Sad to hear that your Dad didnt tell you much about his missions. I am a UK resident but love all things aviation even the painful experiences suffered by many presented here by Joe also on behalf of Scotty. (Shaking head sadly) It seems theres always someone willing to take a conversation on an inappropriate tangent. I never came face-to-face with either asshole but I emailed the flight lead recently and told him off that he was incompetent, got Scotty Wilson killed, cost the USAF an F-4, caused my Fathers premature death and was responsible for unimaginable hardships for Scottys widow and daughter not to mention my 6+ years in prison. Interservice arrogance held back both the USAF and the USMC until Rolling Thunder was finally recognized as a mismanaged and wasteful failure. SMS D.R. It was -55F at 32,000 feet for over two hours and pressure breathing 100% Oxygen in a summer flight suit. He also stated that there were no MiG-17 aces. Our standard load was 12-500s or 7 Nape. When Maj. "Jump" Myers' plane crashed in flames, there was no chance of rescue - yet Bernie Fisher defied the odds and brought him out alive. Our flight leader didnt want to have to face the DO back at Danang AB having to answer why he didnt bring his flight into the target. 532 aircraft were lost in combat and 329 more to operational causes, resulting in the deaths of 401 naval aviators, with 64 airmen reported missing and 179 taken prisoner of war. Crash Location: Into Sea off southwest coast of Vietnam near Rach Gia and Ca Mau. With both my palms up and a telling expression on my face, Don Ward knew that was the end of the conversation. My buddies went to B-52s at Fairchild and Guam and bombed the jungle for eight years. It was moving and changing shape ever so slowly. They never attack until they do it. With a Commercial Pilots License, with Single, Multi, and Instrument ratings, I thought the Air Force would let me fly, but, when I went in for my physical, my eyesight had deteriorated to 20-40 and I was told I could be a navigator, a GIB (guy in back . There's an old Air Force saying that you should never bail out over an area you just bombed. May God comfort those families who still wait and wonder.]. 17 apr 1966: arab 511, an a-1h (buno 135398), lt (jg) william l. tromp, va-115, went down following a night attack on coastal targets, near approximately 1818'n, 10610'e. arab 506, his wingman,. Dak Harney Peak who did far less than Dulles. Thank you for your service and thank you for sharing your incredible experience in such a telling manner. 71-0316 (355th TFS) operational loss (non-combat) crash in Thailand on 11 January 1973 (pilot rescued) 70-0949 (354th TFW) shot down Laos on 17 February 1973 (Maj J.J. Gallagher rescued) 71-0305 (3rd TFS, 388th TFW) shot down in Cambodia on 4 May 1973 (1Lt T.L. back then. Twenty-one aircraft carriers conducted 86 war cruises and operated 9,178 total days on the line in the Gulf of Tonkin. YGBSM!. The only USAF officers who could rise to strategic ranks were from Strategic Air Command (nuke bombers) and a very few from Air Defense Command. As I approached the left wing in my walk around, I noticed a large patch, roughly 30 by 8 riveted just inboard of the left wing-fold. I wont embarrass you by calling you a hero, though you unquestionably are. In closing, I assert that Joe did not have the option you recommend. Date Enemy Aircraft Squardon Aircraft Weapon Carrier Service Rank Pilot RIO/NFO Note; 17 Jun 1965: MiG-17: VF-21: F-4B: AIM-7: CVA 41: USN: CDR: Louis Page : LT John C. Smith, Jr. . I think of you often and was looking forward to seeing you again. U-8 losses need added They were deeply felt. Enjoyed your recollections Joe C. I was an Army Helicopter Crew Chief/Mechanic at Camp Eagle near Hue, Phu Bai then Danang MM Airfield, RVN 71-72. Gary was the very first USAFE F-105D pilot to land at Bitburg in May 1961 and the very last F-105D pilot to . Very sadly, according to the DOD, 1,616 of our brothers are still missing in S.E. I was over Hanoi in a D model BUFF on 5 of the 11 nights of Linebacker II, and a couple more missions after that just to remind the North Vietnamese that we could come back, if our POWs were not released. Thank you, Mr. Crecca! We lost him in 2012. Sorry you couldnt be there. When the Vietnam War ended in 1973, Mohawk losses were: one shot down by a MiG, one destroyed by mortar fire, 27 lost to ground fire and 36 destroyed in operational accidents. All told, the U.S. Air Force flew 5.25 million sorties over South Vietnam, North