Photo By Staff Sgt. Blake Gonzales | Rick Holland, son of U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Melvin Holland, sits on the summit of...... read more read more
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"I'm here, Dad!" Rick Holland shouted from atop a mountain in Laos as DPAA teams searched the jagged cliffs below for the men still missing from a battle that occurred 57 years ago.
Holland’s father, U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Melvin Holland, was one of 11 Airmen who lost their lives on Phou Pha Thi, also known as Lima Site 85.
During the Vietnam War, the United States used the mountaintop as a staging ground for a top-secret operation known as Heavy Green. The goal of the operation was to install a TSQ-81 Bomb Scoring Radar System, an advanced electronic communication system used to direct air strikes without the pilot needing full visibility of the target.
Both the U.S. and Vietnam recognized Laos as neutral territory, so to install the radar system, a group of volunteer Airmen were handpicked to walk away from their military careers and pose as civilians with the Lockheed Air Corporation. The goal was to establish the TSQ-81 on Phou Pha Thi and conduct sorties while maintaining Laos' neutrality. The operation ended after an attack by the North Vietnamese Army, which resulted in the largest single ground-combat loss of Air Force personnel during the entire Vietnam War.
"I can't imagine what it was like being up here, stationed up here day and night, and having mortars and rockets shot at you," Holland said. "I never thought that I would really be able to make it here."
Due to the highly classified nature of the operation, the family members of the missing Airmen were directed to remain silent. The spouses of the missing could tell no one of their loss, nor could they communicate with other family members. As a result, the names of the missing were not originally carried on the official U.S. government POW/MIA list until the 1980s. Holland’s family has been waiting for answers ever since.
"After several investigations and excavations, we're now looking for eight unaccounted-for service members," said U.S. Army Capt. Weston Iannone, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency team leader. "The incident itself is incredibly complex: there were several sorties of bombs dropped on this mountain, plus they had direct fire engagement on top. The ability for things to scatter was immense."
Holland’s visit to Laos coincided with a DPAA recovery mission, an operation in which a dedicated team of highly trained military and civilian personnel sought to recover the remains of unaccounted-for service members. Holland received the opportunity to meet the team searching for his father and others before hiking the mountain himself.
"It was pretty special, it was definitely a first for me with my time at DPAA," said Iannone. "[Holland] had so much gratitude, it was so genuine."
The journey to Phou Pha Thi was one Holland has been dreaming of since his father went missing. It was a journey that has been 57 years in the making.
"A pipe dream that I thought was never going to happen, and it did. I'm still a bit numb, because it's so hard to believe that we did it,” Holland said.
Speaking on the all the work DPAA puts into its mission to provide the fullest possible accounting of America’s unaccounted for service members, Holland stated that “these guys have done a lot of hard work. For them to do that for people they don't even know, it's pretty special. Us families will never truly be able to express what it means to us, to do what these guys are doing. They're our heroes."
After a heartfelt farewell to the recovery team, Holland departed for the staircase meant for Phou Pha Thi's tourists, while the recovery team began the intricate climb necessary to reach areas worthy of surveying. Due to the mountain's difficult terrain, recovery teams assigned to Lima Site 85 required a host of mountaineering experience to safely navigate the site.
"It's a pretty complex site logistically," said Iannone. "To start, we are two hours from the nearest major town. Assuming good weather, we'll fly about 15-20 minutes to the base of the mountain. We'd love to fly right to the site, but due to the dense jungle, it's not really feasible. So, we fly to the bottom, and weather permitting, there is a suitable landing zone about halfway up. If the weather's not good, we walk up to that point, which takes about two hours. From there, we have another 30 minutes on foot between hand lines, rappelling, and ascending to get to the actual site. It's pretty time- and labor-intensive just to get there."
Though the site is challenging, the recovery team is all too aware of the stakes and is hopeful for positive results.
“I was here in the fall of 2023, it was what we call a pre-deployment site survey,” said Dr. Katie Rubin, DPAA forensic archeologist. “Ultimately, we were successful in recovering bone. That bone resulted in the identification of Staff Sgt. David Price. To be able to be back here after the 2023 mission feels extra rewarding. You get close to the case, and being able to follow through on the work that we started, it means a lot. Knowing that we’re here, trying to bring these men home to their families, it makes it all worth it.”
Upon reaching the staircase, Holland made his way up the 1,000 steps to the mountain's summit. After reaching the peak, he looked out over the rows and rows of mountains before him and decided there was only one thing left to do. He removed a POW/MIA flag carefully from his backpack, draped it over his shoulders, took a seat, and said a few words for the missing.
"I miss you, Dad. I want you home so bad. I'm here, Dad. Mom needed you. She's been hanging on, waiting for you to come home,” said Holland. “We're doing what we can. We never gave up. This is for the Worleys. This is for the Calfees. For Davis, Gish, Kirk, Hall, Holland, and Springsteadah. I'm here for all of you, I'm here to bring you all home. We won't give up. We won't give up."
Through tears, Holland still somehow managed to wear a smile. stating, "I've gone most of my life questioning: is my dad proud of me? Am I making him proud? Would he be proud? I hope so. I live my life to make him proud and to honor him and the other men. I'm here, Dad, I came here for you. I haven't given up, and I won't give up. You can't tell it, but it's a happy day. These are tears of joy. It's a great day. It's a very good day."
After speaking to his mother and sisters over the phone, Holland took one last look at the mountain where his father once stood and slowly made his way back to the staircase. Though he finished hiking Phou Pha Thi, Holland, like all the families of the missing, is still searching.
| Date Taken: | 01.24.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.03.2025 09:43 |
| Story ID: | 490803 |
| Location: | LA |
| Web Views: | 65 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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