On 21 April 1969, Cpt. Floyd W Olsen, Aircraft Commander; WO1 Robert C. Link, Pilot; SP5 Frankie B Johnson,Jr., Crew Chief; SP4 Larry C. Jamerson, Door Gunner; SSgt. Lyle E. MacKendanz & SP4 James E. Creamer, both passengers were aboard a UH1H helicopter (serial #66-16209) which was flying a combat mission with other assault aircraft in South Vietnam.

The aircraft remained with the assault aircraft during most of the operation until it was required to depart from Phu Bai South Vietnam with rigging equiptment for a recovery from LZ Zeghel. During the flight ,Cpt. Olsen acknowledged a radio transmission which stated the aircrafts secondary mission, the recovery at LZ Zeghel was cancelled because of the tactical situation and inclement weather conditions. Following acknowledgment of the cancelled mission the aircraft was lost. Although several unsuccessfull attempts to contact him and ramp checks of all airfeilds and camps in the area were conducted no futher contact was made with Cpt. Olsen.

On 22 April an extensive though unsucessfull air search was conducted from dawn until 1830 hours. On 8 May elements of the 8th ARVN Airborne Div. found the dog tags of SP5 Johnson in a 3/4 ton non-US truck. On 25 May a UH1C gunship of the 101st Airborne Div. sighted a tail boom of a crashed helicopter. On 26 May the downed aircraft was positively identified by it's tail number by a gunship of the 17th Armored Calvary Armored Helicopter Company. On 27 May a on-ground inspection was conducted by A CO.1stBn. 327th Airborne Infantry.

The company found the main rotor blades of the missing helicopter in a riverbed 200 meters west of the tail boom. The area became insecure and a search team came under fire curtailing search efforts prior to finding the main cabin section of the UH1H. Futher investigation revealed that the helicopter was downed due to anti-aircraft fire. Although no remains were found the families of the men were informed that all aboard were killed. No explanation was ever given as to why Johnson's dog tags were found in the non-US truck.

In the fall of 1985, a CIA document was declassified which contained drawings of a Viet-Cong detention center which held U.S. Servicemen in 1969 prior to their being sent north to Hanoi. Strangely, it was located just 20 miles southwest of Camp Eagle, a major American Base near Hue. In the document were greatly detailed drawings, list of personnel & list of U.S.Servicemen identified from photographs. Lyle MacKedanz' name was on a list of positively identified prisoners. Along with MacKedanz were the names of several POW's who were released in 1973. One of them has verified the authenticity of the report as far as the camp itself is concerned.

The MacKedanz family was given the document by private sources who had obtained it through the Freedom Of Information Act. They had never been told there was even the remotest possibility that Lyle had been captured. The Defense Department maintains that the report is fabricated even though returned POW's who were held there have verified it.  The families of the men lost on the UH1H that went down that day in April 1968 only want the truth. If their men are dead they would like to know.They can accept that. If they are one of the hundreds whom many experts say possibly could still be alive they want them home. What they cannot accept is haveing the truth witheld from them nor the abandoment of America's finest sons!