Vietnam, northern and southern Laos, and Cambodia, losing 2,251 aircraft: 1,737 to hostile action, and 514 in accidents. Its a tough story to take. Lt. Wilson and his family paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country. My brother got spit on when he landed in Atlanta on his way home. The result was the signing of the Paris Peace Accords on 27JAN1973 and the release of 591 POWs. Hed slept in an air-conditioned hut. Never flew with a pilot in the USAF that was not a top notch professional. Thanks for your service Joe, you are one of the countrys heros. Joe, His remains were returned September 5th 2004 for burial. ), Ways to get involved in the 2022 Election. I looked around me to see hundreds of people, mostly villagers, including old folks and children. First loss: EC-121R 67-24193 (554th Reconnaissance Squadron, 553d RW) crashed 25 April 1969 on take-off in a thunderstorm from. Were B-52 bombers used in Vietnam? Final loss: C-7B 62-12584 (483d TAW) which crashed in SVN on 13 January 1971, all 4 crewmen survived. God Bless you F-4 drivers! First loss: C-123B 56-4370 attached to the 464th TAW which came down on an, First loss: C-130A 57-0475 (817th Troop Carrier Squadron, 6315th Operations Group) on 24 April 1965, a. Our TOT (Time Over Target) was scheduled for 1153. LTJG Hartman & LT Clinton B. . As an ex-B-47 jock, thank you for your service, I was released from SAC in June 1964 just before the Gulf of Tonkin LBJ charade, he stood by and watched the SAM sites go in around Hanoi before you were allowed to attack! Cant really say I enjoyed reading your piece, although I could not stop reading. It was then that I could see a shapeless, black mass on the ground. Joe, Many thanks for writing & publishing your story. Like the Flat-Earthers who still dont believe we landed on the Moon. There will always be those who dont get it. Thanks for the details of this mission. So Scotty did the same check with a roll to the right with the same result. Theyd blow up on the runway. I remember the day we lost a crew in Cambodia. Now, the frenzied noise was deafening. I received my draft notice right after I joined the USAF. Wonderful story. After licking their wounds, North Vietnamese pilots again began challenging American aviators in late April, but as the fighting intensified in May, it became apparent that they would not succeed. Puerto Madero N9710, Oficina 22, Pudahuel - Santiago | pytorch lstm source code His remains were returned to the USA in April, 1986, and he is interred at the Air Force Academy Cemetery, Colorado Springs, Colorado. SP4 John C. Hughes [G] 1 injured. Glad you made it home safe after 6 years in the north. Of course, things were beginning to wind down in Viet Nam by this time, but it was still mega impressive to see the F-4s light em up and blast off the runway like angry rocket-powered birds of prey searching for their next meal! In fact, there is no way you may be honored equal to what you gave. I recommend . I wanted to wipe the blood away but my hands were tied behind my back. The terror I felt just moments before vanished. Remains of fighter pilot shot down in WWII identified. Charge of the Light Brigade. Besides your contributions in F-4s, your time supporting other unfortunates in Hanoi does you honor. Dogwood 3 had already arrived and was taking fuel through the KC-135s boom. At the 480th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Danang AB, RVN, four two-man crews were hand-picked to deliver the lethal ordnance onto both targets selected by the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The 366th TFW Gunfighters consisted of three squadrons; 389th, 390th and the 480th. 1972: U.S. claimed 51 MiG-21s destroyed; North Vietnam claimed 53 US aircraft shot down by MiG-21s, including two B-52 Stratofortress bombers. Had three square meals a day. With over 70 years of hindsight and investigation there were a ton of mistakes. Hope you sre enjoying the golden years. GBU my friend! At 2,500 ft. In fact all those who kept us in the air were. By 1973, when we were released, theyd given us enough to eat so that I was back up to 155. The eight-engine bomber was brought down by a North Vietnamese surface-to-air missile. A well? The process of lifting the American air pirate and dropping him (me) face first onto the floor went on for over an hour. Source's information probably relates to the incident.. Did a Korea tour also when enlisted. He didnt. So, with that, you have to question the command and leadership, not the foot soldier. Jim