OWEN.htm

AMERICAN ARMOURED FOUNDATION

TANK MUSEUM

Robert Duval Owen Lee Dufford Harley POW MIA

Missing In Action Ribbon Bar

Owen's picture

Robert Duval Owen
Sergeant First Class\United States Army
attached to Command & Control, MACV-SOG
(Military Assistance Command Vietnam Studies & Observation Group)

On May 20, 1968 Owens was assigned to a 6-man reconnaissance spike team. Their mission was to infiltrate an area in Laos and report on NVA activity in the sector. The recon group was inserted by helicopter and made its only radio contact with the Forward Air Controller, reporting that they were unable to talk due to NVA troops all around them. When further contact failed a search & rescue (SAR) operation was immediately initiated. Later that day a 12 man search team was inserted again by helicopter and shortly thereafter found and followed a trail leading away from the landing zone. About 50 meters down the trail the SAR team saw signs of a firefight where concussion grenades had exploded. While examining the site a company size NVA force attacked them. During this attach the SAR team suffered one kill and 11 wounded. The team narrowly escaped when rescue helicopters extracted them under fire. Due to the heavy enemy presence in the area, no further ground search was possible.