I have four children- ages 34, 30, 11 and 8 and am Grandma to 3 ages 8, 8 & 5. Had three square meals a day. Twenty-one aircraft carriers conducted 86 war cruises and operated 9,178 total days on the line in the Gulf of Tonkin. First of all, we only had three airplanes. According to the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association, a total of 11,846 helicopters were shot down or crashed during the war, resulting in nearly 5,000 American pilots and crew killed. Lockhart is still alive, although. Other than the bullet-hole scar in his leg, which my father would sometimes say was caused by an Indians arrow (that story fit in well with the TV shows I was watching in the 1950s), growing up I never got any stories out of him about what war was like. More aircraft would be shot down and pilots killed or captured. Joe I want to start by thanking you profusely for attending and speaking at my brother Johns funeral 3 years ago. My father was a Marine. 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. Youve earned it. 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. Im glad Joe was able to help others under such dire circumstances. Joe ( and Gus), Im honored to have met and flown with both of you with FEDEX. Hayden Lockhart was the first Air Force pilot to fall into North Vietnamese hands. And the Officer Effectiveness Report (OER) of the guy leading our flight would be written by the DO. s F-4 Phantoms, paint it with the Squadron 21 and 161's colors and mark the splitter plate with the names of the eight pilots. The intercom was intermittent. I looked for an escape route. . 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. 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. 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. The first thing I looked at was the horizon and I could almost hear the words of The Vanquished as if they were spoken to me. They fixed it. The session finally came to an end after midnight. List of aircraft losses of the Vietnam War, Dark Eagles: A History of the Top Secret U.S. Aircraft (1999). I always get chills reading these stories. Only those who were there truly know! We can never let our politicians forget those lessons. Osprey 2001, No. Its not from the How did you survive? Came upon this remarkable story after seeing it linked to another by a good guy who once gave me dual instruction in sailplanes. Was he making a record that his stupid wingman was messing up the mission? Charles Barbin DeBellevue successfully shot down a North Vietnamese-flown Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 from their McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom II. I confirmed this by dialing in Bravos coordinates and the needle pointed straight ahead. One source reported that the North Vietnamese claimed to have shot down 218 U.S. manned aircraft in air to air combat in Vietnam, of those kills, 85 are not supported by U.S. records, while another 37 were attributed by the U.S. to surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft fire. Lt. Wilson and his family paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Pair of scanning Navy A-6s. Only loss: 51-15565 (432d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing) which crashed in Thailand 28 December 1966, both crewmen survived, Only loss: 63-13102 (5th SOS, 14th SOW) shot down 14 August 1969 near Bien Hoa, killing 1/Lt Roger Brown, Final loss: 600282 (38th ARRS) crashed Cam Ranh Bay 7 August 1969, crew rescued, Last losses: four CH-53s (68-10925, 10926, 10927, 701627, all from, C-1A 146016 (Composite Squadron Five VC-5), operational loss (non-combat) 8 August 1967, 3 passengers and 2 crew rescued, Final loss: C-1A 146054 (Carrier Air Wing 11, USS. 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. Here is how I replied to another anti-war zealot two years ago, 2/17/2017 in the AFJ Comments section: War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. Section leader had one Dud flash by just as we started to Split S from Control Warning. Charge of the Light Brigade. We held a mass intelligence briefing at wing HQ. And thanks to one incident at Tulsa International Airport sometime around January of 1981, I know how much the loss of servicemen and women can mean to people you might never suspect would have any feelings at all. R. Cole rescued, Final loss: 57-0922 (435th TFS, 8th TFW) operational loss due to engine failure on 14 May 1967 in Thailand, pilot name unknown, survived, First loss: 624371 (36th TFS, 6441st TFW) written off from battle damage over Laos 14 August 1964, at Korat, Thailand, Final loss: 610153 (44th TFS, 355th TFW) shot down Laos 23 September 1970, pilot Capt. What could I possibly say to the President of the United States that he hadnt already heard 334 times before? It was less than a minute before I would be on the ground. Jim Hestand the AC of the fateful flight gave the eulogy at Bobbys funeral! But the effort proved futile. At the very least, he had just been knocked out. I flew Phantoms until leaving to fly transports for Flying Tigers and then Federal Express. And all of us should remember them every day because we are we enjoy the freedoms their sacrifice every, single day. 