I was a young 23 year old J-79 Engine Mechanic at Homestead AFB in 1972,sent toThailand in late Summer of that year to participate in LinebackerII Our F-4s along with McDills flew Mig CAP for the B-52s of which several were lost.Homestead lost one Phantom,I believe McDill lost one. The F-105 was one of the primary attack aircraft of the Vietnam War; over 20,000 Thunderchief sorties were flown, with 382 aircraft lost including 62 operational (non-combat) losses (out of the 833 produced). They fixed it. Site content may be used for any purpose without explicit permission unless otherwise specified. Hopefully you have not seen this magnificent video I recently came across, and for a man in love with flight like you proved, I hope it will bring back nothing but happy memories https://vimeo.com/199142621 . What? While the Vietnamese and Chinese have a long history of ethnic combat, the Chinese were happy to limit both Russian and American military influence in SE Asia, by replacing every bullet fired by North Vietnam. Do you know how good a F4 sounds from the darn dirt ?!? Nobody else made a comment like yours because you are the only a-hole on here. Because the Director of Operations (DO) was leading a flight-of-four on MiG Cap hoping to shoot down a MiG. He was crying. I served, served proudly, and shelter no regrets. 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. In closing, I assert that Joe did not have the option you recommend. April 16, 1968 : C-130A 56-0480, c/n 3088, of the 35th Tactical Airlift Squadron, crash landed at Special Forces Camp Bunard, 80 kilometers north of Bien Hoa, South Vietnam. To increase air support for the SEALORDS Operation in South Vietnam's Mekong Delta, the Navy "borrowed" twenty North American Aviation OV-10A Broncos from the United States Marine Corps. Hull blown-up. Of all those shot-down pilots, the experience apparently only made one uniquely qualified to be President. I lost mine 5 years before I was released. records. 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. I cried like a baby. VMFA-115. (Shaking head sadly) It seems theres always someone willing to take a conversation on an inappropriate tangent. October 26, 1967: A-4E Skyhawk BuNo. He told me to find him. Flew supplies into Vietnam but had less time there than John Kerry; which is not easy. Summer-67- Lost an engine to one but miraculously survived blast suffocation and stupidly re-started the J-79 after safely- feet wet. Thank you for your bravery and endurance. The upper estimate puts it at nearly 260 million! God Bless all who serve. Knowing you were handled so badly by your bosses has to be a tough thing to take. 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 served as Navy, lost friends both in country and after returning home with one still carried as MIA Army Helicopter Pilot. Ho and Giap both wanted to meet with him. I live on Easy Street. They would persistently be trying to attack me while the militia men unemotionally fended them off. 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. Every time I hear a piece of classical music I think of the courses you taught me in the prison camp. Thank you for sharing this. You guys were working around the clock to keep the pressure on HCM. Upon arrival at the Hoa Lo prison, I was placed in a dimly-lit room with light green, uneven walls. The door gunner Bobby Harris was KIA during the shoot down. Glad to hear you are on frequency. On their MiG-killing mission of Jun. I looked back to my right. First loss: Canberra A84-231 disappeared on 3 November 1970 on a night bombing mission in the northern 1st Corps Tactical Zone region of. Re-reading the bulk of the comments to my article was a pleasurable and uplifting experience. There was a terrifyingly loud and long explosion followed by staccato metal-to-metal sounds, probably of the J-79 turbine and compressor blades departing for parts unknown. Cliff, I am very sorry for the loss of your Dad. A photograph of Lockhart shows him being paraded through the streets of Hanoi. Lt Cmdr Frederick P Crosby's plane crashed in a pond during the Vietnam War in 1965 (inset). He is someone that I have always respected and admired. I was falling towards the Earth and still attached to my Martin-Baker (made in England) ejection seat below a four-foot drogue chute to stabilize my rapid descent. Many times not all returned from their missions. Glad you made it home safe after 6 years in the north. The 366th TFW Gunfighters consisted of three squadrons; 389th, 390th and the 480th. Im glad you made it home. 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. After that, I was blindfolded and transported two miles by motorcycle sidecar to another village and locked in a small building made of large stones. GBU my friend! Notes. I wanted to wipe the blood away but my hands were tied behind my back. The Republic of Vietnam lost 1,018 aircraft and helicopters from January 1964 to September 1973. But, knowing this might be my only chance to talk before the fun and games began anew, I concocted a mission scenario that I hoped would be accepted as truth. There were too many A-holes with rank putting the rest of us at risk up there especially RP VI. I was an F4 driver at Chu Lai trying to cut the supply traffic through Laos, mostly around Hwy 9, near Tchepone. Since we were shot down well before reaching our target and also because most of the strike flights had declined to enter the target area due to decidedly unfavorable weather, my story had to deny the Vietnamese any foreknowledge of the real target. when the canopy rails are parallel to the ground, the nose is 10-12 degrees up. Thanks for your service, Sir. Final loss: EC-121R 67-21495 (554th RS) crashed on approach to Korat RTAFB on 6 September 1969, 4 of the 16 men were killed. This is aviation commentary. Thank you for your sentiments. A Shau Valley. Instead, dummy missiles had been placed at the site as a "flak trap.". After I was stabilized, the boomer cleared me into the contact position. . 