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Visconti, Francis E.
Name: Francis Edward Visconti
Rank/Branch: O3/US Marine Corps
Unit: HMM 362, MAG 36
Date of Birth: 16 November 1934
Home City of Record: Syracuse NY
Date of Loss: 22 November 1965
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 151605N 1085022E (BT720060)
Status (in 1973): Missing In Action
Category: 2
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: UH34D
Refno: 0192
Other Personnel In Incident:
Thomas E. Douglas; Richard A. Miller; Victor J. Pirker(all missing)
Source:Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 October 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. NETWORK 1998.
Synopsis: On November 22,1965, Capt. Francis E. Visconti was the pilot
of a UH34D helicopter flying with other aircraft on a combat mission in
South Vietnam. Bad weather forced Visconti's aircraft out to sea about
halfway between Chu Lai and Quang Ngai, and they were separated from
the rest of the group.
Also onboard the aircraft were Capt.Richard A. Miller, Cpl.Thomas E.
Douglas, and Cpl. Victor J. Pirker, all from the same unit. The helicopter
went down and all four Marines were classified Missing in Action. The
casualty is listed as battle related, which means the aircraft was probably
hit by enemy fire. The U.S. believes that the Vietnamese could account for
the four men.
There has been no word of any of the crew of that ill-fated chopper since
that day. The Vietnamese have denied any knowledge of them.
Evidence mounts that Americans are still alive in Southeast Asia. There
have been hundreds of eye-witnesses who have said they personally saw
them. It is unknown whether any of the crew survived and are among those
said to be alive and still a prisoner, but someone's brother, son, husband,
or father is alive. We owe them our very best effort to bring them home.
Richard A. Miller and Francis E. Visconti were promoted to the rank of
Major, Thomas E. Douglas and Victor J. Pirker to the rank of Staff Sargeant
during the period they were maintained missing.
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Marine Corps Hymn