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Name:
Cleveland Evans, Jr.
Rank/Branch: E5/US Marine Corps
Unit: A/3DMTBN, 3rd Marine Division
Date of Birth: 22 November 1945
Home City of Record: Hot Springs AR
Date of Loss: 13 March 1968
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 163650N 1072618E (YD601383)
Status (in 1973): Missing In Action
Category: 2
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: UH1B
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Other Personnel In Incident: Steven Heitman; Jimmy L.
Watson (both missing) Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project
(919/527-8079) 01 April 1991 from one or more of the following:
raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with
POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews. Copyright 1991
Homecoming II Project.
REMARKS:
SYNOPSIS: On March 13,
1968, SP5 Heitman, Sgt. Evans, passengers, WO Jimmy Watson,
pilot, SFC Eugene Gubbins, PFC Larry Moore and Lt. Purda,
crewmembers and 4 unidentified passengers of the 101st Airborne
Division were aboard a UH1H helicopter (tail #67-17254) which
proceeded north from Phu Bai airfield on a logistics mission to
Camp Evans, Republic of Vietnam. Evans was on the aircraft on the
first leg of a journey to Da Nang, to visit his brother, who was
stationed there.
About 3-5 miles southeast of Camp Evans, the helicopter was hit
by enemy fire and was forced to land. All 10 persons exited the
aircraft and split into two 5-man teams in an attempt to evade to
friendly lines.
Lt. Purda and the four 101st Airborne personnel walked into Camp
Evans at 2000 hours. An intensive search was initiated, but
failed to reveal any trace of the aircraft or the 5 missing. On
March 28, elements of the 1st Cavalry Division found 2 bodies in
a shallow grave in the area of the crash site. They were later
identified as those of SFC Gubbins and PFC Moore. The fates of
the other 3 remained a mystery and the three were classified
Missing in Action.
Since the war ended, thousands of reports have convinced many
authorities that hundreds of Americans are still held captive in
Southeast Asia. The three survivors of the helicopter crash on
March 13, 1968 could be among them. They also could be dead.
Until the U.S. seriously pursues his fate, we may not know with
certainty what happened to Cleveland Evans.
As long as
even one American remains alive, held against his will, we must
do everything possible to bring him home alive.
POW/MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W.
NETWORK Skidmore, MO.
USA