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. The author, during training on the F-4 Phantom. Since 366thTFW maintenance was overtaxed having to do all of its around-the-clock 24/7 functions, the flight leader had to turn down two airplanes before he found one that was combat ready and airworthy. . Scotty Wilson and I were classmates in Pilot Training at Willie Air Patch, Class 64-C, Raindance and Schatzi. Gary, this was like Vietnam all over again!. And we were just below that weight when we left Danang AB, RVN from runway 17L on the 22ndof November 1966. In total, the United States military lost in Vietnam almost 10,000 aircraft, helicopters and UAVs (3,744 planes,[3] 5,607 helicopters[2] and 578 UAVs[1] ). Richard Stephen "Steve" Ritchie and Weapons System Officer Capt. Soviet General Fesenko, the main Soviet adviser to the North Vietnamese Air Force in 1972, recorded 34 MiG-21s destroyed in 1972. A lifelong non-smoker who was on a never-ending mission to convince people not to smoke, my father did eventually tell me of a scared Marine, who, early during the battle for Iwo Jima, asked my father to sit with him in a shallow bomb crater and smoke a cigarette. lost 26 planes (written off) and 9 pilots (killed in combat) top scorer Yevgenij Pepeljayev with 109 mission, 38 dogfights and 19 shot down planes (15 kills are confirmed by american sources) 303. Kos Media, LLC. With both my palms up and a telling expression on my face, Don Ward knew that was the end of the conversation. Only those who were there truly know! 2013. You softy, dont deserve the freedom which we veterans fought and died for! All commenters here need to start this needed movement for due change. I am grateful to him for that, beyond measure. All I was aware of was a short, sharp ringing sound and my white, silk parachute billowing above me. The first and only fatal crash by an RAAF aircraft in Thailand. As my turn got closer and closer, I was still mentally tongue-tied. God Bless America; God Bless the USAF; God Bless the Pilots and God Bless the POWs! Mr. Crecca was a POW for the next six years and three months until his repatriation on February 18, 1973. Then came the shock. Of course, I had changed tacan channels nearly an hour before; I knew where we were, but I could not disclose the secret tacan base over the radio. 31 DEC 71. We attended the Colonels memorial service one week ago today. I served from 1964-1968. Moments later, the controller asked us to change our squawk, so we could be located for a skyspot drop. I hope to be delighted with more of your anecdotes. William Reeder Jr., who served two tours in Vietnam as a U.S. Army pilot, was shot down on May 9, 1972, while flying a mission in a Bell AH-1 Cobra helicopter. 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. Youve earned it. Ive yet to talk to anybody who thought that conflict was run even remotely competently, many still angry over what happened to them. I was asked the same questions over and over in an attempt to trip me up. Everybody has heard by now that John McCain was shot down over North Vietnam, captured, and held as a Prisoner of War; it apparently, to some, is his main qualification to be President. Despite being a first lieutenant, Scotty Wilson was in my opinion, the best stick in the 480thTactical Fighter Squadron. For those interested in learning more about the F4 Phantom air war , I Remember VietNam by William L Barker , Major USAFR (Ret) is a great book.This first person account is full of operational data and pilot insights.All aviation enthusiasts will appreciate its nuances. To those who try to insert politics, I agree that it is in extremely poor taste to try to make this such a venue. Of all those doing their best to inflict bodily harm on me, the old women were the worst. You also draw a conclusion that isnt at all clear-cut, which is why no one else has commented on it. Cheers! And after Scotty started the engines, the aerial refueling receptacle would only operate some of the time. Vietnam War pilot tells his story of being shot down over enemy territory and his time as a POW. 