U.S. identifies first remains from 1968 attack on secret base

Friday, December 9th 2005, 6:19 am

By: News On 6

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Nearly four decades after an Oklahoman and 10 other American servicemen were killed by North Vietnamese commandos in Laos, US investigators have identified their remains.

The remains of Air Force Technical Sergeant Patrick Shannon, of Cordel, were found on a mountain ledge.

Eight of the 19 Americans at the radar site when it was attacked March 11, 1968, were rescued several hours later by CIA helicopters. One of the eight died en route to a base in Thailand.

With the help of the Vietnamese government, two of the commandos were located, interviewed and taken to Lima Site 85 with US investigators in March 2003.

The two showed the investigators three places atop the mountain where they said that after overrunning and killing the Americans, they threw the bodies off the cliff.

DNA matching was used to identify Shannon's remains, which will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.