Jade 22 was the call sign for a US Air Force B57 piloted by Maj. On June 22, 1965, the plane and crew were on a late-night bombing mission over North Vietnam when Jade 22 disappeared. The two crewmen were listed as 'Missing in Action' for nearly four years. In early 1969 a small carton of remains was anonymously delivered to the US Army mortuary in Saigon, Vietnam. A note indicated that the remains, along with some personal affects, were recovered from the wreckage of a USAF plane with the tail section ID of 'F 0-33910.'
Forensics experts determined that the ID number matched that of Jade 22, but were unable to confirm the location of the wreckage nor establish positive identification of the remains delivered to them. It was determined that the remains likely belonged to Maj. Lovelace and Maj. Cordero and should be buried together in Arlington National Cemetery. In the fall of 1994 while in Laos, JTFFA (the official department charged with securing the fullest possible accounting of missing American military personnel) - was taken to the wreckage of Jade 22. Villagers from nearby Ban Namuang knew of this site and thought the American representatives would want to see the site. After hiking to the crash site - the US representatives photographed major sections of the Jade 22 wreckage which had occurred nearly 30 years earlier. The investigators determined that remains of the flight crew were likely there at the crash site. Their subsequent reports recommended that an excavation be conducted to recover any possible remains that may still exist at the site. Today, JTFFA is known as the Joint POW-MIA Accounting Command (JPAC). 18 years after the 're-discovery' the wreckage, JPAC anticipates conducting an excavation of the Jade 22 crash site at some time in the future. While some detractors suggest that this should be considered a 'resolved case' and no excavation should be conducted, an overwhelming majority of experts and patriots believe that if additional remains of Maj. Cordero are still in the jungles of Laos - they deserve to be recovered and repatriated to rest for eternity on American soil.