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. D.L. My squadron commander, the pentagon prince and I had an interesting discussion about flight discipline and the military justice system. I remember the 141 unloading POWs Welcome Home Sir. Of those servicepeople, 2,382 were killed while serving aboard UH-1 Iroquois, better known as the ubiquitous "Huey." Not sure which squadron he started with but he ended up assigned to the 366-tfw. Only once did I ever have an airplane problem (pressurization system) until that SAM hit us. The eight-engine bomber was brought down by a North Vietnamese surface-to-air missile. The Navy had it right (mostly) in equipping, training and tailoring tactical air assets. Without any electronic gear onboard to warn us of active SAM sites, there was no way for us to know that at that very moment a Soviet-built SA-2 missile was streaking its way towards our Phantom from directly behind us, Dead 6 oclock, in fighter pilot lingo. 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. I was a F4 mechanic here at DMAFB in Tucson. Pavlovs Dog reaction to his Cmon Back, Chief, I got em spotted. (Im a Sioux Indian, Born on a Dakota Rez.) The bomb release button was now hot! Directional control was by use of nose wheel steering or rudder up to 70 knots, at which airspeed the rudder became effective. At 0600, I awoke to the annoying buzzer of my Telechron alarm clock. I later learned that this controller had served many months in Saigon. I lost all feeling in my arms very rapidly. I will tell the story of Scotty and you and will encourage my son to never forget! It was the darkest moment of an amazing three weeks in Vietnam and I was quite happy to leave that place. Scotty Wilson and I were classmates in Pilot Training at Willie Air Patch, Class 64-C, Raindance and Schatzi. Its guys like you who Ive tried to be like when it became my turn to sit in the left seat. My father was at Danang in 67/68. It must have occurred just before my own chute opened. Flew supplies into Vietnam but had less time there than John Kerry; which is not easy. Sayonara, engines! 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. But there was no SAM. At first it seemed to be right below me. Ill never understand your sacrifice, but want to thank you for it! One of our F-4s was not delivered by maintenance. To you gentlemen; Brett, Tim, Wade, Gordon, Cliff, Neil, Andy and Jerry who responded to the reprint of my 2017 article, Shot Down Over North Vietnam, I thank you for your kind remarks and expressions of patriotism. I was too young for Nam, but spent 20 years in the Navy under the water. Muhammad Mahmood Alam was a Pakistani Air Force jet fighter pilot in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. I did enjoy reading this and I am grateful for men like you. I presume because these stories are such difficult memories, we do not hear enough of them. Despite these difficulties, we began to taxi. All of a sudden, they stood me up. Cliff, I am very sorry for the loss of your Dad. I remember their faces were not contorted with anger or hatred but rather with kind expressions of understanding almost bordering on a smile. Did you know that most of the articles at Air Facts are written by readers like you? J. W. Newhouse rescued, First loss: EF-105F 63-8286 (13th TFS, 388th TFW) shot down by AAA RP-6 July 1966, Maj. Roosevelt Hestle, Final loss: F-105G 63-8359 (Det.1 561st TFS, 388th TFW) shot down by SAM 16 November 1972, RP-3, crew rescued, First loss: mission-related TFR failure, 66-0022 (428th TFS 474th TFW, Project Combat Lancer), 28 March 1968, Maj. H.E. The Communistss claimed 19 B-52s shot down to date. Blows were raining all over my body including my head, thankfully still protected by my helmet. https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/06165124/F-4C-64-0755-480TFS-Da-Nang1000.jpg, https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/06142440/Air-Facts-Logo340.jpg, COPYRIGHT 2011-2023, SPORTSMAN'S MARKET, INC. All Rights Reserved. Knowing you were handled so badly by your bosses has to be a tough thing to take. We would have to fight if not listened to. Overcome with his Ivy League false sense of academic Superiority, he stupidly turned them down, not even a crucial, critical, disastrous war saving meeting. Day after day intel would ask us to listen up for Buick 4, or Chevy 4, or whoever Number 4 who had been shot down while lead worked on getting his Mig. Following the release of all the POWs we met President Nixon at the State Department in May, 1973. 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. Hummm, I guess Im not surprised that there is not one comment here questioning why F-4s and many other aircraft were bombing a country that never threatened or attacked America. At the most fundamental level, we failed to evaluate the reasons why Germany, Korea, Vietnam and others were divided at the end of WWII. 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. 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. Just a wild guess but you just enjoy your freedoms while you let others do the fighting and take the risks. 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! Iwo Jima. Two years ago I walked through the front door of Hoa Lo. Just read this story about your mission over North Vietnam. Thanks for the details of this mission. Scotty yelled, GET OUT! With the OUT still echoing in my ears there was a BOOM!, then the air noise of the jettisoned canopy. Mr. Crecca, There are plenty of other places to rant and vent. The USAF also lost F-4C Phantom 64-0755. Joined up and reported a suspected Truck Park near Finger Lakes since we had avoided calling in to Ask Permission and wait the usual half hour to allow the Russian Radar trainers time to get out courtesy of our GD State Dept. Nose wheel liftoff speed was calculated to be over 170 knots and liftoff at nearly 200 knots or 230 mph! Despite our brief conversation enroute to the tanker about pilots who had ejected from their burning airplanes prematurely (their aircraft flew on for long distances before going out of control) what happened next got my attention. I saw an F-4 fly low into Firebase Bastogne in January 1969 and pickle a few rounds on the guys that were over-running our base. Hed slept in an air-conditioned hut. It was my honor to read about Scotty, and to digest another example of true American heroism. And I mourn their deaths. 