History has many unsung names—men and women who stood firm in the face of danger, guided by principle rather than safety. One of those names is Dr. Eleanor Ardel Vietti. Her story is not simply one of loss, but of conviction, sacrifice, and a life lived in service of others. As of 2025, she remains the only American woman still unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, and the first American female prisoner of war of that conflict.
Eleanor Ardel Vietti, known to those closest to her as Ardel, was born on 5 November 1927 in Fort Worth, Texas. She developed an early interest in medicine, driven by a desire to care for others. After graduating from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston in 1954 with a degree in medicine, she did not pursue a lucrative or comfortable career path. Instead, she chose a road of service.
In 1957, Ardel joined the Christian and Missionary Alliance, a decision that would shape the course of her life. This role took her far from the United States to the Ban Me Thuot Leprosarium in South Vietnam (known as Buon Ma Thuot, pictured in the photo) . Tucked away in the Darlac Province, surrounded by jungle and remote terrain, the leprosarium was one of the few places offering specialised care to the Montagnard people, many of whom were suffering from leprosy. In some regions, leprosy rates reached as high as 30%, a staggering figure that underscored the urgency of her work.
At the leprosarium, Dr. Vietti became more than a physician. She became a member of the community. She made house calls to distant villages, sometimes walking long distances to deliver medicine or check on patients who couldn’t travel to the centre. Her goal was simple—to prevent the spread of disease, improve quality of life, and offer care where there was little else. The Montagnards, marginalised and underserved, came to know her as more than a doctor. She was a presence they could trust.
By the early 1960s, tensions in Vietnam had grown considerably. The Viet Cong were becoming more active in rural areas, and U.S. officials were urging Americans in volatile zones to evacuate. Dr. Vietti refused to leave. She believed her work was not finished. She believed the people she served needed her more than ever.
On the night of 30 May 1962, her commitment would cost her dearly. Twelve armed Viet Cong guerrillas stormed the Ban Me Thuot compound. They abducted Dr. Vietti along with two other Americans: Daniel Gerber, a nurse, and Reverend Archie E. Mitchell, who was overseeing the mission. Nine other Americans were left untouched. The three taken were led into the jungle. They were never seen again.
Over the years, various intelligence reports and local accounts suggested that Dr. Vietti was kept alive for some time after her abduction. According to several sources, she was used as a physician for the Viet Cong, treating their wounded in makeshift camps hidden in the jungle. Eyewitness reports claimed she was seen in different villages, always surrounded by armed guards. Some even stated that she continued her medical work under duress, providing care not only to Viet Cong fighters but to civilians as well.
Still, none of these sightings could be fully verified. By 1991, nearly three decades after her disappearance, the U.S. government officially changed her status to “presumed dead.” Yet for many, that final declaration has never fully closed the chapter. Her remains have never been found. No confirmed evidence of her death has ever surfaced.
What Dr. Vietti left behind cannot be measured by titles or honours. Her contribution was rooted in the day-to-day practice of healing, of walking into remote villages with medicine in her hands and hope in her voice. She believed in treating people regardless of their political affiliations or cultural background. Her refusal to abandon her post, even when advised to do so, was not a decision taken lightly. It was the culmination of her beliefs—faith, duty, and compassion.
She was not in uniform. She did not carry a weapon. Yet she became a prisoner of war, taken because she chose to stay with her patients. She remains the only American woman listed as missing in action from the Vietnam War.
Her story has not faded. In 1998, a public radio documentary titled The Only Woman Left Behind revisited her life and mysterious disappearance. It helped renew interest in her case, offering a more detailed look at her final days and the complexity of her situation.
In 2008, Nyack College, where several missionaries affiliated with the leprosarium had studied, honoured Dr. Vietti and others who were lost during the Vietnam War. A memorial bench bearing their names was installed on campus. It is a small but meaningful tribute to lives lived for others.
More than sixty years after she disappeared into the jungle, Dr. Eleanor Ardel Vietti’s name remains on the list of 1,244 Americans still unaccounted for in Vietnam. Each year, families gather at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., tracing their loved ones’ names with their fingers. Among those names is hers.
There is a particular kind of courage in choosing to stay when others leave. Dr. Vietti’s story challenges us to consider what it means to serve, what it means to give, and what it means to stand firm in the face of the unknown. She was not simply caught in a conflict—she walked into it, knowing the risks, and remained there because her work was not finished.
In remembering her, we acknowledge not just the tragedy of her loss, but the enduring value of her example. Her story is not confined to war or politics. It is a human story, about love for others and belief in purpose.
For more information on Dr. Vietti and efforts to account for missing Americans from the Vietnam War, please visit the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
