| Maj. Robert Lapham won a Silver Star for one of the most important bombing attacks of the war. Despite heavy enemy ground fire, he successfully broke a heavy siege upon U.S. troops near the demilitarized zone (DMZ). He is believed to have died in the mission when the A1E Skyraider he was piloting apparently was hit and exploded with a half-load of bombs aboard. His plane apparently was hit by machine gun fire that had forced the three other planes he was leading to turn back. Neither Lapham's body nor wreckage of the aircraft was found. The Air Force described the mission as one of "extraordinary achievement". When the war ended, refugees from the communist-overrun countries of Southeast Asia began to flood the world, bringing with them stories of live GI's still in captivity in their homelands. Since 1975, over 6000 such stories have been received. Many authorities believe that hundreds of Americans are still held in the countries in Southeast Asia. The U.S. Government operates on the "assumption" that one or more men are being held, but that it cannot "prove" that this is the case, allowing action to be taken. Meanwhile, low-level talks between the U.S. and Vietnam proceed, yielding a few sets of remains when it seems politically expedient to return them, but as yet, no living American has returned. Robert Lapham's wife died five years after he went missing. She never knew for sure whether he died or just disappeared. Robert's sister, Helen, died in the early 90's, still bravely fighting for information on her brother. In death, with the Lord, she may have found the answers she sought. |
| A-1E Skyraider After Bombing Run Photo: Paul T. McClellan, Jr.; Date: 1965 |
Maj. Robert Granthan Lapham
| Back row: unknown, Maj Robert "Bob" Aycock, Maj Griffith, unknown Front row: LtCol Ruscitto, Maj Duffy, Maj Robert G. Lapham (KIA 68/02/08), Capt Perkins |
Tribute for: Robert Lapham (Marshall, MI)
Tribute left by: Jerry Bradley (Auburn, WA)
It is an honor and a privilege to share my
hero, my stepfather, Major Robert G
Lapham. Flying an A1-E Skyraider in close
ground support, Major Lapham gave his
life in the defense of a US Army Infantry
position at Lang Vei, Vietnam, in February
1968. For his courageous sacrifice, he
was awarded the Silver Star. In his own
words, written to me just prior to his
death,"I think there are a lot of guys still
alive, because of what I have done".
Please join me in remembering him.
Tribute left by: Jerry Bradley (Auburn, WA)
It is an honor and a privilege to share my
hero, my stepfather, Major Robert G
Lapham. Flying an A1-E Skyraider in close
ground support, Major Lapham gave his
life in the defense of a US Army Infantry
position at Lang Vei, Vietnam, in February
1968. For his courageous sacrifice, he
was awarded the Silver Star. In his own
words, written to me just prior to his
death,"I think there are a lot of guys still
alive, because of what I have done".
Please join me in remembering him.
| Air Force memorial Foundation AIR FORCE HEROES: TRIBUTE GALLERY |
| Air Force Pilot Missing From Vietnam War is Identified The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing from the Vietnam War, have been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors. He is Maj. Robert G. Lapham, U.S. Air Force, of Marshall, Mich. He will be buried Friday in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. On Feb. 8, 1968, Lapham was flying the lead A-1E Skyraider in a flight of two in Quang Tri Province, Vietnam. The aircraft were alerted to join an airborne forward air controller to destroy enemy tanks that had overrun the Lang Vei Special Forces Camp. After completing one pass on the tanks, Lapham was nearing his target on the second pass when he crashed. The crew of the other aircraft involved in the mission reported seeing no parachute. Between 1993 and 1998, joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) teams, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), traveled to Quang Tri Province two times to investigate the incident and interview witnesses. One team also surveyed the crash site and found aircraft wreckage. In 2003, another joint team investigated the incident and resurveyed the crash site. The team found more wreckage and pilot-related evidence, including Lapham’s identification tag. Between 2004 and 2006, JPAC teams traveled to Quang Tri Province four times to excavate the crash site. The teams recovered human remains, aircraft wreckage and pilot-related items. Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC also used dental comparisons in the identification of the remains. For additional information of the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169. |