made to free herself.

The two men, Oppel and Mattix, who were captured with Anderson and Kosin were released. It is speculated that the women would have been too much trouble to care for on the long trip to Hanoi, and killed instead.

Evelyn Anderson and Beatrice Kosin were not in Laos to kill, but to help. Their deaths must be blamed not only on the communists who set the fire that killed them, but also on the faceless, nameless Americans who decided they were expendable.

[Courtesy of The Northwest Veterans Newsletter]

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