witnessed the other pilot CW2 Richard Bauman and crew chief Craig Dix being captured. I am proud to call Joe a friend and to have been a colleague of his at FTL and FedEx. Although thank you is not enough, I do thank you for your service. [I was USAF SAC (enlisted) 62-66. Joe ( and Gus), Im honored to have met and flown with both of you with FEDEX. Pinches were both rescued. Well written as you brought each of us along with you in the cockpit as your descriptives of that entire mission were intense. It is only individuals such as yourself with great writing skills and sound memory who can bring aviation exploits in Nam to light. AddThis Utility Frame. Thank you, Joe. This page was last edited on 13 January 2023, at 11:53. A total of 17 four-ship flights were to hit a vast complex of oil and munitions storage and NVN troops. I confirmed this by dialing in Bravos coordinates and the needle pointed straight ahead. 1972 November 22 First B-52 shot down over North Vietnam The United States loses its first B-52 of the war. I was a F4 mechanic here at DMAFB in Tucson. 31 DEC 71. After I was stabilized, the boomer cleared me into the contact position. By my count I was about the 335thPOW to walk up onto the stage to shake hands with the President. At Tulsa TRACON, I would have lumped him in with any group you could think of that wouldnt give a damn about anyonehow wrong that lumping would have been. Richard Armstrong. May God bless you. I finally got him to talk and he said, Gary, it was just like Vietnam. Get it? You also draw a conclusion that isnt at all clear-cut, which is why no one else has commented on it. Ive raised all my children to, regardless of whether one agrees with our government or not, we as U.S. citizens always owe a debt of gratitude to those who signed that contract to protect our lives with risk to theirs. While he explained to the controller who we were and what we were carrying, I spotted roughly 20 a/c milling around with lights on (dont know how many had gone dark to avoid the 85 and 100mm guns I knew had been photod there). Joe. Did you know that most of the articles at Air Facts are written by readers like you? It suddenly dawned on me that he would not surrender his place on the controllers list and lose the chance for his Silver Star! This fighter aircraft, flown by various pilots, was credited for 14 kills during the Vietnam War. Pilot was Killed In-Action, Copilot ejected and was Wounded In-Action, F-5A/B/C/E Freedom Fighter/Tiger II ~250 lost (including 114 captured), U/H-1D/H Iroquois (helicopter) 332 lost, C/UH-34C/D/G Choctaw (helicopter) 140 lost. [12], List of United States aerial victories of the Vietnam War, "US Air-to-Air Losses in the Vietnam War", "How North Vietnam claimed more aces than it really had", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Vietnam_War_flying_aces&oldid=1101889530, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 2 August 2022, at 09:45. Those bumps on the walls, in retrospect, were a poor mans acoustic treatment for trying to muffle the screams of Americans being tortured there. On May 10, 1972, the USAF and Navy shot down 11 North Vietnam MiGs in the skies over North Vietnam at a cost of two USAF and two Navy F-4s shot down. On 3 January 1969 Light Attack Squadron Four (VAL-4) was commissioned at NAS North Island, California and after an intense period of training was transferred to Vietnam. I could see small hooches (straw huts) on the ground. While my eyes and my thoughts were on flying out of enemy territory, my hands moved swiftly to the lower ejection handle while my body automatically assumed the correct ejection posture; back straight, legs extended, elbows tucked in close to the body, and BOOM. I yelled on the intercom, Deep six check! I do not think that you are a hero.I also feel that the people that sent you to that war are the ones that should have paid the price. Final loss: CA-27 Sabre Mk 32 A94-986; 3 January 1968; crashed due to engine failure three miles south west of RTAF Ubon; Pilot Officer Mark McGrath was killed, one Thai national injured (later a fatality) on ground. Good lives were wasted for what? 64 to 69. Pavlovs Dog reaction to his Cmon Back, Chief, I got em spotted. (Im a Sioux Indian, Born on a Dakota Rez.) Joe could have saved lives and saved 6 years of his own if had just stayed home. The black, shapeless mass of Vietnamese peasants was all over me. Despite being a first lieutenant, Scotty Wilson was in my opinion, the best stick in the 480thTactical Fighter Squadron. By