4 Mar 2005 Tom was a fellow soldier and a friend and will never be forgotten. From a friend in Vietnam, Mike S. 03 Aug 2005 On August 10, 2005, it will be 34 years since we lost Tom Dolan and Paul Bates. Although they never came home, they are STILL not forgotten by those who served proudly with them. August 10, 2007 - 36 years ago today. We still remember! Mike S. From a friend and fellow soldier, Mike S. Buffalo Grove, Illinois 60089 smokeymike@aol.com

 

15 Mar 2005 Tom Dolan is my father. I want to thank Mike S. for posting his message about my dad. It makes me feel good that people other than his family take the time to remember. It has been over 33 years since his plane crashed. He and his pilot, Capt. Paul Bates, Jr, have been unaccounted for for far too long. It is time to find them. Everyone who reads this needs to contact the Joint Recovery Task Force and pressure them to excavate the site of the crash. It's not like the site is unknown. According to eyewitnesses and the official accounting of the crash the coordinates are: 165158N 1064301E (XD829654). The crash site was approximately 10 miles south of the DMZ, 10 miles east of the South Vietnam/Lao border, 18 miles north-northwest of Khe Sanh and 19 miles west-southwest of Firebase Vandergrift. Anything you can do would be treasured by his family. We want him home!! From his son, Douglas R. Dolan usbirddog@juno.com

 

Notes from The Virtual Wall On 10 Aug 1971 Captain Paul J Bates (220th Aviation Company) and SP5 Thomas A Dolan (101st MI Co) were conducting a visual recon flight in an O-1G (tail number 51-2267) in western Quang Tri Province. While attempting to point out a target to an accompanying aircraft, the O-1G impacted trees on a steep slope. The crew of the accompanying aircraft initiated search-and-rescue operations while overflying the crash site. No movement in or around the O-1G was noted before the aircraft caught fire and burned, leaving only the wingtips and tail section intact. The SAR forces were unsuccessful in locating either crewman. The terrain precluded landing nearby for a physical search, and the heavy enemy presence in the area precluded insertion of a ground team without prior evidence of survivors. Although the on-scene aircrews concluded that it was unlikely that either Bates or Dolan survived the crash both men were classed as Missing in Action. Eventually the Secretary of the Army approved Presumptive Findings of Death for the two, Bates on 06 Feb 1974 and Dolan on 05 Sep 1978. Their remains have not been recovered.

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