Dan Heller 
Name: Earl Pearson Hopper, Jr.
Memorials: Find a Grave 1 2 Vietnam Wall Wall of Faces
Rank/Branch: Lieutenant Colonel/USAF
Unit: 13th Tactical Fighter Squadron Udorn Airbase Thailand
Date of Birth: 21 July 1943 (Santa Maria CA)
Home of Record: Glendale AZ
Date of Loss: 10 January 1968
Country of Loss: North Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 202559N 1044659E (VH774777)
Status in 1973: Missing in Action
Category: 2
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: F-4D “Phantom II” Serial No. 66-8704
Other Personnel In Incident: Keith N. Hall (Returned POW)
REMARKS: EJECTION PROBS, DWN/CRASH
SYNOPSIS: The McDonnell F-4 Phantom used by Air Force, Marine and Navy air wings served a multitude of functions including fighter/bomber, interceptor, photo/electronic surveillance, and reconnaissance. The two man aircraft was extremely fast (Mach 2) and had a long range, 900 – 2300 miles depending on stores and mission type. The F-4 was also extremely maneuverable and handled well at low and high altitudes. It was selected for a number of state-of-the-art electronics conversions, which improved radar intercept and computer bombing capabilities enormously. Most pilots considered it one of the “hottest” planes around.
On 10 January 1968, Capt. Keith N. Hall, aircraft commander, and 1st Lt. Earl P. Hopper, Jr., pilot, comprised the crew of a F-4D, call sign “Rematch 3,” that departed Udorn Airfield as the #3 aircraft in a flight of 4. Their late afternoon mission was to escort and protect an “Iron Hand” flight of F-105s that were to bomb the Hoa Lac MiG Base, 19 miles west of Hanoi. At 1607 hours, and approximately 15 miles from bomb drop, the North Vietnamese fired 3 SA-2 Surface-to-Air missiles (SAM). Two passed harmlessly through Rematch flight while the third SAM exploded 100 feet below and to the right of Rematch 3, damaging the hydraulic and fuel systems. The aircraft was seen streaming fuel and several fireballs shot out of the aft section of the left engine. Neither man was injured by the blast. After initial ejection problems Capt. Hall successfully ejected. The other pilots in the flight marked Keith Hall’s position, then continued with Earl Hopper while he headed for Laos in an attempt to overfly that country to return to Udorn; or at a minimum, to reach more friendly territory. Further, the other pilots stationed their aircraft in an escort formation – one on each side of the damaged jet, and the third behind and slightly above it. Just before 1s Lt. Hopper’s jet entered a 5,000 foot undercast of clouds, and after flying the Phantom for approximately 8-10 minutes, the other pilots saw two objects leave it-one was believed to be the canopy, the other the ejection seat. They did not see Hopper’s parachute open due to cloud cover. However, they did hear two emergency radio signals, one being very strong and the other rather weak and both nearly on the same frequency. Keith Hall was captured approximately 20-25 minutes after reaching the ground near Ta Lao Hamlet, Xuan Nah Village, Son La Province, North Vietnam. He arrived at the Hao Lo (Hanoi Hilton) Prison Camp 4 days later.
The last known position for Earl Hopper was approximately 5 miles across the river west of Ban O Veuo, Son La Province, North Vietnam. According to official reports, Earl Hopper’s emergency beeper was tracked for three consecutive days by search and rescue (SAR) aircraft, as well as others overflying the rugged, jungle covered mountains approximately one kilometer north of the Vietnamese/Lao border where his aircraft was downed. The beeper signal was weak and voice contact could not be established. On the second day, a pilot monitoring the emergency beeper gave 1st Lt. Hopper’s authenticator code and said: “Lt. Hopper, if that’s you, give me 15-second intervals (in the signal).” The pilot received several 15-second intervals in a positive response. This information was released to his family in an 8 February 1968 communique. At the time formal SAR efforts were terminated, Earl Hopper was listed Missing in Action. Capt. Keith Hall returned to US control on 14 March 1973 during Operation Homecoming. In his debriefing, and later to Earl Hopper’s father, Capt. Hall recounted an incident that occurred in August 1970-over 2 ½ years into his captivity. He was pulled out of his cell in the Hanoi Hilton and interrogated for roughly 10 minutes about 1st Lt. Hopper’s personal life: Was he married, did he have children? Where was he from, where did he go to school, what were his hobbies, etc. The importance of this fact is if Earl Hopper were dead at that time, the Vietnamese would have no interest in him or his background. Because this was the first mission they flew together, Keith Hall knew virtually nothing about his backseater, and he responded to the questions with “I don’t know.” When the guard began to leave, Keith Hall asked if this meant that Earl Hopper was also imprisoned there. The guard just shrugged his shoulders in a noncommittal manner, said “I don’t know” and left.