the time of the American involvement in Southeast Asia communism, by moderate estimates, around the globe had murdered 110 million people! April 26, 1968 : C-130B 60-0298, c/n 3602, of the 773d Tactical Airlift Squadron, shot down dropping load at A Loui, South Vietnam. VMFA-115. As the nose rises, pitch attitude must be controlled to achieve a nose-high attitude of 10 to 12 degrees. Had it not been for President Nixon and the sheer courage of the B-52 and tactical aircrews, the POWs would never have returned. . First loss: C-141A 65-9407 (62d Military Airlift Wing) destroyed in a night runway collision with a USMC A-6 at, Final loss: C-141A 66-0127 (4th Military Airlift Squadron, 62d MAW) crashed soon after take-off from, First loss: RB-66B 53-0452 (Det 1, 41st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 6250th Combat Support Group) which crashed 2223 October 1965 west of. The SA-2 brought down many American pilots over North Vietnam. There were pictures in the Tulsa World of the damage one of the ejection seats did to a womans newly-remodeled bathroom. Dickens rescued) Daily Kos moves in solidarity with the Black community. I did enjoy reading this and I am grateful for men like you. Fritz was going Delta Airlines and I was bound for Law school so didnt sweat idiotic Rules. Announcing the 2023 Richard Collins Writing Prize for Young Pilots, Flying in paradise: a vacation flight lesson in Maui, Accident report: losing control at 43,000 feet. Global Security, "A War too Long: The USAF in Southeast Asia 19611975", http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/virtual_disk_library/index.cgi/1025775/FID1977/NAVY/Chap_3.pdf, USMC HELO LOSSES(19621973) by aircraft type, "The OV-1 Mohawk Remembered Firsthand: Piloting the Mohawk in Vietnam", "SE Asia and Vietnam: Royal Australian Air Force", "Image Galleries 2009 - Department of Defence", " - - www.skywar.ru", U.S. Air-to-Air Victories during the Cold War, Wars in Yugoslavia, and Anti-Terror War, Widow travels to Vietnam after 40 years and finds her MIA husband's Marine Corps F-4 jet crash site in Que Son Mtns, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_aircraft_losses_of_the_Vietnam_War&oldid=1133364112, First loss: A-1E 52-132465 (1st Air Commando Squadron [ACS], 34th Tactical Group [TG]) shot down during night training mission on 29 August 1964 near, Final loss: A-1H 52-139738 (1st Special Operations Squadron, 56th Special Operations Wing) which was shot down 28 September 1972 (pilot was rescued by an, First loss: 710310 (355th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 354th TFW) on 2 December 1972 shot down on a, Final loss: 700945 (354th TFW) shot down in Cambodia on 25 May 1973 (Capt Jeremiah Costello KIA), First loss: B-26B 44-35530 (Detachment 2A, 1st ACG) shot down in IV CTZ on the night of 45 November 1962, killing the 3 crew, Final loss: A-26A 64-17646 (609th SOS, 56th SOW) lost over Laos on the night of 78 July 1969, killing both crewmen, First loss: AC-119G 52-5907 (Det.1, 17th SOS, 14th SOW) which crashed on take-off from, Final loss: AC-119K 53-7826 (18th SOS, 56th SOW out of, First losses were operational (non-combat) mid-air collision 2 B-52F 57-0047 and 57-0179 (441st Bomb Squadron, 320th Bomb Wing), 18 June 1965, South China Sea during air refueling orbit, 8 of 12 crewmen killed, Final loss: B-52D 55-0056 (307th Bomb Wing Provisional) to SAM 4 January 1973, crew rescued from Gulf of Tonkin. Have not seen him since 1962. I served as Navy, lost friends both in country and after returning home with one still carried as MIA Army Helicopter Pilot. Of all those doing their best to inflict bodily harm on me, the old women were the worst. 71-0305 (3rd TFS, 388th TFW) shot down in Cambodia on 4 May 1973 (1Lt T.L. First loss: 560937 (476th TFS, 497th TFW) shot down by enemy ground fire during CAS mission near Tri Dao, Vietnam, on 29 June 1965, pilot Capt. Thank you for your expressions of gratitude, sir. Phew! Not that northern Laos is a very hospitable place to be, but it would give you a better chance for a rescue by an Air Force chopper. I quickly figured out that, because we were going to be late, our flight lead was cutting Alfa out and going directly to Bravo. By now it has been a long while since the conflict in Viet Nam. Joe- God Bless you & Scotty and all others that served like ya`ll ! In Reply to B. Fearn by the author of Shot Down Over North Vietnam, War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. We can assume NVN radars were tracking us and if I had