Well, at least you tried. Upon arrival at the Hoa Lo prison, I was placed in a dimly-lit room with light green, uneven walls. Joe, you are one incredible patriot and hero. I know exactly how you feel about combat decisions driven by hubris. We were only two minutes from the target, descending through 14,000 ft. at a speed of 540 knots or about 650 miles per hour. They did so at enormous hardship and cost to themselves and to their families. Both Aircrew members were Killed In-Action, Last VAL-4 loss: 155461 crashed on 9 February 1972. Had it not been for President Nixon and the sheer courage of the B-52 and tactical aircrews, the POWs would never have returned. We lost him in 2012. 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. There, I waited for about five hours, during which time it seemed that everyone in the village, save the oldest and youngest, came to visit the new arrival. Im glad Joe was able to help others under such dire circumstances. Again- Bless you & Scotty! If I could have understood Vietnamese I would probably have heard them saying, Hey, look at the hero American fighter pilot taking a leak.. I looked for an escape route. me 500s. Your reaction to my article bears the stamps of liberalist tradition unhampered by progress, reveals a lack of understanding of politics on the world stage and shows complete disrespect for the sacrifices made by all Vietnam combat veterans. Our flight should never have been going into the target. I met and liked John Dremesi whose experience was the same as yours. Thank you President Nixon for my life and my freedom. 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. 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. Of all those shot-down pilots, the experience apparently only made one uniquely qualified to be President. Two years ago I walked through the front door of Hoa Lo. Our detachment was working on WWll vintage C-47s, but we got to observe AC-130 gunships and the F-4 unit known as Wolf-Pack in action. I am proud of you Joe and Scotty for your service and to be part of a community which recognises and should be proud of your example. Sorry about your Dad. AIRCRAFT SHOT DOWN DURING THE VIETNAM WAR BY USN/USMC PILOTS. 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. There are plenty of other places to rant and vent. It was the determination of President Richard M. Nixon to mount Operation Linebacker II, sending B-52s to attack the capital city of Hanoi and the port city of Haiphong, forcing the communists back to the peace conference in Paris that resulted in the end of the Vietnam War and the release of the prisoners-of-war. He summed up his experience in Vietnam as It was f****d. You guys are the best we have. Fogleman became the only Super Sabre pilot ever rescued by riding out on a Cobra helicopter. The four-foot stabilizing chute was severed, my lap belt was opened and the butt snapper straps straightened, booting me out of the seat while simultaneously pulling the ripcord that would deploy my parachute. 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. My father was at Danang in 67/68. Joe- God Bless you & Scotty and all others that served like ya`ll ! First loss: Canberra A84-231 disappeared on 3 November 1970 on a night bombing mission in the northern 1st Corps Tactical Zone region of. 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. 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. I was an Air Traffic Controller at the Tulsa TRACON (tower and radar approach control) in January of 1981 when one of the check flights did not end well. First of all, we only had three airplanes. The pilot Lieutenant Commander John S. McCain III, successfully ejected and was made Prisoner of War. Just a wild guess but you just enjoy your freedoms while you let others do the fighting and take the risks. There will always be those who dont get it. [I was USAF SAC (enlisted) 62-66. After liftoff, caution must be exercised to avoid over-rotation. Ill never understand your sacrifice, but want to thank you for it! 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. Looking down toward my feet, I could see dozens of hands. I dont know that back in 1973 I was all that appreciative of the Scotty Wilsons, or even the cigarette-smoking Iwo Jima Marines, but as Ive grown and aged during the past 47 years, I cant help but feel enormous gratitude, and sorrow, for those men and women who, but for the grace of God and President Nixon, went where I didnt. 9 of the losses were parked aircraft struck by rockets. b fearnits people like you ( and others who fled to Canada) who make those of us who answered the call sick to our stomachs! With the helmet strap no longer in existence, my helmet flew off like a slingshot. With both my palms up and a telling expression on my face, Don Ward knew that was the end of the conversation. Among fixed-wing aircraft, more F-4 Phantoms were lost than any other type in service with any nation. 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. Lt Cmdr Frederick P Crosby had been deployed on the Bon Homme Richard, an Essex-class aircraft carrier stationed off the Vietnam coast His planed crashed in 1965 in front of Pham Van Truong's. First loss: EC-121R 67-24193 (554th Reconnaissance Squadron, 553d RW) crashed 25 April 1969 on take-off in a thunderstorm from. I ask that you honor these costs and sacrifice, as I do. But with no guarantee to get the slot you wanted you made the right choice to bail out. 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. And all of us should remember them every day because we are we enjoy the freedoms their sacrifice every, single day. 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! How many F 105s shot down in Vietnam? Sign up for our free email newsletter, packed with tips, tricks and news for pilots. YGBSM!. Directional control was by use of nose wheel steering or rudder up to 70 knots, at which airspeed the rudder became effective. Got this forwarded in late 2017. The spot where I landed was probably a potato patch. 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,. My hats off to those who served. Scotty was probably hit by shrapnel from the missile. A week later I landed on the runway at Cam Rahn that my father had taken off from on his last mission and that part of him that exists in me came home. This farmer pilot is Nguyn Vn By who died on Sept. 21, 2019 at the age of 83. Your story sheds much light on what his experiences must have been like. At first it seemed to be right below me. It is awful that people make bad decisions for selfish reasons. 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. Instead, Ill just say thanks, Joe Crecca, and thanks to God for men like you. its from the How did you manage to climb aboard your jet and competently do your job in the face of what you already knew? I knew none of this before he died. In burner, diving out of 20, didnt take long to head toward So China Sea. Thank you for your bravery and endurance. 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! Several of our birds went to Nam. 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!! My ungraceful arrival didnt raise much dust. You certainly are my Hero! 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. 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. I flew Marine Corps F-4s out of Da Nang and Nam Pong, Thailand in 1972; unfortunately not much had changed in six years. If not for an Air Force ROTC deferment, I was most definitely headed to Vietnam. After each plane was completed, two pilots (Call signs Perky01 and Perky02) would take the plane up for a check flight. Thank you Mr. Meadows, And we who flew the mighty Phantoms were in your debt,too. It must have occurred just before my own chute opened. They were all well received. SMS D.R. 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. Dickens rescued) It is only individuals such as yourself with great writing skills and sound memory who can bring aviation exploits in Nam to light. Black Hills just changed So. Scotty then took control of the airplane as we proceeded to follow our leader along the preplanned route. Well b fearn, you have a right to make your comment and your opinion, but I do not believe this is the time or place. The Air Force lost 1737, the Navy 530, the Marine Corps 463 and the Army lost 302 (fixed wing). [9][10]:268. Instead, dummy missiles had been placed at the site as a "flak trap.". A total of 17 four-ship flights were to hit a vast complex of oil and munitions storage and NVN troops. Of those servicepeople, 2,382 were killed while serving aboard UH-1 Iroquois, better known as the ubiquitous "Huey." Contents [ hide] Much aviation has occurred in the context of military service. Number two is getting the shit shot out of him screaming on 272.7 and too late lead lights ABs as #2 blows up. 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] ). 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.
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