Vietnam War · Cobra helicopter lost returning from a mission over Laos, March 6, 1971 · Unaccounted for
What is known
William Patrick Milliner entered the Army from Kentucky and served with Troop B, 7th Squadron, 1st Cavalry. On March 6, 1971, Warrant Officer Milliner was copilot of an AH-1G Cobra gunship, serial number 67-15464, flown by WO John F. Hummel. The Cobra was one of two helicopters returning from a mission supporting the extraction of a downed aircrew in Laos.
In deteriorating weather, the crew radioed ahead to Khe Sanh and the helicopter was seen entering a dense cloud bank. It never emerged, and the ground station lost radio and radar contact. Searches found nothing. The Army later promoted him to chief warrant officer 3. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency lists him as unaccounted for, in its Active Pursuit category.
According to POW Network, his father, Joseph Milliner, himself a World War II prisoner of war, received documents in 1989 referring to his son’s possible captivity and pressed the case until his death in 2012.
His family
His sister-in-law, Susan Milliner, serves the POW Investigative Project as a Family Adviser, Vietnam War.
Request for information
Please contact us if you can help with any of the following.
- Accounts of the crew of the AH-1G Cobra lost near Khe Sanh on March 6, 1971, including whether either man was captured.
- The documents his father received in 1989 referring to his son’s possible captivity, and the source behind them.
The Cobra vanished into cloud and searches found nothing. Eighteen years later his father received documents referring to his possible captivity. Did the helicopter fly into a mountain? Or did the crew survive and fall into enemy hands?
If you have information about CW3 Milliner or WO Hummel, please contact us.