Faces Bio

Gunther Herbert Wald was born on January 7, 1944, in Frankfort, Germany and later moved to Bergen, NJ.  His home of record is Bergen, NJ.

Wald served in the US Army and attained the rank of Sergeant First Class (SFC). He served with a highly classified Special Forces reconnaissance group of the Marine Corps.

Wald was listed as missing in action on November 3, 1969, when his patrol was ambushed in Laos.

Synopsis (from the POW Network) as to the circumstances behind being listed as MIA:

Gunther entered the US Army in 1967 where he attained the rank of Sergeant First Class.  When Gunther entered the Army he had already had four years in service in the US Marine Corps and served in the MACV-SOG, Command and Control North.  MACG-SOG (Military Assistance Command Studies and Observation Group) was joint service high command unconventional warfare task force engaged in highly classified operations throughout Southeast Asia.  The Fifth Special Forces channeled personnel (though it was not a Special Forces group) through Special Operations Augmentation (SOA), which provided their “cover” while under secret orders to the MACV-SOG.  The teams performed deep penetration missions of strategic reconnaissance and interdiction, which were called, depending on the time of frame, “Shining Brass” or “ Prairie Fire” missions.

It was on such a mission that SSGT Brown, SSGT Gunther Wald, SP4 Donald Shue and two of the six Montagnards went missing.  The Americans and Montagnards were members of a patrol operating in Laos.  The patrol team was attacked by a numerically superior force 30 miles inside Laos near Ban Chakevy Tai in Saravane Province. Four of the Montagnards escaped and returned to the camp to report the ambush and capture of their comrades

When last seen, Brown had been wounded by a gunshot just below the ribcage.  SSGT Wald and SP4 Shue were also seen to receive numerous shrapnel wounds from a fragmentation grenade.  The other team members were forced to withdraw leaving the others behind.

Due to bad weather, a recovery team could not reenter the area until November 11.  They searched the entire area, but could only find some web gear, which was identified as belonging to three of the indigenous team members and SP4 Shue.  There was no trace of any other graves or of the three missing Americans.  They were classified as missing in action as of November 3, 1969.

In August, 2012, Wald and his recovery team were classified as killed in action. The Department of Defense identified Wald’s remains along with those of William T. Brown and Donald M. Shue based on DNA and the materials found with the bodies including dog tags. He was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA..

Information provided by POW Network and NJVVMF.