Man Found In The Jungle Takes A DNA Test

The story of a former Vietnam soldier rumored to being alive thirty years after being declared missing is a story that must be read to be believed.

When the test was taken to find the man in question, the DNA results and family reunions showed a completely different answer to the question that was originally set out to be answered. The truth revealed from a five year quest is simply unbelievable — no one was expecting it and that is when everything changed.

This story would bring a light to the darkness that existed during the catastrophic events of war all those years ago; the incredible story follows a former soldier who survived following the most unlikely conditions he had to face while in the Vietnamese jungle for over 30 years. But what was discovered was more than just a story of a prisoner of war, and the account told revealed the actual truth to the heroic war story.

It was Tom Faunce, a fellow army soldier who set out on a new mission following a rumor he had heard whilst doing humanitarian work in Southeast Asia. The rumor circulating was that an elderly man has been living in the jungle for the past 33 years in Southeast Asia. Not just any man, however, but a veteran who fought in the Vietnam war and had been left there following the war. Not wanting to leave or abandon any soldier, Faunce set out to find this man.

The man in question was Sgt. John Hartley Robinson, a Green Beret who was declared dead alongside his fellow soldiers on May 28, 1976. It was just over 30 years later that there was hope this former soldier was still alive. The story began to circulate that he had in fact been captured by North Vietnamese forces, and subsequently tortured while under their authority, with no hope of returning home. This gave even more reason to find the legend behind the myth.

When Faunce found the man behind the tale, he was curious to find out what really happened and how he survived all this time. The man shared that he managed to escape his captors years after being kidnapped, and it was with thanks to a local woman who helped save his life. This woman later became his wife and also the mother of his children. Together they made a life in Vietnam and raised their family there.

Now, it must be noted that this man could only speak Vietnamese. Although speaking of his story as a former American soldier, he states that he forgot his English following the trauma of events he experienced, and no longer understands his native language either. But it is also important to get the background on the man who was in fact considered dead for over three decades and how he went all this time without anyone finding out.

Born in Birmingham, Alabama on October 25, 1936, John Hartley Robinson started his army career at the young age of 17. As a child born during the war, when he grew up he had chose to give up school in order to join the Army and not long after joining the Special Forces, he was then chosen to become part of the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observation Group. He later went on to marry and have two children before fighting in the Vietnam War.

Being part of such an elite and secretive unit which was controlled by the CIA, the unit was instructed to not travel with dog tags or any form of ID.  Although the forces were not meant to be present over Laos, this group of soldiers were in a helicopter over the country when their aircraft was hit with enemy fire. So when a fire broke out on a helicopter which Robinson was traveling in, it was hard to track the soldiers whereabouts.

Unsurprisingly, the helicopter went down in flames somewhere in Laos, and all passengers were declared missing in action. This was difficult for the soldiers’ families and friends since there was no way a rescue operation could be conducted due to the nature of the mission. Eight years later, with no news on the fate of those in the targeted helicopter, Robertson was officially declared dead and it was a time the family would now grieve the loss of the American fighter.

So, when news broke out that Sgt. John Hartley Robinson could in fact be alive after this time, Faunce approached Canadian filmmaker, Michael Jorgensen, so that together they could go on the journey of finding the army veteran. Jorgensen was the chosen partner after he had won an Emmy for Battle of the X-Planes documentary, subjected around the American military. Together, they would be able to film and show the world the story of the man who came back from the dead.

Together, the pair worked for five years in creating Unclaimed, a documentary film which follows Faunce’s attempts in finding the man claiming to be Robertson. The film was released in 2013 and in the documentary you can see Robertson reunited with family and friends. Yet, although the film was released with the intentions of sharing the heroic story with the world, the revelations were to only leave unexpected answers when the truth is revealed.

Tom Faunce’s determination led him straight to Robertson and he found himself sitting in his home, facing the man declared to be missing since the war, but now alive and well. The American soldier knew why Tom Faunce had arrived to his house and he was ready to tell his story of the time he was missing and what he went through till the time he was rescued and could start his new life. But this did not start well.

It was Robertson’s wife who entered the room and started screaming. Although in her native language, Faunce was able to understand that she was saying, “He’s not American… He’s Vietnemese”, speaking of her husband. It was then that Robertson left the room alongside his wife, only to return apologizing and stating she was just scared by Faunce’s visit to their house. After smuggling a soldier from a war prison, they feared the authorities and the security of their family.

He then proceeded to give Faunce his account of his time during and after the war over the next several hours together. As a trained paratrooper, Robertson was in control of bombing parts of North Vietnam during the war. Declaring himself as being naturally talented when it came to military positions, he performed intensive search-and-destroy operations throughout Laos and Cambodia. It was during one of these operations when disaster struck.

As miracles go, it seems that Robertson was lucky to have one. When disaster struck for all those in the helicopter it would be with little belief that anyone would survive. But as it happens, while the other soldiers on board were being ejected from their seats, Robertson was alone in managing to remain in the helicopter until it was closer to the ground. Only then did he fall out and that is his tale of survival.

