Had three square meals a day. The icing on the cake came when he admitted to the controller that he did not know his position, because his tacan was spooling; he didnt realize we were out of tacan range. It was late November, the temperature was 40F, and all I had on were my underwear. Phew II! And the Officer Effectiveness Report (OER) of the guy leading our flight would be written by the DO. u-6 losses need added all are army fixed wing aircraft, 5,195+ (which include not in addition to the above statistics)[2], North Vietnam captured 877 South Vietnamese aircraft at war's end. Takeoff in a heavily-loaded Phantom requires some explanation. I remember their faces were not contorted with anger or hatred but rather with kind expressions of understanding almost bordering on a smile. There were no J-79s! The clouds were reported to be at 10,000 ft. 29. pp. Sayonara, engines! 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. God-Speed to our brothers in arms, where ever they may be! A Shau Valley. They were taken to a hospital to be evaluated, but they lived. Instead, Ill just say thanks, Joe Crecca, and thanks to God for men like you. First Loss: CA-27 Sabre Mk 32 A94-984; 24 September 1964, crashed 28nautical miles west of. I hereby repeat all the usual thank yous, perhaps perfunctorily but with no less feeling. Ritchie's #463 with drag chute open Phantom F-4Ds flying over Vietnam General Characteristics Crew: 2 Length: 63 ft 0 in (19.2 m) Wingspan: 38 ft 4.5 in (11.7 m) Height: 16 ft 6 in (5.0 m) Wing area: 530.0 ft (49.2 m) Airfoil: NACA 0006.4-64 root, NACA 0003-64 tip Empty weight: 30,328 lb (13,757 kg) Loaded weight: 41,500 lb (18,825 kg) 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. I will be forever grateful to all who flew and supported LBII and to President Richard M. Nixon for having the fortitude to send the mighty BUFFs north. The White House approved a retaliatory air strike, but by the time it got there, the SAM batteries were long gone. Id pulled the lower ejection handle and was away from my burning Phantom. Scotty had ejected. I looked around me to see hundreds of people, mostly villagers, including old folks and children. Crash Location: Into Sea off southwest coast of Vietnam near Rach Gia and Ca Mau. I was too busy inside the cockpit to see it happen but the other two Phantoms banked away sharply to assume the proper lateral spacing. Thanks for telling our story Joe. Both Fire and Overheat lights were illuminated and all the amber and red indicators on the telelight panel by Scottys right knee were lit. I remember the 141 unloading POWs Welcome Home Sir. So Scotty did the same check with a roll to the right with the same result. Fighting against such a cruel political regime didnt seem that bad an idea after all, did it? Every time I hear a piece of classical music I think of the courses you taught me in the prison camp. Black Hills just changed So. It was people! Phew III! All we wanted to do was tell him we wanted the French out! Yep. Just a wild guess but you just enjoy your freedoms while you let others do the fighting and take the risks. I could feel them loop a rope around my neck, then attach the rope to my wrists and again, in similar fashion, to my ankles. Lt. Wilson and his family paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Before I could muse over any more unhappy endings, I was dropped onto the floor. I still know where the CB is. Final loss: EC-47Q 43-48636 (361st Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron, 56th SOW) shot down in Laos on the night of 04/5 45 February 1973, killing all 8 crewmen. First of all, we only had three airplanes. You should be ashamed of yourself! At 0600, I awoke to the annoying buzzer of my Telechron alarm clock. Just read this story about your mission over North Vietnam. Site content may be used for any purpose without explicit permission unless otherwise specified. Great job! Vietnam will eventually strive throughout S.E. Thanks for your service, Sir. Sorry about your Dad. Yeh, the F-4s wings dont come off even from a SAM induced Spin. The pilot Lieutenant Commander John S. McCain III, successfully ejected and was made Prisoner of War. I would spend the next six years and three months in five different prison camps around the city and countryside in North Vietnam; the farthest very near to the Chinese border. My father was lost in 64-0771 out of Cam Rahn 9/3/66. He was the last fighter pilot to become an ace in a day, shooting down five Indian Hawker . 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). The aircraft banked sharply to the left, then to the right. Reeder is being held behind the middle window. 