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Larry Michael Jordan in uniform, Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, Florida [1964]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Vietnam War, 1961-1975
  • Branch of Service: Navy
  • Unit of Service: VAH-4 (Heavy Attack Squadron), USS Kitty Hawk (CVA 63)
  • Location of Service: Pensacola, Florida; Corpus Christi, Texas; Whidbey Island, Washington; Pacific; Southeast Asia
  • Highest Rank: Lieutenant Commander
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/54025

View full service history

"No one (at least none of the people I know) likes to dwell too extensively on the subject of 'why we're here'…" (Correspondence, 3/5/1966)

Drafted into the Navy two weeks before his college graduation, Lieutenant Commander Larry Michael Jordan was serving aboard the USS Kitty Hawk in 1966. Known as Mike to his family and fellow servicemen, he was returning to the Kitty Hawk from the Philippines when his plane was shot down over China on April 12, 1966. Along with his crew, he was declared as Missing in Action. His VHP collection includes letters he sent to his family during the early days of his service, as well as poignant reminiscences from his wife (pregnant with twins at the time he was shot down) and his daughter. Taken as a group, the material paints a haunting picture of the loss and lingering questions that military families experience when a servicemember goes missing.

[ Photo Album ]

More Resources

[ Telegram informing Jordan's family of his MIA status ]
[ Telegram providing further information to Jordan's relatives about his MIA status ]
[ Government Memorandum [4/28/1961] ]
[ Letter designating Ensign Larry M. Jordan as a Naval Aviation Observer [9/4/1964] ]
[ Open Letter to the Wives and Families of Detachment Charlie [2/22/1966] ]
[ Letter informing Mr. and Mrs. Harold Blair Jordan informing them that Larry Jordan is MIA [4/1966] ]

Show more resources (75)

[ Letter providing additional information about Larry Jordan's MIA status [4/1966] ]
[ Letter from L.R. Everett to Mrs. L.M. Jordan [4/17/1966] ]
[ Letter from H.L. Jenkins to Mrs. Janet Jordan [6/14/1966] ]
[ Letter from F.E. Bakutis [1/9/1968] ]
[ Letter from the Chief of Naval Operations [11/25/1970] ]
[ Letter from Special Assistant for PW Matters [4/6/1972] ]
[ Letter from Special Assistant for PW Matters [4/18/1972] ]
[ Letter from Captain Harrison, Director Personal Services Division of the Department of the Navy [12/8/1972] ]
[ Letter from the Chief of Naval Personnel [4/10/1973] ]
[ Telegram reporting that Larry Jordan may have been killed in action [11/20/1973] ]
[ Letter from the Chief of Naval Operations [11/28/1973] ]
[ Letter from the Secretary of the Navy [12/7/1973] ]
[ Letter from the Vice Admiral, USN, David H. Bagley [1/18/1974] ]
[ Letter from the Assistant Secretary of the Navy E. Hidalgo [1/18/1979] ]
[ Translated letter from Han Xu ]
[ Letter from W.S. Reed, Jr., Commander U.S.N. [1/10/1985] ]
[ Letter from W.S. Reed, Jr., Commander U.S.N [4/2/1985] ]
[ Letter from M.S. Debien, Captain U.S.N. [12/2/1992] ]
[ Copy of a POW/MIA Newsletter ]
[ Application for Commission or Warrant Rank, U.S.N. or Naval Reserve ]
[ Statement of Personal History ]
[ Certificate of Clearance ]
[ Photocopy of Officer Photograph Submission Sheet ]
[ Photocopy of certificate appointing Jordan as a Reserve Officer ]
[ Summary and Circumstances of Loss of Aircraft and Crew [4/12/1966] ]
[ Chronological synopsis of reports regarding the loss of aircraft [4/12/1966] ]
[ Summary Statement by CDR William Glasson [4/1966] ]
[ Summary Statement by Maintenance Chief Schaeffer [4/1966] ]
[ Summary Statement by LTJG R.A. Williams [4/1966] ]
[ Summary Statement by LCDR Robert L. Francke [4/1966] ]
[ Memo concerning the inconclusive evidence regarding the fate of Jordan and fellow airmen ]
[ Photocopy of a Western Union Telegram [4/19/1966] ]
[ Photocopy of a New York Times article "Red China: U.S. Plane Shot Down" ]
[ Unclassified document, including photocopies of photographs, detailing known information about the crash of Jordan's plane ]
[ Photocopy of partial letter to Mrs. Jordan [9/4/1968] ]
[ Memo to Chief of Naval Personnel regarding the return of POW film [9/18/1972] ]
[ A-3 Aircraft Lost in Vicinity of China on 12 April 1966 ]
[ Memo concerning LCDR Jordan's MIA status [11/14/1973] ]
[ News clipping from 1973: "Jordans Wait and Pray for Son Shot Down in 1966" ]
[ "Finding of Death" in regards to Larry Jordan [11/19/1973] ]
[ Official narrative of the crash of the Navy A3B aircraft in which Jordan was flying ]
[ Account of Maj. Phillip Smith, a POW, regarding the crash of a Navy Aircraft which he heard about in a POW camp in Peking ]
[ Unclassified document regarding National POW/MIA Recognition Day [9/16/1988] ]
[ Memoir: "We Regret to Inform You" ]
[ Memoir: Missing In Action by Janet Jordan ]
[ Photocopy of two postcards from 1964 ]
[ Photocopy of a letter to the H.B. Jordans ]
[ Photocopy of a letter to Meggan Jordan ]
[ Photocopy of a letter to James and Margaret Jordan ]
[ Photocopy of a page from a letter [1966] ]
[ Photocopy of a letter [3/15/1966] ]
[ Letter from Congressman Larry LaRocco [2/4/1991] ]
[ Letter from Senator Steve Symms [2/15/1991] ]
[ Letter from Janet Jordan to First Lady Barbara Bush [1991] ]
[ Photocopy of a letter from President Nixon [11/1973] ]
[ Photocopy of a letter from E.R. Zumwalt, Jr., Admiral, U.S. Navy [11/28/1973] ]
[ Photocopy of a letter from David H. Bagley, Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy [11/30/1973] ]
[ Photocopy and translation of a letter in Chinese from Han Xu, Director of the Americas and Oceania Dept., Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the People's Republic of China [4/22/1980] ]
[ Photocopy of a letter to Janet Jordan from John G. Colgan [1/30/1979] ]
[ Collection of Poetry: "Verse From Vietnam" ]
[ Hardcover volume of poetry by J. Jordan ]
[ Watercolor representation of a poem by H.W. Longfellow ]
[ Typed copy of "The Cremation of Sam McGee" ]
[ Letter and Christmas Card from President Reagan [1983] ]
[ Letter and Christmas Card from President Reagan [1985] ]
[ Letter and Christmas Card from President Reagan [1986] ]
[ Letter and Christmas Card from President Reagan [1987] ]
[ Letter and Christmas Card from President Reagan [1988] ]
[ Invitation to a ceremony for National POW/MIA [1993] ]
[ VVLP News [2/22/1983] ]
[ VA Management Brief [9/1981] ]
[ Copy of a paper by Janet Jordan: "Vietnam Veterans As They See It" [1983] ]
[ Fact Sheet for the Vet Center in Boise, Idaho ]
[ Rubbing of Larry Jordan's name from the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Wall ]
[ College transcript, San Jose State ]