Faunce listened to him re-cap this fatal moment and saw no reason for question as he told the story so convincingly. However, Faunce had identified that the story he was listening to from Robertson was different to stories he had heard prior to meeting the man sitting opposite him. But this was not a major cause for concern since Faunce knew that’s how rumors worked after all, and he continued to listen and film the story being told.

He then went on to explain how he met his future wife at a Vietcong hospital. The two went onto become Vietnamese farmers with a small home in rural Laos. It was now, however, that Robertson would change the conversation and discussion turned to Tom Faunce’s life and career as a soldier. Faunce was unsure of what to share with the man he had just met but there was no reason to raise any suspicion during the conversation.

The way to know telling the truth could only be determined by those who knew him, such as his family, friends or fellow soldiers. Faunce was therefore determined in organizing a reunion between Robertson and his sister, Jean who was living in America. The long awaited family reunion with his sister would have probably left anyone in tears at the emotions the two must have felt to see each other after so long, but no more than the siblings who were finally back together.

With her expected excitement at the idea of seeing her brother, their reunion only confirmed that this now Vietnamese-speaking veteran was in fact her long lost brother. Yet, while Robertson could no longer converse in the same language as his sister, he also had a new identity. In fact, he no longer associated himself as John Hartley Robertson. As a Vietnamese local for over thirty years, Robertson now went by the name of Dang Tan Ngoc.

He was still able to re-tell his stories of his time as a Green Beret and memories of his past which were relevant to Faunce’s discovery and similar to stories he knew of Robertson during war. Other than that, Faunce had no other evidence to go by and sought trust in the man as he retold his story. He proceeded with recapping his harrowing tale of his time in the jungle, which is later shown in the movie.

As a prisoner of war, he spent his first year in captivity trapped in a cage made of bamboo, and spent four years in captivity before even making it to hospital. The injuries he had garnered from the fatal crash, as well as from the years that preceded, were finally being taken care of by nurses on his arrival. He claims a subsequent result of the crash left him unable to speak English, nor remember his children’s names back in America.

Faunce then insisted the Vietnamese farmer come with him to the U.S. Embassy to take a DNA test and get the proof they needed. While Faunce had his suspicion, his sister was certain that the man she had been reunited with was her brother. She was so sure that she insisted that a DNA test was unnecessary. However, the siblings met on December 17, 2012, and the test had taken place before their visit and would give them all the reveal they wanted.

Faunce and Jorgensen, however, did do all they could to confirm this was the man everyone wished it to be all these years later. Their answer: reunite him with an old Green Beret friend, and they were fortunate to find one. His friend, Mahoney, met with Dong in a restaurant and Faunce and Jorgensen were there to film the reunion. While his sister had complete belief that this was her brother, it was at this reunion that suspicion began to arise.

Although their language barrier may have hindered their conversation, from the talk they did have, it was clear that there was little recognition from Ngoc of his old friend Mahoney, or that he even remembered him. It was an awkward get together, and not like it had been expected to go, it did leave those who saw the reunion take place with one question – is this really the man everyone thought it was?

The DNA results came back after Ngoc met with his sister Jean, and they unfortunately came back as a mismatch to the DNA of John Hartley Robertson. This did not end Faunce’s investigation, however. He gave the man in question the benefit of the doubt thinking maybe he is in fact a soldier from the Vietnam war but was just confused. He had hoped that the guy he had now encountered had his own heroic past and a story to tell.

Jean Robertson, however, stood her ground and wanted to prove that this was in fact her brother, even after several setbacks suggesting otherwise, and issued another DNA test to be done. But following scientific proof and awkward encounters which should have been a time of celebration, gave little hope that Jean Robertson could get the wish she so would have wanted to be granted. Nevertheless, another DNA test took place and it would show if this really was John Hartley Robertson.

With sheer hope, Jean, along with everyone else following this story, was hoping that Sgt. John Hartley Robertson had in fact survived the helicopter crash during the Vietnam war, and miraculously even went to survive living in the Vietnamese jungle. Although it may have taken 30 years for the soldier to be found, it would become a story of a hero, and a positive turn in events following such a time of turmoil during the Vietnam war and what followed.

However, on April 30, 2013, coincidentally the exact same day Faunce and Jorgensen’s documentary came out, a statement was issued by the Defense Prisoner of War Missing Personnel Office. It was this statement that would give final confirmation as to who this man really was, and if he was, as hoped, Sgt. John Hartley Robertson. Unfortunately, this was not the case, and the answer was very different to the one Faunce and Jorgensen set out to find on the quest.

The true identity of the man claiming to be Sgt. John Robertson was revealed as a French-Vietnamese man who was not John Robertson. Dang Tan Ngoc’s fingerprints had not matched the ones once taken by the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia. He had in fact been fabricating the fact he was Robertson since 2006, but there are even some reports which reveal deception as early as 1982. In fact, the whole thing was a cruel fraud, and the whereabouts of John Hartley Robertson are still unknown.

Despite the false claims and the fact Ngoc and Robertson were two different men after all, Unclaimed is considered as a tribute by Faunce for his determination to never leave a fellow soldier behind. The story behind the documentary is also linked to the belief that many soldiers declared as missing actually became forgotten men who live in jungles of Southeast Asia after all this time. Yet, the findings in the documentary are ultimately critiqued for being false and fictional.