MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. -- Perched atop Phou Pha Thi mountain, members assigned to Lima Site 85 worked to guide countless U.S. bombing raids under secrecy during the Vietnam War, making it a top priority target for North Vietnamese troops. In March 1968, enemy forces scaled the geographically treacherous mountain and launched a deadly attack on the site. This attack claimed the lives of more than a dozen Airmen, with many more listed as missing in action for over half a century. Amongst those missing in action was Tech. Sgt. Willis “Jim” Rozelle Hall, a radar technician responsible for technical operations – in this case, the TSQ-81 radar system at Lima Site 85.
Hall never returned from Laos, and his sudden absence was devastating for his family. His fate, like many of his peers, remained uncertain for decades.
“I was 18 years old and in my 5th week of Naval boot camp,” said Stephen Hall, the son of Tech. Sgt. Hall. “Since I was in the Navy, I didn’t grow up with it. I just grew older with it. It was frustrating not knowing what his fate really was. For ten years, I didn’t even know where he had been serving at the time of the incident.”
For Stephen and his family, Tech Sgt. Hall’s designation of missing in action (MIA) meant carrying their loved ones’ absence with uncertainty for decades.
The men stationed at Lima Site 85 swore to silence in protecting the mission and location of the secret installation, even with their families. Many of the radar specialists were listed as civilian contractors rather than Air Force technicians, in an effort to conceal U.S. military involvement in the then neutral country of Laos. To protect the mission, nothing about the missing Airmen’s presence could be publicly acknowledged. Regardless of its classified status, the treacherous terrain and enemy control of Phou Pha Thi made recovery of the fallen or missing Airmen a deadly task.
“My sister felt dad was killed in action (KIA) immediately,” Stephen said. “My mother and I felt he could have survived the incident and was still alive. As we all grew older, I think we felt the only thing to pray for was the return of his remains.”
For decades, the family sought answers, but they were left frustrated with the lack of information. At the end of the Cold War, the U.S. reestablished relations with Laos and, in 1994, started sending teams to search for, recover and identify the secret heroes of Lima Site 85. The Hall family never lost hope, but for once, they finally had hard reason to believe they were close to receiving answers.
“It was a huge sigh of relief,” Stephen said. “Something was finally being done to bring our loved ones home. We wanted answers, we needed answers, and we deserved answers.”
The fond memories of Tech. Sgt Hall became a source of strength for his family during the time he was missing, always remembered to be a man of faith, fairness, and kindness above all else. Tech Sgt. Hall measured at over six feet and 220 pounds, yet the gentleness of his demeanor defined him more than his stature ever could.
“I never heard him raise his voice, in anger, to anyone,” Stephen said. “All my cousins and other children considered him a gentle giant. He loved kids and they loved him back.”
Recovery efforts at Phou Pha Thi gained new momentum in 2023 – Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) survey teams began reporting finding possible human remains along with debris connected to the 1968 outpost attack. Two years later, in early 2025, a follow-up recovery mission recovered additional evidence from the site.
The remains and material linked to Lima Site 85 were scattered across sheer cliffs and dense jungle. To access recovery sites, DPAA teams used mountaineering skills, rappelling down cliffs, and navigating narrow ledges. Equipment and supplies had to be hauled in by hand or helicopter, since the terrain made ground access difficult. Each operation required physical endurance and patience, as teams carefully sifted through soil and debris in search of even the smallest clue.
The survey team’s work led to a breakthrough on June 23, 2025 when the DPAA officially identified Tech. Sgt. Hall’s remains. Along with Hall, several of his peers were also identified, marking a step forward in resolving the fate of a number of missing Airmen.
Even decades after the battle, Phou Pha Thi remains as it had been in 1968 – remote and perilous. Yet, DPAA teams were able to recover what had once seemed beyond reach, allowing families to finally begin closing the chapter on the generations of uncertainty.
The Hall family's long wait ended with Tech. Sgt. Hall’s return home. On September 13, 2025, Tech. Sgt. Hall was finally laid to rest at Altoona Cemetery in Kansas. In the town of just over 300 people, the cemetery filled with friends, families, veterans and loved ones until not a single seat was left empty. Many stood, shoulder to shoulder, paying their respects to Tech. Sgt. Hall.
22nd Air Refueling Wing honor guardsmen carried his casket, draped in the American flag and handled with honor. Tech Sgt. Hall received full military honors with honor guardsmen standing in solemn formation while his loved ones wept tears of relief and grief. The McConnell Air Force Base Airmen performed a ceremony including a seven man firing party, the playing of Taps, and the folding of the American flag.
“I never lost hope my father would come home,” Stephen said. “Because I never stopped praying my father would come home.”
Approximately 80,000 Americans remain still missing from past conflicts. From the Vietnam War alone, nearly 1,500 Americans remain MIA–that’s 1,500 families who continue to live with unanswered questions.
Stephen believes public awareness is vital for the families of POW/MIA. He believes that the legacy of Lima Site 85 is not just about the brave Airmen who fought and died in service to freedom, but it’s also about the families who carried the burden of uncertainty of the wellbeing and whereabouts of their Airmen– families waiting, wondering and hoping for answers about their loved ones’ fates.
For more information about the history of Lima Site 85 and its role in the Vietnam War, resources are available through the DPAA and the CIA, including the CIA’s published study “The Fall of Lima Site 85”.