Avore, Malcolm Arthur, LT

Oriskany

A village in central New York state and the scene of one of the bloodiest battles of the Revolutionary War. During the Saratoga campaign in the summer of 1777, a British force invested Fort Stanwix in central New York, intending to seize control of the Mowhawk Valley and guard the left flank of the British advance on Albany. On 4 August 1777, a relief column of some 800 Tryon County militiamen and 40 Oneida warriors under Brigadier General Nicholas Herkimer and Chief Skenandoah set out from Fort Dayton, some forty miles to the east. Two days later, as the Tryon militia entered the marshy ravine of Oriskany Creek, a smaller force of Tories, Mohawks and Senecas under Sir John Johnson, Col. John Butler and Chief Joseph Brant ambushed the patriot militia. Initially thrown into disorder and suffering heavy losses, Herkimers' force regrouped on higher ground and fought a bitter six hour battle against the Loyalists, marked by hand-to-hand combat with bayonets and tomahawks. Losses at Oriskany were severe and both sides withdrew, with American losses amounting to half the original force, including General Herkimer who died of his wounds a week later. Although the patriots did not then relieve Fort Stanwix, a second expedition forced the British force to lift the siege and retreat to Canada, contributing to British General John Burgoyne's defeat at Saratoga in October.

Worst Moment
AVORE, MALCOLM ARTHUR "ART" Name: Malcolm Arthur "Art" Avore Rank/Branch: O3/US Navy Unit: Attack Squadron 163 Date of Birth: 25 August 1938 Home City of Record: Hallwell ME Date of Loss: 18 July 1965 Country of Loss: South Vietnam/Over Water Loss Coordinates: 091959N 1085057E (BL638323) Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered Category: 5 Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: A4E Refno: 0110 Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing) Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 June 1990 from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews. Updated by the P.O.w. NETORK. REMARKS: SANK AFT CATAPULT CVA 34 - J SYNOPSIS: The USS ORISKANY was a World War II-era carrier on duty in Vietnam as early as 1964, when the first clash between U.S. and North Vietnamese forces occurred in the Gulf of Tonkin. The ORISKANY at one time carried the RF8A (number 144608) flown by Maj. John H. Glenn, the famous Marine astronaut (and later Senator) flew in his 1957 transcontinental flight. In October, 1966 the ORISKANY endured a tragic fire which killed 44 men onboard, but was soon back on station. In 1972, the ORISKANY had an at-sea accident which resulted in the loss of one of its aircraft elevators, and later lost a screw that put the carrier into drydock in Yokosuka, Japan for major repairs, thus delaying its involvement until the late months of the war. On the ORISKANY's 1965 tour, she started off at Dixie Station conducting training operations. While the carrier was offshore, an explosion occurred at an Air Force base, calling aircraft from the ORISKANY into a greater, if temporary, role in the south, flying tactical missions the Air Force normally would have flown. Attack Squadron 164 onboard the ORISKANY flew seven days a week, but with nobody shooting at them. There were other hazards inherent to carrier aviation that would claim the life of one of the Saints of VA 164 on that tour of duty. LT Malcolm A. "Art" Avore was preparing to launch from the ORISKANY on an operational mission when he failed to gain airspeed after the catapult launch and ditched in the South China Sea off the coast of South Vietnam. Despite efforts to recover LT Avore, his aircraft sank and he went down with the plane. Because his remains were never found, he is listed among the Americans missing in Southeast Asia. For Art Avore, death is a certainty. For hundreds of others, however, simple answers are not possible. Adding to the torment of nearly 10,000 reports relating to Americans missing in Southeast Asia is the certain knowledge that some Americans who were known to be prisoners of war were not released at the end of the war. Others were suspected to be prisoners, and still others were in radio contact with would-be rescuers when last seen alive. Many were known to have survived their loss incidents, only to disappear without a trace. The problem of Americans still missing torments not only the families of those who are missing, but the men who fought by their sides, and those in the general public who realize the full implication of leaving men unaccounted for at the end of a war. Tragically, many authorities believe there are hundreds of Americans still alive in captivity in Southeast Asia today. What must they be thinking of us? What will our next generation say if called to fight if we are unable to bring these men home from Southeast Asia?