On Aug 1, 1969, Colonel William Thompson (USAF) and his co-pilot, Captain Joe Ross took off from the Danang airfield from their home base for the 389th Tactical Fighter Squadron. In their F-4 jet. They were the lead aircraft in a flight of two for a routine nightly recon mission. Locating some enemy trucks, Thompson dropped some illumination flares to mark the area. He told his wingman to circle the area while he prepared for a bombing run. At 3AM, the second aircraft saw an explosion, but no parachutes, next to the Laotian border. The terrain held large mountains with valleys of triple canopy jungle. It's not known whether Colonel Thompson's jet was shot down, and no wreckage of the aircraft was ever found. Both men were listed as Missing-in-Action, and were officially declared presumptive death on 3/5/1979.