Tom Stanley, in a black leather motorcycle vest and gray ponytail, bent over 93-year-old Mary Wood and clasped a silver bracelet around her thin wrist.

The bracelet was etched with the names of North Carolinians who are still listed as missing in action from the Vietnam War.

Staff photo by Brian Thorpe Mary Wood says she's honored that her son Walter's name will be on a Vietnam War memorial in Fayetteville

She scanned the small letters covering its shiny surface for the name of her youngest son. It was there, at the end of the alphabetical list. W. For Lt. Cmdr. Walter Sutton Wood.

Her son was a Navy pilot whose plane went down over Tonkin Bay in South Vietnam in 1966. He was 35. His body was never recovered.

Last week, Lt. Col. Rennie Cory Jr. of Fort Bragg, as well as six other U.S. servicemen and nine Vietnamese, died in a helicopter crash in the Quang Binh province in Vietnam. Cory was commanding the American-Vietnamese team searching for remains of American soldiers still missing in Southeast Asia.

The bodies of the seven American servicemen were to be returned to the United States on Friday.

Many local Vietnam veterans say Cory and his comrades died an honorable death, doing work that will ultimately help bring peace to many families. They believe the mission should continue, despite the accident.

But other Vietnam veterans say they have mixed feelings about continuing a search, through overgrown and mountainous terrain, for soldiers who died decades ago. They say Vietnam has claimed enough American lives.

A worthwhile cause

Stanley, who met Mary Wood at her Heritage Place residence for the first time on Thursday, is vice president of the Fayetteville chapter of the nonprofit veterans group Rolling Thunder. Its members work to raise awareness of American prisoners of war and those who are still missing in action.

Cory was a member of Rolling Thunder. He went with the group last year on its Ride to the Wall at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

"He was a great friend to all of us and strongly believed in the POW/MIA cause," Stanley said.

Stanley said he believes the mission should continue, even after Cory’s death.

Most of the members of Rolling Thunder are looking for a sense of closure, Stanley said.

"I guess that’s what we’re looking for on our friends and comrades who are still missing in action because you think about them every day," Stanley said. "Most of (our members) say they pray every day. If they’re not alive, at least they can find their bodies and bring them home."

Stanley said progress is being made, too. Since he joined Rolling Thunder in 1997, the remains of five North Carolinians have been repatriated, including Chief Warrant Officer James "Jimmy" Butler of Harnett County, whose reconnaissance plane disappeared from the Vietnam sky on March 20, 1970.

Military officials have said that the search for MIAs will continue.

There are still 1,981 Americans missing from the Vietnam War and thousands more from World War II and the Korean War.

"We feel it is a worthwhile cause, and I’m glad they’re going to continue doing it," said Jimmy Dean, president of the Special Forces Association and a Vietnam veteran. "This is not the end of it."

Some question risks

But J.C. Cooper, who served with the Special Forces in Vietnam and Laos in the 1960s, said he sees two sides to this issue. He understands that the family members of the missing need to know the fates of their loved ones.

"I think that would help people emotionally," Cooper said. "Is it a worthwhile effort? Yes. Is it worth people getting killed? No. We’re searching for somebody who has likely been dead for 30 years. In my opinion, let’s not lose any more guys in Vietnam."

Jimmie R. Greene of Fayetteville served two tours in Vietnam as a warrant officer with the Army’s 17th Aviation Group. Although it may be difficult, it is time to let those missing men go, Greene said. Their wives have remarried and their children have grown up, he said.

"I really do think it’s time to put it all to rest," Greene said. "I don’t think what we’re now doing is worth the time and effort, and we definitely shouldn’t put our people in jeopardy to do it."

Col. Bob Shoptaw disagrees. Shoptaw, a Marine who served as a company commander in Vietnam in 1966 and as an adviser to the Vietnamese Marines in 1972, believes the search should continue if there is evidence that such a mission would be productive.

"Our participation in the unit we’re a part of is very significant," Shoptaw said, "and the fulfillment of our obligation to the people of our country is significant. And we trust that our comrades will pursue all ends to save another comrade, to bring him home."

Shoptaw said the Marine Corps’ motto, Semper Fidelis -- always faithful -- is appropriate. "We would never abandon our men on a battlefield," he said.

Bob Maya, a retired command sergeant major, served with the Special Forces in Vietnam in 1968-69. He said it is essential that the search continues in order to provide as many answers as possible.

"It is tragic that we lost people in this event," Maya said, "but sometimes that is the price we pay. We should continue until we can say we have done the best we could have under the circumstances."

Forty-seven servicemen from North Carolina are still listed as missing. Five are from Cumberland County: Army Staff Sgt. James M. Luttrell, Army Master Sgt. Ralph J. Reno, Air Force Lt. Carter A. Howell, Army Sgt. 1st Class Charlie G. Lewis and Wood.

Next month, Stanley told Mary Wood during their visit on Thursday, he has arranged for a limousine to take her to the dedication of the Cumberland County Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which is to be built across the street from the new Airborne & Special Operations Museum.

Her son’s name will be listed on the memorial, along with 99 other Cumberland County residents who died in Vietnam.

"I want it there," Mary Wood said. "I’m flattered. He deserves it. I’ll be there with this bracelet."

Staff writer Nomee Landis can be reached at (901) 486-3595 or at landisn@fayettevillenc.com

SOURCE: Fayetteville Observer - 14 April 2001 - News Section