6994th Airman Featured in Upcoming Book About Wisconsin’s Missing in Action Servicemen

Sat, June 2 2018

MADISON, WI – “Todd was an intelligent individual who knew what he wanted to do and how to achieve his goals.” Staff Sergeant Todd Melton is still remembered today, 45 years after he went missing during the Vietnam War. Raised in Milwaukee, Todd served as a linguist during the war with the 6994th Security Squadron. His aircraft, Baron 52, went down over Laos shortly after the signing of the Paris Peace Accords officially ended the war. Todd’s story – his childhood in Wisconsin, his training, and the strange circumstances surrounding the downed aircraft – is one of 37 stories told in the upcoming book, Wisconsin’s 37: The Lives of Those Missing in Action in the Vietnam War.

Wisconsin’s 37 tells of the lives of the 37 men from Wisconsin classified as “Missing in Action” from the Vietnam War. From the Gulf of Tonkin until the Paris Peace Accords, in Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia, the men of Wisconsin experienced nearly every aspect of the Vietnam War. Their stories are as unique as the men themselves.

More than just a military book, though, Wisconsin’s 37 focuses on how these individuals lived rather than just the circumstances that led to their disappearances. Growing up in familiar places all around Wisconsin, readers will relate to their experiences and values, and perhaps appreciate their sacrifices all the more.

Heavily based on nearly 200 interviews from family, friends, and fellow servicemen, Wisconsin’s 37 gives life to the names on the Wall, and highlights the importance of remembering those we have lost.

Author Erin Miller is a 2018 graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she holds a B.A. in history and an M.S. in communication sciences and disorders. It has been her honor to record these stories. John Sharpless is a history professor at the UW.

The book will be available for purchase in early June through McFarland and Company’s website and Amazon.com. All royalties from the sale of this book will be donated to the Wisconsin Veterans Museum in Madison and the Highground Memorial in Neillsville, Wisconsin.

6994th Memorial Highway Dedication Ceremony Information

The following is the latest information available concerning the highway dedication ceremony:

Hotel information:
Hampton Inn
51 Arnot Road
Horseheads, NY 14845
1-607-795-3333
$89/night – room with 2 queen beds
$94/night – room with 1 king bed
be sure to say you are with the 6994th to get the rate.
Reservations must be made by 15 Mar 2017 to get special rate.

Ceremony Site location:
National War Plane Museum
17 Aviation Drive
Horseheads, NY 14845
(607) 796-6597

Date: 20 April 2017
Place: National War Plane Museum, Horseheads, NY
Time: 1000 hrs

Schedule for 20 April 2017
0915 hrs: participants meet in lobby of hotel
0930 hrs: depart for ceremony
0945 hrs: arrive at ceremony site
1000 hrs: ceremony starts
1100 – 1230 hrs: tour of war plane museum including use of flight simulator
1300 hrs: luncheon consisting of
– veggie tray
– tossed salad
– roasted potatoes
– roast beef au jus
– Italian baked chicken
– cookies & brownies
– drinks – coffee, tea, lemonade, bottled water

Joe would like to meet with all participants at the hotel at 2000 hrs on 19 April to set the logistics and make sure everyone has a ride.

Cost of the lunch and museum fee is $10 per person. Joe would like the money by 1 April 2017. Joe needs a full count and payment for the lunch is due on 7 April 2017.

Joe’s address:
Joe Giammichele
122 Snake Hill Road
Horsheads, NY 14845

The Hampton Inn offers free breakfast buffet for guests. No restaurant in hotel, but several restaurants in shopping mall across road and an Outback Steakhouse a few blocks away.

Joe said the actual sign on the highway is covered with a tarp and we will not be able to take photos at the actual sign due to safety and traffic concerns, but we will be able to take photos after the ceremony at a mock up at the museum. We are currently planning to at least take a group shot with our guidon and banner with the highway sign. Joe is expecting about 50 people at the ceremony, including about 25 6994th vets plus some guests and some local officials for a total of about 50 people.

If you are considering going at the last minute, please contact Joe and let him know of your intentions so he can make sure there is enough food at lunch.

If you have any questions, please contact Joe at [email protected]

TSGT Hugh L. Sherburn CAP72

On 5 February 1969, ten USAF crewmembers were killed when their EC-47 was shot down by enemy fire in Southern Laos.  One of the five USAFSS crewmembers on board was TSgt Hugh L. Sherburn. Thanks to the efforts of Maximum Recovery in South East Asia (MRSEA), 7 of the 10 crewmembers have been identified through DNA analysis.

The family of Hugh Sherburn have a Celebration of Life service planned for 25 July 2015 in Waldport, Oregon.  Hugh’s niece, Deanna Gray, is interested in knowing if anyone her Uncle ‘Buzz’ served with may remember the kind of music he liked.  If you remember the music he liked or his favorite music entertainers, please contact Jane Doolittle at [email protected]  so she can let Deanna know.

TSgt Hugh ‘Buzz’ Sherburn’s funeral will be held on 25 July 2015 near Waldport, Oregon at Adler Grove Cemetery.  TSgt Sherburn’s remains will arrive by plane at the Portland Airport on 24 July, then will be escorted by the Patriot Guard Riders to Newport. The following day, 25 July, there will be a procession from Newport, escorted by the Patriot Guard Riders, to Waldport to the football field where the Celebration of Life service will take place. Following the service, then on to the cemetery.

Please contact Jane Doolittle at [email protected] for details.

Mr. John Garrett, CMSGT (ret) Thomas G. Nurre, Mr. Joe Martin, and Mr. Danny Russell, 17th Training Wing History Office (AETC), Goodfellow AFB, TX received the 2015 Air Force Heritage Award, which recognizes outstanding accomplishments by history and museums personnel that foster a better appreciation of the Air Force, its history and accomplishments.

Congratulations to all!