Melvin Carl "Shorty" Thompson (my grandfather) had served his country during the Korean War and then in Vietnam. He was married and was the father of several children.
On 5 February 1968, a P-3B Orion #BU-153440 with a crew of twelve departed Utapao Air Base, Thailand, on a surveillance mission connected to OPERATION MARKET TIME, an eight year effort meant to prevent men and supplies from North Vietnam entering South Vietnam via coastal waterways.
When their aircraft failed to file a scheduled position report, search and rescue efforts were launched. They located debris forty miles off the coast of South Vietnam, but only two bodies were recovered. The remaining crew members are considered Missing in Action.