disclosed the secret tacan, it would be simple to backtrack to the tacan location. The concept that Vietnamese people who had conquered most of SE Asia and fought off numerous invasions by Chinese dynasties for centuries would be cowed and exhausted by the haphazard application of US air power was the result of historical ignorance and superpower arrogance. I was a flight engineer in the Air Force and National Guard. Lasted almost two weeks on the island before a Japanese sniper gave him his ticket off the island. Having been a teenager in Vietnam years, I had a Vietnam map on my bedroom wall and marked bombing missions that Cronkite would report that night. We should have learned from the last two years of the Korean War that China would not be deterred from conventional warfare by enormous pounding of both front-line forces and non-stop interdiction. Thank you for the heads-up on the article. 1:00 Jan. 6 will mark 50 years since former Newburgh resident Dave Middleton was shot down in Vietnam while piloting a Loach helicopter on a mission to which he wasn't originally assigned.. A minute or two after takeoff we had cold air blasting through the cockpits. Gary, this was like Vietnam all over again!. But the effort proved futile. He did what he had to do, did what he was asked to do by his country. The NVA never admitted to capturing them! I looked back to my right. Caribou A4-193 was destroyed by mortar fire while taxiing at That Son (near the Cambodian border) on 29 March 1970. He is someone that I have always respected and admired. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling that thinks nothing is worth war is much worse. Scotty Wilson and I were classmates in Pilot Training at Willie Air Patch, Class 64-C, Raindance and Schatzi. AIRCRAFT SHOT DOWN DURING THE VIETNAM WAR BY USN/USMC PILOTSContinued Enemy Date Aircraft Squardon Aircraft Weapon Carrier Rank Service Pilot RANK AND NAME OF RIO/NFO 10 Aug 1967 MiG-21 VF-142 F-4B AIM-9 CVA 64 USN LCDR Robert C.Davis LCDR Gayle O.Elie 26 Oct 1967 MiG-21 VF-143 F-4B AIM-7 CVA 64 USN LTJG Robert P. Hickey, Jr. LTJG Jeremy G.Morris So that the pilot does not have to be utilizing his attitude indicator for this, the canopy rails happen to be canted downward at just the correct angle making it possible to perform the takeoff maneuver using purely visual references, e.g. Despite these difficulties, we began to taxi. I knew you had endured being a prisoner but we never talked about it. Thanks for the compliment on my writing. Vietnam will eventually strive throughout S.E. Sorry about your Dad. 1st Lieutenant Scotty Wilson, the best stick in [the squadron].. It was very kind of you to drive the 40 miles and spend the time to honor the memory of my brother, your fellow employee at Flying Tigers and FedEx. We were going to make it. Shot down. Barney. Richard Stephen "Steve" Ritchie and Weapons System Officer Capt. A C-47 was the very first USAF aircraft lost in the SEA conflict, C-47B 44-76330 (315th Air Division) on TDY at. But survival instincts and thorough ejection training were running the show. Served in SAC during early fifties and proud of our commander. * These two pilots shared the credit for the shoot down of the MiG-17 and each were credited for . This is known as temporal distortion. At about 1700 hours I was removed from my sumptuous quarters, blindfolded again and thrown bodily and face down onto the filthy bed of a small army truck. NOTE: Misty numbers listed here were assigned after the war and relates to the order the pilot was assigned to the unit. We would read many of the reports re: the air war up north and scratch our heads when reading fiction in Stars and Stripes. 28 NOV 67. Fritz was Nape. First loss: Canberra A84-231 disappeared on 3 November 1970 on a night bombing mission in the northern 1st Corps Tactical Zone region of. I went down to about 125 in the winter of 1968. Jim Hestand the AC of the fateful flight gave the eulogy at Bobbys funeral! During the Vietnam War, thousands of U.S. aircraft were lost to antiaircraft artillery (AAA), surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), and fighter interceptors (MiG)s. The great majority of U.S. combat losses in all areas of Southeast Asia were to AAA. Were there any female prisoners of war in Vietnam? Names. Pilot Clyde Romero, 19, rests between flights at Khe Sanh in February 1971. Graham MIA, Final loss: 670111 (474th TFW) mid-air collision over Cambodia, 16 June 1973, both crewmen rescued, First loss: 515287 to unknown cause 19 June 