CAPTAIN JOHN WEST 1-2-70
Inscription
On a copper band.
The name of a brother
In enemy land.
I know nothing
About you or your kin
Nor anything about in which
Part of Hell you have been.
I jockey a truck
Not far from my home,
While you bravely face
Your ordeal alone.
While thousands of miles separate us
And to others you are only a name,
I feel a bond of brotherhood
Between us just the same.
For my mind and heart
Shall not rest till the day
You are returned to your loved ones
And this band is stowed away.
©Copyright May 25, 1972 by Ronald E. Shultz
Name: John Thomas West
Rank/Branch: O3/US Air Force
Unit: 25th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Ubon AB, Thailand
Date of Birth: 26 July 1947
Home City of Record: Baltimore MD
Date of Loss: 02 January 1970
Country of Loss: Laos
Loss Coordinates: 163400N 1062700E (XD548329)
Status (in 1973): Missing in Action
Category: 2
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: F4D
Refno: 1543