Rank/Branch: Civilian
Unit: UPI Reporter
Date of Birth: 01 January 1942 (Winona KS)
Home City of Record: Grainfield KS
Date of Loss: 26 April 1972
Country of Loss: Cambodia
Loss Coordinates: 112250N 1051451E (WT270580)
Status (in 1973): Prisoner of War
Category: 1
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: Peugot automobile
Other Personnel in Incident: Alan Hirons (captured)
Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project (919/527-8079) 01 April 1991 from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews. Copyright 1991 Homecoming II Project.
REMARKS:
SYNOPSIS: On April 26, 1972, American reporter Terry Reynolds and Australian photographer Alan Hirons were driving on Route 1 in Prey Veng Province, Cambodia, when their car was stopped and they were captured by communist troops active in the area. Their captured by 3 Viet Cong soldiers was witnessed by FANK soldiers. The two were on assignment to UPI at the time.
Their auto was found at a road block with all movie and still photo equipment left inside. Villagers reported that both had been led away by the communists. The following month, a Viet Cong rallier stated that he had seen two caucasians equating to Reynolds and Hirons. Another report said that Reynolds was being held in Sampan Loeu Hamlet, about 40 kilometers southeast of Phnom Penh in June 1972.
In August 1972, Reynolds and Hirons were seen as POWs northeast of Phnom Penh; Reynolds was in good health, Hirons was ill at the time. In February 1973, a junior ARVN officer was released by the Viet Cong 75 miles north of Saigon and reported that the journalists were alive.
Author Zalin Grant interviewed returned ARVN POWs in early 1973 and released the following data supporting other stories indicating journalists could still be alive. "Returned ARVN POWs sighted the (unnamed) journalists on Route #7, 17 miles south of Snoul in Eastern Cambodia 7-72 in ox-carts pulled by Hondas; another said a VC captain near Minot, eastern Cambodia (where military American POWs were released from in 1973) reported the (unnamed) journalists held in 7-72 had cameras; Cambodian national saw (unnamed) journalists in 6-72 at Prince Sihanouk's FUNK camp south of Route #13 in Kratie Province; returned ARVN POWs said a guard told them in 3073 that the journalists were still alive and held in their area." Walter Cronkite reported a sighting of (unnamed) journalists in January, 1974.
Whether Grant's and Cronkite's information relates to the journalists missing from April 26, 1972, is not known. The two are among 22 international journalists still missing in Southeast Asia, most known to have been captured. For several years during the war, the correspondents community rallied and publicized the fates of fellow journalists. After a while, they tired of the effort, and today these men are forgotten by all but families and friends.
Tragically, nearly the whole world turns its head while thousands of reports continue to flow in that prisoners are still held in Southeast Asia. Cambodia offered to return a substantial number of remains of men it says are Americans missing in Cambodia (in fact the number offered exceeded the number of those officially missing). But the U.S. has no formal diplomatic relations with the communist government of Cambodia, and refused to directly respond to this offer. Although several U.S. Congressmen offered to travel to Cambodia to receive the remains, they have not been permitted to do so by the U.S.
By 1991, well over 10,000 reports regarding missing Americans have been received which convince many experts that hundreds of Americans are still alive in Southeast Asia. Whether the newsmen ambushed in Cambodia on April 26, 1972 are among them is unknown. Whatever their identities or nationality, they deserve the basic human right of freedom.
"All Biographical and loss information on POWs provided by Operation Just Cause have been supplied by Chuck and Mary Schantag of POWNET. Please check with POWNET regularly for updates."
More details here.
