Further Details
The F-4 Phantom II, used by Air Force, Marine and Navy air wings, served a multitude of functions including fighter-bomber and interceptor, photo and electronic surveillance. The two man aircraft was extremely fast (Mach 2), and had a long range (900 - 2300 miles, depending on stores and mission type). The F-4 was also extremely maneuverable and handled well at low and high altitudes. The F-4 was selected for a number of state-of-the-art electronics conversions, which improved radar intercept and computer bombing capabilities enormously. Most pilots considered it one of the "hottest" planes around.
A Phantom flight crew comprised of 1st Lieutenant John H. Nasmyth, Jr., pilot, and 1st Lieutenant Raymond P. Salzarulo, Jr., Bombardier/Navigator, was dispatched on a mission over North Vietnam on September 4, 1966. As the aircraft was over Bac Thai Province, about 10 miles southwest of the city of Thai Nguyen, it was shot down.
1st Lieutenant Nasmyth was captured by the Vietnamese and spent the next six and a half years as a "guest" in prison systems in and around Hanoi. He was released in February 1973 in Operation Homecoming.
The Vietnamese told Nasmyth that his backseater was dead, and his body had been in the crashed aircraft.
Ray was promoted to the rank of Captain during the period he was listed Missing in Action. His remains were returned by the Vietnamese to U.S. control on September 13, 1990.
(http://www.pownetwork.org/bios/s/s003.htm)
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