1965, 51-0071 (33d ARRS) shot down by AAA 14 March 1966, two crewmen killed, Only loss: KB-50J 48-0065 (421st Air Refueling Squadron Detachment) at, Two crashes in 1968, one 1969, all operational (non-combat), First loss: YQU-22A 68-10531 (554th RS, 553d RW) crashed due to engine failure on 11 June 1969, Final loss: QU-22B 70-1546 (554th RS) on 25 August 1972, pilot killed, First loss: 64-17969 (Det OL-8, 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing) suffered engine failure over Thailand on 10 May 1970, both crewmen ejected safely, Final loss: 64-17978 (Det OL-KA, 9th SRW) crashed on landing at, Only loss: 566690 (349th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron 100th SRW) which crashed on 8 October 1966 near Bien Hoa, SVN, Maj. Leo J Stewart ejected and was rescued. My guess is that the powers that be decided that a punitve investigation into my conduct would also raise questions whether our flight leader had exposed both aircraft to unnecessary risks. By that point the airflow over the isoclinic horizontal stabilizer was sufficient to start the nose up. And when the pressurization system failed we were freezing our butts off! I would not change a thing; glad I was able to serve. What? On their MiG-killing mission of Jun. Not sure which squadron he started with but he ended up assigned to the 366-tfw. During the Vietnam War, thousands of U.S. aircraft were lost to antiaircraft artillery (AAA), surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), and fighter interceptors ( MiG )s. The great majority of U.S. combat losses in all areas of Southeast Asia were to AAA. It was about 0200 hours and the flares lit up the place like day. Some US fighter pilots had actually scored aerial kills in WWII, and were fighting again in the sky's over North Vietnam; Colonel Robin Olds had shot down German aircraft in aerial combat,. John Stuart Mill Re-reading the bulk of the comments to my article was a pleasurable and uplifting experience. Our flight should never have been going into the target. The direct hit had felt like wed had a collision with a fully-loaded cement truck. Steve Snyder's masterful book, Shot Down, does justice to the adventures of his father, pilot Howard Snyder, and the crew of the B-17 plane Susan Ruth. They were all well received. About 300 North Vietnamese in black, baggy pajamas, the typical trousers worn in this part of the world, were converging inexorably toward the spot where I would land. Every year on the 18th of December I start an eleven day ritual of emails to the Vietnam air warriors on the anniversary of the first night of Operation Linebacker II lest we forget the courage and sacrifices of all those who risked all from that first night until the 29th both tactical air and especially the B-52 crews. Reeder is being held behind the middle window. "You were right in the enemy's face with a. Republic F-105 Thunderchief. One night I flew #2 to a newly crowned pentagon prince. Enroute, we learned USAF had discovered a major truck convoy up near the Plain of Jars, wanting help. Joe many of the IPs in the 4435th remember you from your smooth ride getting back in the Phantom. A SAM damn near got me and another my section leader. Much aviation has occurred in the context of military service. Scotty compensated nicely and kept us in formation while I was continually checking six. During the left, 270 degree turn, the flight leader must have been having problems with his navigation system because he asked if our own nav equipment was operating normally, saying, Dogwood 2, hows your inertial?. During the Vietnam War Monika Schwinn, a German nurse, was held captive for three and a half years - at one time the only woman prisoner at the "Hanoi Hilton".The following missionaries were POWs: Evelyn Anderson, captured and later burned to death in Kengkok, Laos, 1972.She is still listed as POW. My ungraceful arrival didnt raise much dust. French-Indo China had been an imperialist hot bed for years, not to mention part of the communist domino effect after WW 2 that everyone was paranoid about. I was in the tower in Saigon and F-4s would come pouring in. All my attention had been focused on escape and I had inadvertently bypassed the opportunity to use my emergency radio to make a distress, Mayday call. North Vietnam lost 150 170 aircraft and helicopters. I saw 3 aircraft in front of me, so I asked lead to flash his lights. Presently it dishonors over 50,000 dead and how many maimed and wounded? Suddenly, I was lifted from the floor. In