Name: Michael John Burke
Rank/Branch: Staff Sergeant/US Marine Corp
Unit: Company D, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, 1st Marine Division
Date of Birth: 26 April 1946 (Evergreen, IL)
Home of Record: Chicago, IL
Date of Loss: 19 October 1966
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 165400N 1071100E (YD344698)
Status in 1973: Missing in Action
Category: 3
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: Water
Other Personnel In Incident: Richard E. Mishuk and Leonard J. Lewandowski,
Jr. (missing)
REMARKS:
SYNOPSIS: On the morning of 19 October 1966, Company D, 1st Battalion, 4th
Marines, 1st Marine Division was on a brief rest and relaxation break near
the Cua Viet River, Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam. The members of
Company D were using part of Company A's facilities while there. Weather
conditions that morning included warm temperature with rain showers and fair
visibility. The local terrain included a sandy beach with a sparse growth of
pine trees 50 meters from the water line and visibility of 200 to 300
meters. Further, small hamlets and fishing villages dotted the region.
The Marines arose at 0730 hours, had breakfast and began to enjoy a little
more "down-time" before packing their gear and boarding US Navy Landing
Craft Utility (LCU) 63 for the trip back upriver to begin another patrol. At
approximately 0930 hours, PFC Richard E. Mishuk and then LCpl. Michael J.
Burke asked LCpl. Ronald A. Rihaly for permission to go swimming in the Cue
Viet River. LCpl. Rihaly gave it and told them not to go outside of the
regular swimming area.
Half an hour later Richard Mishuk and Michael Burke returned to the company
area. They said that the water was warm and wanted to see if other Marines
wanted to join them including LCpl. Rihaly. Ronald Rihaly declined the
invitation, but PFC Leonard J. Lewandowski accepted and at 1015 hours the
three Marines returned to the swimming area along the river. LCpl. Rihaly
made a point of reminding LCpl. Burke that he was in charge of the swimming
party and for them to be back soon because they needed to prepare to go back
into the field later that afternoon. He noted that Michael Burke was dressed
in red swim trunks while Richard Mishuk and Leonard Lewandowski were wearing
green underwear for swim trunks.
At 1145 hours, PFC Burrell asked LCpl. Rihaly where the swimming party was
since he needed them to return to the compound to prepare their gear for
departure as well as for chow. Ronald Rihaly told him to check the regular
swimming area. Ten minutes later, PFC Burrell returned to the company area
and reported that he was unable to locate them.
Ronald Rihaly called another member of the company, LCpl. Bolar, who
suggested the swimming party might have gone farther down the river then
originally planned. To check out that possibility, Ronald Rihaly walked
about halfway down to the dock to a point where he could see LCU 63 at its
mooring across the river. Three men were playing with a dog near the
unmanned LCU. One of the Americans was tall, wearing red swim trunks and
resembled Michael Burke. The other two men were clad in green shorts. The
cursory look and distance across the river made it impossible to positively
identify the three as being the members of the swimming party.
Because LCpl. Rihaly believed it was Michael Burke, Richard Mishuk and
Leonard Lewandowski, he returned to the company area and reported to LCpl.
Bolar accordingly. Ronald Rihaly also recounted the fact that the gang line
used by troops to board the LCU was broken and the three Marines probably
believed that they would not be able to board LCU 63 for the return trip up
river in a few hours as originally planned.
After lunch Ronald Rihaly again returned to the area where he could see
where the LCU was moored. While he saw no sign of the three Marines either
in the water or on the shore, he believed they were still in the immediate
area and they might have even climbed aboard the LCU. No undue concern was
raised at that time. However, attempts were made to contact LCU 63 through
both the Shore Party Air Control Center and Company A's Command Post in
order to recall the swimming party, but no radio contact could be
established.
By 1315 hours, and three hours after the members of the swimming party
departed for the Cue Viet River, members of Company D believed that Richard
Mishuk, Michael Burke and Leonard Lewandowski were no longer on or near the
LCU. They began a thorough search of the company area in the hope they had
returned to the compound unnoticed.
By 1410 hours, the search was expanded to the bank of the Cua Viet River.
When no sign of the three Marines was found by 1530 hours, LCpl. Rihaly
reported to Capt. R. F. Corcoran, the Company A Commander, that PFC Mishuk,
PFC Lewandowski and LCpl. Burke were missing. The company commander
immediately sent a search squad along the south side of the river and
launched an O1 Bird Dog observation aircraft to conduct an initial aerial
search before dark.
The next morning Capt. Corcoran initiated a formal search and rescue (SAR)
operation. Another squad of Marines was dispatched on three amphibious
tractors across the river. He ordered a more extensive aerial search of the
entire sector using several O1 Bird Dogs. In addition to both sides of the
river being thoroughly searched by air and ground, other patrols
investigated the nearby villages and hamlets. The local residents were
interviewed with the help of interpreters, but no one had seen or heard of
the three Americans. Deteriorating weather conditions hampered the SAR
operations. Finally when no trace of the members of the swimming party was
found, the formal search was terminated on 22 October. At that time Michael
Burke, Richard Mishuk and Leonard Lewandowski were declared Missing in
Action.
The last known location of the swimming party was near the mouth of the Cua
Viet River where it opened into the Gulf of Tonkin, approximately ½ mile
northeast of Xam Tuam, 7 miles south of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) and 9
miles northeast of Dong Ha, Gio Linh District, Quang Tri Province, South
Vietnam.
According to the Marine Corps, there is a good possibility Michael Burke,
Richard Mishuk and Leonard Lewandowski drowned in the Cua Viet River and
their remains were carried out to sea. If that is the case, there is
virtually no chance each man's remains can ever be recovered and returned to
his family, friends and country. However, the area in which the three
Americans vanished was not totally secure and there is an equally good
possibility that they were captured by local Viet Cong forces and moved
immediately to another location. If that is the case, their fate, like that
of other Americans who remain unaccounted for in Southeast Asia, could be
quite different. Above all else, Michael Burke, Richard Mishuk and Leonard
Lewandowski have the right not to be forgotten by the nation for which they
gave their lives.
Since the end of the Vietnam War well over 21,000 reports of American
prisoners, missing and otherwise unaccounted for have been received by our
government. Many of these reports document LIVE American Prisoners of War
remaining captive throughout Southeast Asia TODAY.
American servicemen in Vietnam were called upon to operate in many dangerous
circumstances both on and off duty, and they were prepared to be wounded,
killed or captured. It probably never occurred to them that they could be
abandoned by the country they so proudly served
