The following material was compiled
by Homecoming II Project 15 October 1990 from one or more of the following
sources: Raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with
POW/MIA families, published sources and interviews. Updated by th
e
P.O.W. NETWORK.
Name: Beatrice Kosin
Rank/Branch: Civilian
Unit: Missionary, Christian
Missions of Many Lands
Date of Birth: ca 1938
Home City of Record: Ft. Washakie,
WY.
Date of Loss: 27 October 1972
Country of Loss: Laos
Loss Coordinates: 162600N
1061200E (WD215175)
Status (in 1973): Killed in
Captivity
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: Ground
Other Personnel in Incident:
Evelyn Anderson (assassinated), Lloyd Oppel and Samuel Mattix (both released
POW's).
REMARKS
In the late hours of Saturday, October
27, 1972, a small group of North Vietnamese soldiers invaded the southern
Laotian town of Kengkock, about thirty-five miles from Savannakhet.
They took prisoners, including Evelyn Anderson, Beatrice Kosin, Lloyd Oppel
and Samuel Mattix, all missionaries working for Christian Missions of Many
Lands. Several other Americans managed to escape and radioed for
help.
At 9:04 on Sunday morning following
the capture, an American helicopter arrived and evacuated nine Filipinos,
five Lao and the Americans who had radioed for help. Less than an
hour later, Sgt., Gerry Wilson returned by helicopter to try and locate
the two American women. Lt., Colonel Norman Vaught immediately set
rescue plans into motion.
The American Embassy in Vientiane
heard of the rescue plan and ordered from the highest level that no attempt
be made to rescue the women. The peace negotiations were ongoing
and it was feared that a rescue attempt would compromise the sustained
level of progress at the table.
On November 2, 1972, a radio message
was intercepted which ordered that the two women be executed. A captured
North Vietnamese soldier later told U.S. military intelligence that the
women were captured, tied back to back and their wrists were wired around
a house pillar. The women remained in this position for 5 days.
After receving orders to execute the two, the Communists simply set fire
to the house where they were being held and burned the women alive.
A later search of the smoldering ruins revealed the corpse of Miss Anderson.
Her wrist was severed, indicating the struggle she had made to free heerself.
Oppel and Mattix, the men who were
captured with Anderson and Kosin, were held captive and released in 1973.
It is speculated that the women would have been too much trouble to care
for on the long trip to Hanoi, and were killed instead. They were
held in Hanoi from December 6, 1972, until January 16, 1973 at which time
they were removed to a small country prison and were interrogated for three
weeks. They were then moved back to Hanoi and released March 28.
Contrary to some statements, the two were not released by the Pathet Lao,
but by the Vietnamese.
Anderson and Kosin were not in Laos
to kill, but to help. Their deaths must be blamed not only on the
Communists who set the fire that killed them, but also on the faceless,
nameless Americans who decided they were expendable.
Thursday 29 January 1998
The book CAPTIVE ON THE HO CHI MINH
TRAIL was authored by Marjorie Clark as told to her by POW Samuel Mattix.
It is the story of Sam Mattix, Centralia, Washington and Lloyd Oppel (Canadian)
captured in Southern Laos near Savanaket in October 1972. The two
women in that town, Bea Kosin and Evelyn Anderson, hid from the NVN soldiers
for at least two days as Sam and Lloyd were taken off. According
to the accounts of the villagers the girls were executed just before the
Royal Laos troops retook the town about a week later. Betty Olson
was in a village up the road and hid under a hut. She was shot as
she crawled out after a couple of days. Their bodies were found in
the smoldering ruins of one of the huts the NVN burned down. Sam
and Lloyd joined the LuLus in the Snake Pit, (4 x 4 cells behind the Golden
Nugget) in December 1972. Lloyd was taken to the Canadian Embassy
a day before our release on 28 March. He rejoined us at Gai Lam to
go to Clarke with us on the 141.
Ernie Brace
I hope the above accounting of Beatrices' fate
has angered you. Angry enough to write your elected officials.
Demand they get off their backsides and take the steps necessary to return
home all of the Americans, dead or alive. Do we not owe Beatrice
and the thousands of others left behind?
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