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Contact Info
Home Town Denver
Last Address With VO-67 deployed in SE Asia.
Captain Milius' remains are actually Missing in Laos.
This Sailor has an (IMO) In Memory Of Headstone in Harlington Cemetery, Waverly, Iowa.
On February 27, 1968, an OP-2E Neptune (bureau number 131484) with a crew of nine took off from Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, on an armed reconnaissance mission against targets southwest of Ban Karai Pass, Khammouane Province, Laos. The aircraft was flying low over its assigned target area when it was struck by enemy anti-aircraft fire, causing an explosion and fire that filled the flight deck with smoke.
The pilot ordered the crew to abandon the aircraft before it crashed. Of the nine crew members, seven safely exited the aircraft by parachute and were subsequently rescued. One crew member was wounded when the plane was hit and was last seen, unmoving, still inside the aircraft as the other crew members bailed out.
The pilot was last seen at the aircraft's rear hatch and was not observed successfully bailing out. The survivors believed that neither the pilot nor the wounded crew member exited the aircraft, and both were lost in the crash. Search teams investigated the crash area but could not locate the two missing men.
Other Comments:
Commander Paul Lloyd Milius entered the U.S. Navy from Iowa and was a member of Observation Squadron 67. He was the pilot of this Neptune when it crashed on February 27, 1968, and attempts to recover his remains have been unsuccessful. While carried in the status of MIA, the Navy promoted CDR Milius to the rank of Captain (CAPT). Today, Captain Milius is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual's case to be in the analytical category of Active Pursuit.
NAVY CROSS
Awarded posthumously for actions during the Vietnam War
The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Captain [then Commander] Paul Lloyd Milius, United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism on 27 February 1968 as an Aircraft Commander in Observation Squadron SIXTY SEVEN (VO-67). During a combat mission in Southeast Asia, Captain Milius' aircraft received multiple hits from 37-mm. anti-aircraft-artillery fire during a run over the assigned target. Immediately, the aircraft burst into flames, several members of the crew received injuries, and dense smoke and fumes filled the fuselage. Remaining at the controls to insure stable flight, Captain Milius ordered his crew members to bail out. As a result of his action, seven of his nine crewmen were rescued within three hours of bail-out. Rescue flights, however, were unable to locate Captain Milius. His heroic efforts and inspiring devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. General Orders: Authority: Navy Department Board of Decorations and Medals, Action Date: February 27, 1968, Service: Navy, Rank: Captain, Company: Observation Squadron 67 (VO-67), Division: Khon Phnom Airport, Thailand
NAMESAKE: USS MILIUS (DDG-69)
DDG 69 is named in honor of the Navy pilot Captain Paul L. Milius. On 28 October 1995 the United States Navy granted Commander Paul L. Milius exceptional recognition by naming the first Navy ship for a POW/MIA from the Vietnam War in his honor.
Warship Milius's motto, "ALii Prae Me", or "Others Before Myself", was chosen to reflect the Personal ethic held throughout Captain Milius' military career and his selfless act under fire.
On 27 February 1968, Commander Paul L. Milius, pilot; and ATN2 John F. Hartzheim, Aviation Electronics Technician Second Class, were part of a nine-man crew conducting a midday armed reconnaissance mission along Route 137, the primary road that ran through the Ban Karai Pass, Khammouane Province, Laos.
This area of eastern Laos was considered one of two major gateways into the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail. When North Vietnam began to increase its military strength in South Vietnam, NVA and Viet Cong troops again intruded on neutral Laos for sanctuary, as the Viet Minh had done during the war with the French some years before. This border road was used by the Communists to transport weapons, supplies and troops from North Vietnam into South Vietnam, and was frequently no more than a path cut through the jungle covered mountains. US forces used all assets available to them to stop this flow of men and supplies from moving south into the war zone.
At approximately 1300 hours, the crew of the Neptune was in the process of delivering ordnance on their assigned target when a single 38mm AAA shell struck the aircraft. A projectile struck the underside of the aircraft and exploded in the radar well. ATN2 Hartzheim was wounded by fragments of the projectile and began to bleed profusely. Other members of the crew, including Cmdr. Milius, were slightly wounded by shrapnel. Shortly thereafter the radar well burst into flames that filled the flight deck area with dense, acrid smoke.
As soon as Cmdr. Milius determined the aircraft was no longer airworthy, he reported their position to the airborne command and control aircraft, requested an immediate search and rescue (SAR) operation be initiated and ordered the crew to bail out. The Tactical Coordinator carried ATN2 Hartzheim to the after section. Upon arriving in the after station, John Hartzheim stated that he could not go any farther, and collapsed. Other crewmembers later stated in their debriefings that they believed he died at this time because his eyes were wide open and rolled to an upward position, and there was no movement.
The bombardier/third pilot reported that he saw Paul Milius sitting at the after-station hatch and that the Neptune's pilot bailed out just prior to his own departure. The aircrew bailed out of the aircraft as it entered a steep climb before crashing into the rugged jungle covered mountains that were heavily populated by communist forces approximately 2 miles southeast of Route 137 and 15 miles southwest of the Ban Karai Pass. When search aircraft arrived in the area of loss, they immediately heard the crew's emergency beepers.
Subsequently seven crewmen were rescued. A search effort on 29 February, Operation Texas Crest, continued for Paul Milius, but failed to locate any trace of him. While searching for the downed crew, SAR personnel did locate the wreckage of the Neptune. At the time they were only able to examine the burned wreckage from the air. Later they reported that they believed no identifiable remains would be found for ATN2 Hartzheim whose body had been left aboard. At the time the formal search as terminated, John Hartzheim was listed Killed in Action/Body Not Recovered while Paul Milius was listed Missing in Action.