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. 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?. Thanks for your service and sacrifice! As it turned out, the two men in the Tulsa F-4 ejected safely. Was the F 14 used in Vietnam? I ask that you honor these costs and sacrifice, as I do. How many f4 were shot down? What? Scotty then said over the radio to the leader, Dogwood 2 has a good inertial. Pilots who have used the AN/ASN-46 nav system (Up to 7 NM per hour error) will know whats going on here. It was -55F at 32,000 feet for over two hours and pressure breathing 100% Oxygen in a summer flight suit. Hap. Thank you for your service! 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. Then with release of the first group of POWs WO1 James Hestand was released! Phew! Ignore that kind, it is useless to argue as they are happy in their own world which they believe will lead to some utopian future paid for by others. It was great to hear your story again. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling that thinks nothing is worth war is much worse. Im an alumnus of the 480th TFS myself ( USAFE, 78-80) and wish you all the best . Outwardly grateful to Jesus Christ above all and to our United States military service members is the way of life I choose to live and pass on to my children. His first pass was- G D- Chief, 200 long. I was way back in trail, tree top, plenty of time to do 2 football fields short. Subconsciously I probably realized I was sitting alone in the back seat of a burning airplane. 4 of the combat losses were parked aircraft. All I was aware of was a short, sharp ringing sound and my white, silk parachute billowing above me. I live on Easy Street. I have the greatest respect and admiration for you and other Vietnam POWs for your courage and what you had to endure. 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,. There were a total a 269 American and enemy aircraft shot down in air-to-air combat over Vietnam during the entire war201 in fights between the U.S. Air Force and North Vietnamese air force and just 68 in the U.S. Navy's air battles with the North Vietnamese. God bless them! Im sorry that you had to suffer so much but you had no business what so for ever being there. 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. . In the solitude of my tiny enclosure, staring unfocused at the floor, I said aloud, Todays the day, thinking this was the last day of my life. Well, at least you tried. A total of 17 four-ship flights were to hit a vast complex of oil and munitions storage and NVN troops. I then drew my .38 caliber service revolver, opened the cylinder, emptied all the ammunition and threw it away. I remember the day we lost a crew in Cambodia. The SA-2 brought down many American pilots over North Vietnam. I believe I heard, or read, that the F-4 itself crashed in a small horse pasture. For the next two hours I ate dust, dirt, rust flakes and rodent droppings as we pounded our way over the worst rutted roads into Hanoi. Despite the excellent sound-sealing qualities of my helmet, their jabbering was extremely loud and intense. For the briefest moment I contemplated that a right 60 degree turn would take me via the shortest route out of NVN. Manacles were locked onto my wrists as well. If you are wondering how this is possible, I will reveal at the outset that it is not possible. Jan 12, 06:12 PM. How many MiGs were shot down in Bolo? But that's exactly what happened to Bill Arcuri when he was forced to bail out of his damaged plane over Vietnam. So glad that you made it back in one piece, and were able to continue flying. Scotty hadnt regained consciousness. Now, the frenzied noise was deafening. In addition to the roof, the toilet was destroyed! Thanks for your story, Joe. According to the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association, a total of 11,846 helicopters were shot down or crashed during the war, resulting in nearly 5,000 American pilots and crew killed. [1], There were about 11,846 U.S helicopters that served in the Vietnam War. Thank you for the heads-up on the article. The lone horse jumped the fence and hadnt been seen. Joe, you are one incredible patriot and hero. There were too many A-holes with rank putting the rest of us at risk up there especially RP VI. Its entirely, entirely because of you guys. 23 NOV 67. 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.. If your anti-Vietnam War feelings are still that strong, I dare you to walk up to a highly-decorated Vietnam combat veteran, preferably a Marine or Soldier and vent your anti-war feelings to him, face-to-face! He said hes sorry I feel that way. At 10,000 ft, the automatic man-seat separation features operated exactly as advertised. We can only hope that the current and subsequent generations will take J.S.
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