Eugene DeBruin

Eugene DeBruin
Born
Eugene Henry DeBruin

(1933-04-01)April 1, 1933
Kaukauna, Wisconsin, U.S.
DisappearedJune 29, 1966 (aged 33)
Near Hoi Het, Laos
StatusMissing in action
Military career
AllegianceUnited States of America
Service / branch United States Air Force
Service years1952–1956
Rank Staff sergeant, USAF
U.S. Civilian, Air America
Battles / warsVietnam War
Laotian Civil War

Eugene Henry DeBruin (April 1, 1933 – c. 1968) was a former U.S. Air Force staff sergeant who disappeared after an escape attempt from a prison camp in Laos during the Vietnam War. In 1963, while working for Air America, DeBruin's C-46 was shot down and he was taken to a Pathet Lao prison camp. In 1966, he and six other prisoners, including Dieter Dengler and Phisit Intharathat, attempted to escape.[1] DeBruin's date of death is disputed and he remains classified as missing in action.[2]

In 2017, his name, alongside fellow prisoners Dengler and Duane W. Martin, and two others, was added to a permanent exhibit on the USS Turner Joy, now housed in a Bremerton, Washington museum.[3] His name also appears on a brick in the Veterans Memorial Park's Ring of Honor in his hometown of Kaukauna, Wisconsin.[4][5][6]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference smokejumper was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "CIVILIAN EUGENE HENRY DEBRUIN". Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  3. ^ Farley, Josh (2017-05-29). "POW's get new honor aboard USS Turner Joy". Kitsap Sun. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  4. ^ Malson, Sabrina. "Brick 856". City of Kaukauna. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  5. ^ Plutchak, Dan (2021-02-06). "City of Kaukauna taking orders for honorary bricks at Veterans Memorial Park". Kaukauna Community News. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  6. ^ "Dear Editor..." (PDF). Appleton Area Vietnam Veterans of America. March 2014. p. 11. Retrieved 2023-05-17.