WATERFORD, Conn. (AP) – Authorities believe they’ve located the site where an Army captain from Connecticut was shot down in Vietnam more than 30 years ago, a discovery that could provide a breakthrough in the effort to recover his body.
Capt. Arnold E. Holm of Waterford crashed in 1972 while on a reconnaissance mission. He and his two crewmen were never recovered. Pentagon investigators have been searching the harsh jungle area for years.
“They feel very strongly this is the right site,” said U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, R-Conn., who has been aiding the effort.
The newly discovered crash site was not far from one that Simmons and others visited last year looking for Holm’s remains.
“The climate is so adverse, the jungle is so dense, the mountain is so steep. You just can’t go and wander around,” said Simmons, who served in Vietnam and who has aided in the recovery effort. “Going even a few hundred yards is very difficult.”
Simmons said he expects excavation of the site will begin sometime next year.
“It’s really the best news we’ve had in more than five years,” Simmons said.
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