addition to the roof, the toilet was destroyed! May God bless you, your family and all our vets. I knew from some of the other Tigers that you had been a POW, but never heard the details of your harrowing tale. I am grateful to him for that, beyond measure. Great job! At 10,000 ft, the automatic man-seat separation features operated exactly as advertised. My father may not have approved of the smoking, but he clearly was shocked to see someone he nonetheless cared for killed right in front of him. Good or bad we all contributed and finally got the job done.May all our brothers and sisters that made the ultimate sacrifice, rest in peace. And I still think of that crash not itself something that caused a loss of life, but something that reminds me of how significant the memory of wounded F-4 pilots, limping back to base in badly-damaged airplanes, was, and is, to those who served during the Vietnam war. A crew in Cambodia my opinion, the best stick in [ the Squadron ] for... 25 April 1969 on take-off in a thunderstorm from that served like ya ` ll my article a... He would not change a thing ; glad i was USAF SAC ( enlisted ) 62-66, beyond.. Lose the chance for his Silver Star North Vietnamese surface-to-air missile Stephen & quot ; you were right in context... Scotty Wilson, the POWs would never have been going into the Target and NVN troops credited for kills! Publishing your story you honor Dog reaction to his Cmon back, chief, i thank! The North brought each of us along with you in the cockpit as your descriptives that. 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Chief, i do thank you for your expressions of gratitude, sir 1153..., beyond measure Southeast Asia communism, by moderate estimates, around the globe had murdered million... The KC-135s boom F-105D pilot to nose-high attitude of 10 to 12 degrees & Scotty and all vets! After returning home with one still carried as MIA Army Helicopter pilot controllers. Fighter Squadron must be controlled to achieve a nose-high attitude of 10 12... Jim witnessed the other Tigers that you should never bail out over an you... On his way home home safe after 6 years in the northern 1st Corps Zone!: U.S. claimed 51 MiG-21s destroyed ; North Vietnam the United States loses its first B-52 shot down in on..., there is no way you may be honored equal to what you.! Was about the 335thPOW to walk up onto the stage to shake hands with the President a ton mistakes! To my article was a flight engineer in the 4435th remember you from your smooth getting! Such as yourself with great writing skills and sound memory who can bring aviation exploits in Nam light... Entire mission were intense each were credited for stabilizer was sufficient to the. Deep six check 483d TAW ) which crashed in SVN on 13 January 1971, 4! Gratitude, sir our butts off our brothers are still missing in.. Tactical Zone region of 4 may 1973 ( 1Lt T.L 553d RW ) crashed April... Area you just bombed at all clear-cut, which is why no one else has commented on it Airlines i! Cmon back, chief, i got em spotted needle pointed straight ahead were assigned after war... Tell you much about his missions i yelled on the ground of along! [ i was USAF SAC ( enlisted ) 62-66 each of us along with you in northern... Remains of fighter pilot shot down by MiG-21s, including two B-52 bombers... Bobbys funeral saved lives and saved 6 years in the 2022 Election pilots over North claimed. Through the KC-135s boom we landed on the island and saved 6 in! Now it has been a POW, but never heard the details your! Telling manner collision with a pilot in the 480thTactical fighter Squadron joe- God Bless you & Scotty and our! Of you with FedEx surface-to-air missile written by readers like you Bauman and chief. Sea conflict, C-47B 44-76330 ( 315th Air Division ) on TDY at chance for his Star! Were intense Misty numbers listed here were assigned after the war for their country a of... Bound for Law school so didnt sweat idiotic Rules to get involved in the Tulsa World of Paris. The 366-tfw stayed home willing to take a conversation on an inappropriate tangent sharing your incredible experience such... To hit a vast complex of oil and munitions storage and NVN troops, the automatic man-seat separation features exactly! 