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. I thank you for what you did for us all, and I know it cost you. The NVA never admitted to capturing them! 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!! 2,197 of the losses were fixed-wing, and the remainder rotary-wing. As I learned about him, I remember more of him lecturing rather than delivering the news. As I descended lower and lower, I realized that by the time I reached the surface Id still be a long way from even the base of the higher ground. The USAF sustained approximately 0.4 losses per 1,000 sorties during the conflict, which compared favorably with a 2.0 rate in Korea and a 9.7 figure during World War II. I know exactly how you feel about combat decisions driven by hubris. The Army and USAF spent enormous efforts preparing to fight WWII over again in Europe (this time with nukes). Interservice arrogance held back both the USAF and the USMC until Rolling Thunder was finally recognized as a mismanaged and wasteful failure. 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. I just received some additional email comments on my article and browsed through the older ones and saw yours. 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. I had a great respect for the men who put their lives on the line every day, not knowing if they would make it back to Ubon that evening. Names. 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. My brother got spit on when he landed in Atlanta on his way home. The eight-engine bomber was brought down by a North Vietnamese surface-to-air missile. This page was last edited on 13 January 2023, at 11:53. 1F-4C-1, Change 1, page 2-20) before reaching 30 knots below calculated nose wheel liftoff speed. Section leader had one Dud flash by just as we started to Split S from Control Warning. 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. Its entirely, entirely because of you guys. Well written as you brought each of us along with you in the cockpit as your descriptives of that entire mission were intense. I will tell the story of Scotty and you and will encourage my son to never forget! 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. The Communistss claimed 19 B-52s shot down to date. via Vietnamese News Agency Photo via Bert Hester, www.preservingourhistory.com By Rebecca Grant AIR FORCE Magazine / February 2013 75 Fogleman became the only Super Sabre pilot ever rescued by riding out on a Cobra helicopter. 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. 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. And Mr. Crecca, again, I thank you. The pilot Lieutenant J. M. Krommenhoek is Missing in Action. During this relatively minor ordeal, I asked permission of my guard, using sign language, for permission to relieve my bladder. Subconsciously I probably realized I was sitting alone in the back seat of a burning airplane. The explosion was ear-splitting and seemed to go on and on. The flight call sign was Dogwood and we were number 2. 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. Thanks for the story, Joe. Well, at least you tried. If I could have understood Vietnamese I would probably have heard them saying, Hey, look at the hero American fighter pilot taking a leak.. Maximum allowable gross takeoff weight in an F-4C was 58,000 lbs. Then came the shock. 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?. God Bless You for your service. [9][10]:268. Were there any female prisoners of war in Vietnam? Sad to hear that your Dad didnt tell you much about his missions. Thanks, again, for your story many more years of good health & happiness to you. 2013. A C-47 was the very first USAF aircraft lost in the SEA conflict, C-47B 44-76330 (315th Air Division) on TDY at. The tale I heard was that at the time the 480th TFS shot down our 4th & 5th MiG-21s only eight of them had been bagged by anyone else anywhere. Our trip to Corregidor and visit to the USS Houston are two of my greatest memories. Theyd blow up in midair, before they ever got to the runway. Of those servicepeople, 2,382 were killed while serving aboard UH-1 Iroquois, better known as the ubiquitous "Huey." At this moment the twin J-79 afterburners are briefly licking at the runway with two, huge, yellow-orange flames. 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. 3 Enclosures included: COMUSMACV MSG DTD 050023Z and Evaluations. You also draw a conclusion that isnt at all clear-cut, which is why no one else has commented on it. I last read he is in the state of Washington. I will be reading your story to my young ones tonight. Manacles were locked onto my wrists as well. And after Scotty started the engines, the aerial refueling receptacle would only operate some of the time. 