About this Item

Title

  • Larry Michael Jordan Collection

Names

  • Jordan, Janet Eileen
  • Jordan, Larry Michael

Headings

  • -  Jordan, Larry Michael
  • -  Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Navy.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • Vietnam War, 1961-1975

    • Branch of Service: Navy
    • Unit of Service: VAH-4 (Heavy Attack Squadron), USS Kitty Hawk (CVA 63)
    • Location of Service: Pensacola, Florida; Corpus Christi, Texas; Whidbey Island, Washington; Pacific; Southeast Asia
    • Highest Rank: Lieutenant Commander
    • Dates of Service: 1963-1966
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran
    • Service History Note: The veteran was listed as Missing-in-Action (MIA) in April 1966, and his status was changed to presumed Killed-in-Action November 19, 1973. Reports later confirmed the he was shot down in his KA3B aircraft over China on April 12, 1966.

Materials

  • Manuscript: Biographical information [1 item] -- Mixed (handwritten and typewritten documents) (collected 1966-04-26)
  • Manuscript: Clippings [2 items] -- Typewritten document (collected 1992)
  • Manuscript: Correspondence [15 items] -- Mixed (handwritten and typewritten documents) (collected 1964-1991)
  • Manuscript: Creative works [4 items] -- Mixed (handwritten and typewritten documents) (collected 1982-1993)
  • Manuscript: Memoirs [2 items] -- Typewritten document (collected 1966-1991)
  • Manuscript: Military papers (orders, personnel/201 files, etc) [27 items] -- Mixed (handwritten and typewritten documents) (collected 1961-1993)
  • Manuscript: Periodicals [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 1983-02-22)
  • Manuscript: Printed matter [5 items] -- Typewritten document (collected 1981-1996)
  • Photograph: Digital print [12 items] -- Photograph (collected 1958-1984)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/54025

Cite as

  • Larry Michael Jordan Collection (AFC/2001/001/54025), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Jordan, Janet Eileen, and Larry Michael Jordan. Larry Michael Jordan Collection. 1963. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.54025/.

APA citation style:

Jordan, J. E. & Jordan, L. M. (1963) Larry Michael Jordan Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.54025/.

MLA citation style:

Jordan, Janet Eileen, and Larry Michael Jordan. Larry Michael Jordan Collection. 1963. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.54025/>.