WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Donald K. Springsteadah, 35, who was killed during the Vietnam War, was accounted for June 23, 2025.
In 1968, Springsteadah and 18 other men were assigned to Lima Site 85, a tactical air navigation radar site on a remote, 5,600-foot mountain peak known as Phou Pha Thi in Houaphan Province, Laos. In the early morning of March 11, the site was overrun by Vietnamese commandos, causing the Americans to seek safety on a narrow ledge of the steep mountain. A few hours later, under the protective cover of A-1 Skyraider aircraft, U.S. helicopters were able to rescue eight of the men. Springsteadah and 10 other Americans were killed in action and unable to be recovered.
This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Springsteadah's case will be published once the family receives their full briefing.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving their country, visit the DPAA website at or on social media at , , , or .
Springsteadah’s personnel profile can be viewed at https://dpaa-mil.sites.crmforce.mil/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000KYWgEAO.