In the winter of 1970, a young man named Alan Roger Bourque, at the age of 19, found himself at a crossroads. Originally from Manchester, New Hampshire, Alan had recently embarked on a new chapter in his life by joining the Air National Guard. He had successfully completed his basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas and was subsequently transferred to Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi, for advanced training.
This next phase of his service was intended to be a six-month tour. At 19, Alan was described as a white male with brown hair and blue eyes, standing five feet eight inches tall and weighing around 160 pounds. His life and military career were just beginning, but his path was about to take an unforeseen and tragic turn, leaving his family and friends with decades of unanswered questions.
The circumstances surrounding Alan's disappearance are shrouded in ambiguity, with conflicting information and a sparse trail of evidence. The official timeline begins on February 9, 1970, the day he failed to report for duty as scheduled at Keesler Air Force Base. The date of his last confirmed contact is noted as February 7, 1970, and his last known location was New Orleans, Louisiana. However, another account suggests he was seen a month later, on March 10, on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, purportedly during Mardi Gras. This detail has been questioned, as Mardi Gras celebrations in 1970 had concluded by mid-February, casting doubt on the accuracy of the March sighting. It's considered possible he may have stopped in New Orleans while traveling from his training in Texas to his new assignment in Mississippi. After he failed to appear at the base, he was officially declared a deserter on March 10, 1970, a standard administrative procedure in such cases.
For over five decades, the disappearance of Alan Bourque has remained a cold case with very few details available to the public or investigators. The Air Force Office of Special Investigations is the primary agency handling the case, but the passage of time has made the search for answers increasingly difficult. The lack of concrete information following his failure to report for duty has left a void, making it impossible to know what happened to the young airman. The case is a heart-wrenching puzzle, centered on a young man at the start of his adult life who vanished after failing to report for his military duty. The conflicting dates and the unconfirmed sighting in New Orleans add layers of complexity to a story with no clear narrative, leaving only the enduring question of what became of Alan Roger Bourque.Last Seen: Feb 7, 1970