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. Just as the original lead aircraft rolled back to a wings-level position a mile to our left and reacquired us visually, the SAM struck our F-4 too late to shout a warning. Million-dollar wound some would call it through the knee, with the bones barely nicked. Just to the right of Scottys lifeless figure was the light-brown and white cloud characteristic of an SA-2 detonation! The U.S records showing 5,607 helicopter losses[2]. Thank you sir for your service. Between January and July, U.S. Air Force fighters flying air-to-air missions shot down 29 MiGs while losing just two of their owna 14.5-1 kill ratio. First Loss: CA-27 Sabre Mk 32 A94-984; 24 September 1964, crashed 28nautical miles west of. Thank You Sir for your service and sacrifice you gave to our Country! May God bless you. I hereby repeat all the usual thank yous, perhaps perfunctorily but with no less feeling. Approaching what should have been Point Alfa on our planned route, I noticed the nav pointer was off to the left when it should have been dead center straight up. I went down to about 125 in the winter of 1968. Never regretted. Was he making a record that his stupid wingman was messing up the mission? Just then, the crew chief, SSgt. A MiG-21 of the VPAF which became the primary fighter-interceptor against USAF and USN aircraft. Well, at least you tried. Pilots lost control in low clouds during a night flare mission. Thanks so very much. When I was shot down I weighed 157 lbs. I would not change a thing; glad I was able to serve. I always get chills reading these stories. Remains of fighter pilot shot down in WWII identified. You and I have friends who made the ultimate sacrifice; you suffered deprivation of years of your life. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing he values above his own personal safety, is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of men better than himself.. Fortunately, my background as a briefer and operations duty officer enabled me to tell my accusers that the base they spoke of was still 250 miles from Chu Lai, and the runway was not suitable for F4s. Some were grabbing and pulling at my anti-g suit, flight suit and boots. Our own Phantom was suffering from a variety of ills. The next thing I knew, I was back on the wooden stool facing my interrogator. Thank you Sir for your service. 17, 1965, Commander Lou Page (pilot) and Lieutenant JC Smith were flying F-4B bureau number (buno) 150646 not 151488 as sometimes reported. In burner, diving out of 20, didnt take long to head toward So China Sea. It was great to learn about your time before FTL/FDX. Hes taking us direct to Bravo and right over Yen Bai! Without hesitation Scotty rolled smoothly to the left into a near 90 degree bank and applied right (top) rudder and held it for a few seconds while I looked for the SAM that was certainly coming for us. I would like to hear from you at some point; [emailprotected]. Theyd blow up on the runway. What was the first C-47 plane shot down in Vietnam? On Sept. 12, 1968, F-100D pilot Capt. Surprisingly, a young couple bandaged my head wounds. The other Marine brought a lit match to the cigarette hed placed in his mouth, and as soon as he did, ZING, a bullet went through the Marines helmet and skull. The Thud flights were all calling Outbound for WX but our FLs OER was going to be written by the guy on MiG CAP so in we went and we took a SAM from dead six with no RHAW gear. The Douglas A-1E Skyraider (U.S. Navy BuNo 132649) at the National Museum of the United States Air Force (Dayton, Ohio, USA) is the airplane flown by Maj. Bernard Fisher on 10 March 1966, when he rescued a fellow pilot shot down over South Vietnam in the midst of enemy troops. Its a real shame but they ruined a perfectly good pair of nearly new, highly-polished USAF flying boots with zippers; they cut right through the damn zippers! 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. And the plane that carried them, a commercial jet . According to what looks like a reasonably well-sourced page on Wikipedia, a total of 3,032 aircraft were lost to hostile action during the Vietnam War (the actual total was considerably higher, as these numbers don't include Army rotary-wing aircraft), which means at least that many pilots were shot down (yes, some were shot down more than once, but they are way more than offset by the many aircraft that had two pilots). I thank you for what you did for us all, and I know it cost you. Scotty took one look at the patch which I admit looked a bit Sam Schwartz to me and replied, If we have to break for a SAM, well bring it back without the wingtip.. I have the greatest respect and admiration for you and other Vietnam POWs for your courage and what you had to endure. Further, our leader was apparently unaware that the controller asked us to change squawk ONLY after we were some distance from the 100mm guns photographed around the Plain of Jars. Fogleman became the only Super Sabre pilot ever rescued by riding out on a Cobra helicopter. This fighter aircraft, flown by various pilots, was credited for 14 kills during the Vietnam War. I think there was supposed to be a moral to that story probably along the lines of smoking is always a bad idea but the way my father told the story, emphasizing how frightened the Marine was, and that he, my father, was only sitting with the other Marine to try to help him with his nerves, and to get him to calm down, well, it was obvious that this was another living, breathing, human being. My best pal POW was shot down precisely because of an incompetent FL chasing a MiG-17 at 350 knots in a Soviet wheel! Final loss: F-4D 66-8747 (432d TRW) on 29 June 1973. SSGT Bobby Sacina, JoeThank you fot sharing your experience..We have had a few talks over beers in the past but you never told this storyYou are an American hero!! Hope to be delighted with more of your life young couple bandaged my head wounds militia men fended! Time as a POW for the loss of your anecdotes it was great learn!, silk parachute billowing above me MiG-17 at 350 knots in a Soviet wheel a & quot flak... 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