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On the same day, a second Phantom flown by LCDR Stanley E. Olmstead, with LTJG Porter A. Halyburton as his RIO, and a third Phantom flown by LTJG Ralph Gaither and LTJG Rodney A. Knutson also launched from the USS INDEPENCENCE. These four pilots were part of Fighter Squadron 84, the "Jolly Rogers." Mayer and Wheat were part of the carrier's Fighter Squadron 41. All were dispatched to the same general mission area near the city of Thai Nguyen.
The three Phantoms were all shot down within a few miles of each other. Knutson and Gaither were shot down in Long Song Province, North Vietnam, near the border of China, or about 75 miles northeast of Thai Nguyen. Olmstead and Halyburton were shot down in Long Song Province about 40 miles east of Thai Nguyen. Mayer and Wheat were shot down about 55 miles east-northeast of Thai Nguyen, in Long Song Province.
Mayer and Wheat's aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire. Both men were seen to eject from the aircraft. Search and rescue (SAR) efforts were hampered due to enemy small arms fire. Mayer was observed over a period of two hours in a prone position, still in his parachute. Before rescue helicopters could reach the scene, both Mayer and Wheat had disappeared from sight and enemy troops were seen in the area. Wheat was confirmed to be a prisoner of war, and when released in 1973 he made statements which suggest that Mayer was killed during the ejection or that he died later of injuries resulting from the ejection. He stated that Lt. Mayer did not move, even when he was found by ground troops. Mayer was classified Prisoner of War.
LCDR Olmstead's aircraft was hit by hostile fire and crashed while on a bombing mission. No transmissions were heard, nor was there any sign of ejection by either crew member. Other U.S. aircraft passed over the crash site and determined there was no possibility of survival. However, it was later learned that Halyburton had survived, and was captured. Being the RIO, Halyburton ejected first. It was believed that Olmstead had probably died in the crash of the aircraft, but there was no proof of this theory. Olmstead was classified Missing in Action.
Gaither and Knutson were captured by the North Vietnamese, spent nearly eight years as prisoners and were both released on February 12, 1973 in Operation Homecoming. Knutson had been injured and was not fully recovered at the time of his release.
The fates of these six men from the USS INDEPENDENCE were not clear at the time they were shot down. Their status changed from Reported Dead to Prisoner of War or Missing in Action. At the end of the war only Olmstead and Mayer remained missing. Ultimately, they were declared dead for lack of evidence that they were still alive.
When the war ended, refugees from the communist-overrun countries of Southeast Asia began to flood the world bringing with them stories of live GIs still in captivity in their homelands. Since 1975 nearly 10,000 reports relating to Americans missing in Southeast Asia have been received. Many authorities believe that hundreds of Americans are still held in the countries of Southeast Asia.
The U.S. government operates on the "assumption" that one or more men are being held, but that it cannot "prove" that this is the case, allowing action to be taken. Meanwhile, low-level talks between the U.S. and Vietnam proceed, yielding a few sets of remains when it seems politically expedient to return them, but as yet, no living American has returned.
Mayer was promoted to the rank of Commander during the period he was maintained missing and Wheat was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander.
Knutson and Gaither were promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander during the period they were maintained as prisoners of war.
Olmstead was promoted to the rank of Commander during the period he was maintained missing. Halyburton was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander during the period he was maintained as a prisoner of war.
The final determination in this case was a declaration of Killed in Action for Roderick Mayer. The EGRESS Report states he "died of severe wounds from ejection."
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