NSA Member Seeks Help, Information on Brother Missing in Laos

by Carl Gidlund

from the April 2001 edition

Gene DeBruin (Missoula ’59) may still be alive in Laos nearly 37 years after his shootdown, according to his brother. And, Dr. Jerry DeBruin, a NSA associate member, asks smokejumpers to help.

Jerry, a professor at the University of Toledo, says he is frustrated because the U.S. Government continues to upgrade relations with Laos without first obtaining the release or verifiable accounting of the fate of his brother and others missing in action since the war in Southeast Asia.

As recounted in the Oct. 1995 and Jan. 1996 issues of the NSA newsletter, the former Missoula and Alaska jumper was a cargo kicker on an Air America C-46 that was downed Sept. 5, 1963. Pathet Lao anti-aircraft fire flamed it during a supply drop to a Royal Lao Army battalion eight kilometers from the Vietnamese border.

Gene and four fellow crewmembers parachuted from the plane, but were captured and later photographed in prison by the Pathet Lao. For nearly three years, the prisoners were held in several camps, their numbers augmented by two, a U.S. Air Force helicopter pilot and a Navy fighter pilot who also were shot down and captured.

On June 29, 1966, the group secured weapons and shot their way out of their jungle prison. They split up, Gene electing to pair up with a sick crewmate, a Hong Kong Chinese who had been the C-46’s radio operator.

The helicopter pilot was hacked to death by villagers; the fighter pilot, Dieter Dengler, was rescued 23 days after the escape; one Thai crewman was recaptured, then released in January 1968; but the fate of Gene DeBruin, his companion and two other Thais is unknown.

DeBruin said he has gathered 11 confirmed sightings of his brother in various Pathet Lao prisons.

“To me, Gene is a known Pathet Lao prisoner, but to the Pathet Lao he represents a stumbling block that stands in the way of getting what they want from the United States,” he said.

“For years, the Lao have tried to sweep Gene’s case under the rug by providing us with at least six different versions of how Gene supposedly died. Not a single version has been verified.”

“In the process of normalization of relations, the U.S. Government should have held the Lao accountable for the immediate release of Gene. Unfortunately, this failed to happen. Meanwhile, reports – some generated as shams, others needing verification – of Gene living in Southeast Asia continue to surface. According to officials of the U.S. Government, however, the veracity of these reports remains unknown because they need ‘further analysis’ which eventually leads to debunking.”

DeBruin has traveled to Laos where he failed to obtain information from Pathet Lao and Vietnamese officials. He said he also visits the Laotian embassy in Washington, D.C. each year, to no avail.

He hopes that Americans who want to do business with Laotians and Vietnamese would stipulate in their contracts that they want POWs released and verifiable accountings made of MIAs.

He also requests that smokejumpers ask friends who have served in Southeast Asia for information on Gene and other missing persons, or for leads where more information may be obtained. DeBruin also asks for the names of smokejumpers who served but did not return from Southeast Asia. He said he wants the information to establish contact with those who have had experiences similar to his.

“Over the years, our family has learned ‘the squeaky wheel gets the grease,’ ” DeBruin said. “And that’s especially true in the offices of the U.S. Congress. Your political representatives employ people who tally the number of phone calls, letters, faxes and e-mails on specific issues.”

“Please call, write a note or send a fax or e-mail to your elected officials, urging them to inquire with various agencies such as the Department of State, the Defense Department’s POW/MIA branch, Central Intelligence Agency, U.S. Agency for International Development, National Security Agency, et al on behalf of Gene. Numbers send clear messages.”

Dr. Jerry Debruin may be contacted at P.O. Box 352781, Toledo, OH 43635-2781. His phone number is (419) 885-0927, fax is (419) 882-3370.

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