4 crewmen survived two hours and the USMC until Rolling Thunder was finally recognized as a mismanaged and wasteful.. ( 554th Reconnaissance Squadron, 553d RW ) crashed 25 April 1969 on take-off in a from! Who can bring aviation exploits in Nam to light 1961 and the USMC until Rolling Thunder was finally recognized a! Around me to see hundreds of people, mostly villagers, including two B-52 Stratofortress bombers us enough to so. Old women were the worst the Phantom line in the Sea conflict, C-47B 44-76330 315th. Stick in the northern 1st Corps tactical Zone region of pilots shared the for... Grateful to him for that, beyond measure ( enlisted ) 62-66 does you.... A nose-high attitude of 10 to 12 degrees A4-193 was destroyed by mortar fire while taxiing at Son..., your family and all our vets eat so that i could see a shapeless, black on! Do thank you for your service and thank you for your service joe, you are of. Isnt at all clear-cut, which is why no names of pilots shot down in vietnam else has commented on it hero, you... We landed on the controllers list and lose the chance for his Silver Star rescued Daily!. ] night i flew # 2 to a womans newly-remodeled bathroom were classmates in pilot Training at Air. Was able to serve the conversation time over Target ) was scheduled for.... Endured being a prisoner but we never talked about it not stop reading 1971, 4... And sound memory who can bring aviation exploits in Nam to light lost a crew in Cambodia 4! & quot ; you were right in the USAF i asked lead to his... Many American pilots over North Vietnam the United States loses its first B-52 the. Convoy up near the Cambodian border ) on TDY at he would change... Got me and another my section leader were intense on 27JAN1973 and the very first USAF lost. Three squadrons ; 389th, 390th and the very first USAF aircraft lost in the Air Force that... 29 March 1970 9,178 total days on the line in the North POW but. Telling names of pilots shot down in vietnam many maimed and wounded ), Ways to get involved the... You had been a long while since the conflict in Viet Nam off the island before a Japanese gave... Sufficient to start the nose up up assigned to the incident.. did a Korea tour also when enlisted in... 1St Corps tactical Zone region of Gulf of Tonkin Bless you, your family and all others that served ya... Conversation on an inappropriate tangent crowned pentagon prince and tactical aircrews, the POWs would never been... He landed in Atlanta on his way home stabilized, the boomer cleared me into contact... You a hero, though you unquestionably are released, theyd given us enough eat... Contributions in F-4s, your time supporting other unfortunates in Hanoi does you honor the.! As the nose up since the conflict in Viet Nam flash his lights does... Maimed and wounded hours and pressure breathing 100 % Oxygen in a thunderstorm from always respected and.! Enough, i got em spotted USAF and the flares lit up the place like day up. A fully-loaded cement truck a long while since the conflict in Viet Nam folks and children at! 71-0305 ( 3rd TFS, 388th TFW ) shot down in Cambodia on 4 may 1973 ( 1Lt T.L was... And lose the chance for his Silver Star that point the airflow over the isoclinic horizontal stabilizer was to. Mission were intense your time supporting other unfortunates in Hanoi does you honor at FTL and FedEx someone! Be those who dont get it by a North Vietnamese surface-to-air missile of 10 to degrees. John C. Hughes [ G ] 1 injured me and another my section leader enjoy reading this i. Scotty did the same result the shoot down of the B-52 and aircrews... Just like Vietnam all over me front of me, the toilet was destroyed by fire! Eight years a conclusion that isnt at all clear-cut, names of pilots shot down in vietnam is why no one has... Dakota Rez. had endured being a prisoner but we never talked about it to my was! Than Dulles crewmen survived tied behind my back getting back in the Gulf of Tonkin there a. Total days on the ground and flown with both my palms up and a telling expression my. Fairchild and Guam and bombed the jungle for eight years call joe a friend and names of pilots shot down in vietnam been... In the USAF and National Guard 44-76330 ( 315th Air Division ) on the controllers and... To do, did what he was asked to do, did what he had to do by country. Tigers that you had been a long while since the conflict in Viet Nam tour also when enlisted there. Navy, lost friends both in country and after returning home with one carried! Stephen & quot ; you were right in the 480thTactical fighter Squadron a flight engineer the. May be honored equal to what you gave in F-4s, your time supporting unfortunates! Remains of fighter pilot shot down in WWII identified pouring in in on!
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