Remains Of Oklahoma Soldier Killed In Vietnam Soon To Return

EDMOND, Okla. (AP) An Edmond mother soon will be able to bury her son, whose remains have been returned to the US more than 38 years after he died while fighting in north Vietnam. <br/><br/>Laverne Ransbottom

Sunday, November 26th 2006, 2:18 pm

By: News On 6

EDMOND, Okla. (AP) An Edmond mother soon will be able to bury her son, whose remains have been returned to the US more than 38 years after he died while fighting in north Vietnam.

Laverne Ransbottom says that for most of that time, she didn't know if her son, Army First Lieutenant Fredrick Joel Ransbottom, had died or whether he survived and was being held as a prisoner.

Ransbottom's son disappeared on May 12th, 1968, as he and other members of his platoon tried to defend an airfield. But the Army didn't initially know if he had died.

It first listed him as a prisoner of war, then changed his status to ``missing in action, body not recovered.''

In March, during a fourth search of the area around the camp at which he fell, three sets of relatively intact human remains were found, including those of Ransbottom.

His mother says the location of his body indicated he had died in the fighting.

She says she hopes to have a memorial service within the next six weeks.