Robert A. Connor, a former U.S. Air Force airman, has become an unlikely partner in Vietnam’s effort to locate and identify the remains of soldiers who died during the war.
From air base to mass grave: how a veteran’s curiosity turned into a mission
Connor enlisted in the Air Force in 1967, hoping the experience would help him join the Pennsylvania State Police. He was stationed in Vietnam from April 5, 1967 to April 5, 1968, where he interacted with local Marine and Army personnel and heard stories that later convinced him the United States should not have been involved in the conflict.
After the war, a 1987 article about Vietnam prompted him to write to the Vietnamese Consulate in New York, reporting a mass grave at Bien Hoa Airbase where about 150 soldiers were buried during the 1968 Tet Offensive. His outreach set in motion a series of contacts that eventually led to the discovery of the site.
In October 2016, Connor’s eldest granddaughter was working on a school project about Vietnam. Two weeks later, he used Google Earth to mark the location of the alleged grave, noting that the same number of soldiers had been interred there on February 2, 1968. At the time, Google’s partnership with Panoramio allowed users to place markers anywhere on the globe and add descriptions.
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Ten days later, former Vietnamese soldier Che Trung Hieu emailed Connor, confirming failed attempts to locate the graves. Hieu asked Connor to find a second witness. Connor reached out to his former commander, Marty Stones, who confirmed the burial count and location. The information was passed back to Hieu, who relayed it to Colonel Mai Xuan Chien, former deputy political commissar of the Dong Nai High Command. Chien expressed hope that the data would bring the remains back to Vietnam.
On‑the‑ground verification and a solemn ceremony
Armed with Connor’s coordinates, Vietnamese authorities began excavation on April 13, 2017, discovering the mass grave. Eighty sets of remains were recovered; underground drainage pipes installed in the 1980s had disturbed part of the burial site, reducing the number of bodies that could be retrieved.
A reburial ceremony took place at Dong Nai Martyrs’ Cemetery on July 17, 2017. Connor said a short video of the ceremony convinced him to keep searching. He recalled watching a female relative of a martyr stare at a coffin draped with the Vietnamese flag, tears streaming down her face as she held a portrait of her loved one. “That moment convinced me to continue helping as many families as possible,” he said.
His wife reinforced the conviction, telling him that they might be the families’ only hope of closure. He hopes to meet the woman who held the portrait, to see the impact of his work firsthand.
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Since then, Connor has broadened his research to include battles around Long Binh, Ho Nai, Ho Chi Minh City, and Tan Son Nhat, eventually expanding to sites in Loc Ninh, Duc Lap, and Kon Tum. He studies documents, maps battle patterns, and gathers clues that might indicate burial sites, describing the effort as an investigation rather than a simple search.
He emphasizes the importance of locating witnesses, many now in their late 60s to mid‑70s. “When someone replies saying they’re willing to help, I feel I’ve found a valuable witness,” Connor noted.
Science, he believes, is the final path to locating graves, not only for Vietnam’s missing soldiers but also for American servicemen. He hopes that people will continue providing factual information about both sides’ burial sites.
In a recent meeting with former Saigon Special Forces fighters, Connor said the encounter symbolized closing the past and moving forward. “With the right people at the right moment, it takes less than 15 seconds to set aside the past and exchange smiles, handshakes, and warm gestures,” he observed.
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A Vietnamese soldier’s cap had been kept by a U.S. veteran for 54 years. After a friend suggested Connor could locate the soldier’s family, he received photographs of the cap, which displayed the martyr’s name, enlistment date, unit, and an unidentified symbol. The symbol turned out to be a Chinese medical insignia, indicating the soldier had medical training. Authorities identified seven individuals matching the name and unit; only one had medical credentials. Connor gave the cap to Thang, who delivered it to the martyr’s family. A relative held the cap, eyes closed as if seeing the loved one’s face.
The veteran who had kept the cap was overwhelmed, nearly collapsing from emotion when he learned the cap had finally reached the family.
Recognition from Vietnam’s leadership
Pham Thi Thanh Tra, a member of the Party Central Committee, deputy prime minister, and head of the National Steering Committee 515, presented Connor with a Prime Minister’s certificate of merit. She thanked him and other U.S. veterans for their contributions, saying their practical evidence had been invaluable to Vietnamese authorities.