An original 1970’s  POW/MIA Vietnam Bracelet.
MAJ.  Martin  “MIKE” Steen 5-31-66
USAF.
50 YEARS OLD AND STILL
SEALED IN THE ORIGINAL BAG!  He was from Grand Forks, N.D.
Complete with Task Force Omega, Inc. of Iowa card with poem on the reverse side.
ND is inscribed on one end.   Will be
shipped
properly protected.
This is being offered for sale with great humility and respect for his sacrifice to this country.
Captain Martin William Steen entered the U.S. Air Force from North Dakota and served in the 469th Tactical Fighter Squadron.  On May 31, 1966, he was the pilot of an F-105D Thunderchief (tail number 61-120, call sign “Cactus 2”) in a flight of four on an armed reconnaissance mission over enemy targets in North Vietnam. After making a pass over the target, Capt Steen radioed that he had been hit, and that he was unable to control his aircraft so he would eject. The other pilots observed Capt Steen’s ejection and notified search and rescue aircraft immediately. A rescue helicopter arrived and lowered a pararescueman to Capt Steen’s landing area, and located the downed pilot’s parachute and harness in the trees near (GC) 48Q VJ 641 875; however, no sign of Capt Steen was found and continued search efforts failed to locate him. His remains were never recovered. Following the incident, the Air Force promoted Capt Steen to the rank of Major (Maj). Today, Major Steen is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
A REAL piece of
history.
In the 1970’s, we wore Prisoner of War, POW Bracelets and Missing in Action, MIA Bracelets bearing the name of a captured or lost soldiers.
We
did this to keep this person in our hearts and minds, even if we did not know them personally. We proudly wore these bracelets, and some still
do today,
as a symbol of hope that the POW’s and MIA’s would return home to their families.
He was from Browns Valley, MN.
I believe this bracelet is
Red Aluminum.