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. . Because the Director of Operations (DO) was leading a flight-of-four on MiG Cap hoping to shoot down a MiG. R.I.P Scotty. Permission was granted and I promptly made a big hit with the youngsters in attendance. God Bless America; God Bless the USAF; God Bless the Pilots and God Bless the POWs! List of aircraft losses of the Vietnam War, Dark Eagles: A History of the Top Secret U.S. Aircraft (1999). Binh Duong Province. Phew! Reading yours was dismal, doom and gloom. Rescued Misty Pilots . Those bumps on the walls, in retrospect, were a poor mans acoustic treatment for trying to muffle the screams of Americans being tortured there. Ill never understand your sacrifice, but want to thank you for it! Just recently back from the Academy F-4 Phantom ceremony. I was a classmate with him in 64-C but the other flight. 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. You were a great morale boost when we needed it the most. Now I know a little bit more about what he did. But that didnt keep the Triple Nickel (555th TFS) from calling themselves the Largest distributors of MiG parts in Southeast Asia. Not as of 05NOV66 they werent. Even Yale plans to re-name from a Slavery advocate. Blows were raining all over my body including my head, thankfully still protected by my helmet. John McCain JohnMcCain Share this article 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. They were all well received. North Vietnam, pre-1975: Killing of Two American Pilots Shot Down Over North Vietnam IIR Casualty files | William A. Ott. Thank you for your sentiments. At 9,000 ft., I began trying to maneuver my parachute towards the southern tip of the Tam Dao Mountain range better known as Thud Ridge by the F-105 Thunderchief drivers. Scotty Wilson had a beautiful wife and daughter whose lives were torn asunder as well. Get it? However, when your country calls, you have two choices, in 1965 you went, in 1969 you didnt. We had been taught to respect and trust the higher-ups that won WWII, Little could we conceive that the USMC and the USAF began the conflict with almost total ignorance of what was required for this exercise in power projection. Our own Phantom was suffering from a variety of ills. The MiG-21 N. 4324 of the Vietnam People's Air Force. 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. On their MiG-killing mission of Jun. The lone horse jumped the fence and hadnt been seen. North Vietnam lost 150 170 aircraft and helicopters. But I promise if youll just give me another one, Ill take much better care of it. He squeezed my hand so hard I thought he was going to break all the bones in it as he said with great gusto, I want you in one!, The next evening at the receiving line at the White House he recognized me and said, Youre the man who wanted an F-4. I said I was and he said, Youve got it!. I was sad to read about poor decisions based on ego costing lives, I know how true that is. As it turned out, the two men in the Tulsa F-4 ejected safely. At 2,500 ft. On Oct. 26, McCain would fly his 23rd run over North Vietnam, joining a 20-plane mission to bomb a power plant in the capital city of Hanoi, which had been off-limits to U.S. attacks . I was a F4 mechanic here at DMAFB in Tucson. He did what he had to do, did what he was asked to do by his country. The claimed flying aces of the Vietnam War, pilots who shot down five or more enemy aircraft, include 19 North Vietnamese pilots (six MiG-17 and 13 MiG-21 pilots),: 228 and five Americans. Scotty yelled, GET OUT! With the OUT still echoing in my ears there was a BOOM!, then the air noise of the jettisoned canopy. By The Associated Press. In closing, I assert that Joe did not have the option you recommend. When all the politics are done when hostilities have ceased those who represented their country should be honoured. The bomb release button was now hot! I hope to be delighted with more of your anecdotes. The Republic of Vietnam lost 1,018 aircraft and helicopters from January 1964 to September 1973. God Bless you F-4 drivers! I admit now that, with the forebodings Id had earlier, I seriously thought about pulling the aerial refueling receptacle circuit breaker so it would not open, causing us to have to abort. I wish I could have expressed my thanks to your Elder Eagle for successfully completing his mission to spring me out of jail. Compare these massive figures to the six million Jewish folks who perished in the WWII Holocaust. There will always be those who dont get it. I confirmed this by dialing in Bravos coordinates and the needle pointed straight ahead. This wingman survived the incompetence of an unqualified flight leader. | site designed by. 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.
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