I would like to hear from you at some point; [emailprotected].
I am unable to understand why I didnt feel dazed by all of the blows to the head Id received. Top rudder pedal, however, broke us out at about 5 grand. We can never let our politicians forget those lessons. God bless you and may you enjoy a much well deserved retirement. 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. At this moment the twin J-79 afterburners are briefly licking at the runway with two, huge, yellow-orange flames. Bob Hesselbein spent 681 hours flying AH-1 Cobra gunships over Vietnam in 1972. Eric Mills is the author of Chesapeake Bay in the Civil War and Chesapeake Rumrunners of the Roaring Twenties. 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. After that we had our individual flight briefings. One of the most dramatic rescues in the history of aviation occurred on Christmas Eve, 1972, when a downed fighter pilot was rescued by a Navy helicopter crew. Thank you for your sentiments. Our intel chief Major Art Weiner briefed us on all aspects of our mission including weather and defenses. 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. 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. It must have occurred just before my own chute opened. It was great to get back to the sweltering heat, I gotta tell ya. [1], There were about 11,846 U.S helicopters that served in the Vietnam War. In minutes, five aircraft were shot down, with three of the pilots killed all by friendly fire.
And they did so with knives having little concept or knowledge of zippers, snaps or the technical difficulties associated with releasing parachute risers. Thirty-four were shot down, landing either in the South China Sea or in North Vietnamese-held territory. And all of us should remember them every day because we are we enjoy the freedoms their sacrifice every, single day. Citing Primary Sources. Have not seen him since 1962.
You do not have to be Richard Collins or Ernest Gann simply a GA pilot with a story youd share with friends sitting in the hangar. Richard Stephen Steve Ritchie and Weapons System Officer Capt. Phew! Scotty had ejected. Thank you, David. 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 . I lost all feeling in my arms very rapidly. WebI had a wingman shot down, pilot John Shafer says. The NVA never admitted to capturing them! Im sorry that you had to suffer so much but you had no business what so for ever being there. I flew Phantoms until leaving to fly transports for Flying Tigers and then Federal Express. Thank you for your service! It is sad that we lost so much blood and treasure in that endeavor. Despite being a first lieutenant, Scotty Wilson was in my opinion, the best stick in the 480thTactical Fighter Squadron. At the most fundamental level, we failed to evaluate the reasons why Germany, Korea, Vietnam and others were divided at the end of WWII. Joe, thanks for sharing and honoring Scotty.
Hed slept in an air-conditioned hut. Stephen A. Rusch enlisted in the Air Force and later commissioned as an Air Force weapons systems officer flying with an F-4E Phantom squadron during the Vietnam War. Instead, Ill just say thanks, Joe Crecca, and thanks to God for men like you. Joe.
The next thing I knew, I was back on the wooden stool facing my interrogator.
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!! The USN was the only service which had been forced to learn power projection as the fundamental war-fighting technique. There will always be those who dont get it. All these thoughts, survival instincts and USAF training synthesized into one, crystal clear and powerful inspiration. Theinterviews are a supplement to Alvarez's book Chained Eagle. Scotty Wilson and I were classmates in Pilot Training at Willie Air Patch, Class 64-C, Raindance and Schatzi. I turned that down, and promptly got drafted into the USArmy 31 days later! 1850 Joe, you are one incredible patriot and hero. Welcome home. Final loss: A84-228 shot down by two SA-2 SAM missiles on 14 March 1971; Wing Commander F. J. L. Downing and Flight Lieutenant A.J. The control stick was lazily wandering left and right; the throttles were all the way forward in the full afterburner position but there was no thrust coming from the J-79s. I remember the days when my dad flew Young Tiger over there. More aircraft would be shot down and pilots killed or captured.
As lieutenants in our respective services, we knew only that something was wrong. 1:14. November 22, 1966, was selected as the day a massive air strike would be launched against the first of two high-priority targets in North Vietnam (NVN). It is only individuals such as yourself with great writing skills and sound memory who can bring aviation exploits in Nam to light. 1F-4C-1, Change 1, page 2-20) before reaching 30 knots below calculated nose wheel liftoff speed. As for Mr. Fearn, Politics aside, we probably did back the wrong side. Actually, it being a slow weekend day, I was on a break and eating breakfast with a few other controllers at a restaurant not far from the airport when Perky01 or 02 reported that they were going to have to bail out. 0000008043 00000 n 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. Manuscript/Mixed Material. Not sure which squadron he started with but he ended up assigned to the 366-tfw. As to the hollow, mean-spirited comment immediately preceding, the Bible admonishes that one not answer a fool according to his folly. So I wont. GlobalSecurity, South Viet Nam Air Force VNAF Aircraft Deliveries. He was a captain then. Thank you for your bravery and endurance. 1973 Lt Commander Phillip A Kientzler Last Pilot Shot Down Vietnam Wirephoto 7X9. The names of the eight women who died in Vietnam are included on the list of over 58,000 names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. WebThe U.S. Your comments and wisdom are much appreciated. Lt. Wilson and his family paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country. 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! They were taken to a hospital to be evaluated, but they lived.
0000002495 00000 n Just to the right of Scottys lifeless figure was the light-brown and white cloud characteristic of an SA-2 detonation! Now I know a little bit more about what he did. %PDF-1.2 % 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. Sections. And after Scotty started the engines, the aerial refueling receptacle would only operate some of the time. 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. I have the greatest respect and admiration for you and other Vietnam POWs for your courage and what you had to endure. 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. The Republic of Vietnam lost 1,018 aircraft and helicopters from January 1964 to September 1973. 0000003958 00000 n 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 pain was unbearable except that I had to bear it whether I wanted to or not. All this took no more than one second. I hope the AFJ editor will exercise more discretion in the future. Do you know how good a F4 sounds from the darn dirt ?!? I cannot express my admiration for you and others who went thru what you did. 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. Only loss: 606058, destroyed on the ground during a VC attack on Tan Son Nhut, SVN on 14 June 1968. 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. 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. 0000003167 00000 n 0000002900 00000 n For guidance about compiling full citations consult Sharing your story forward. Just recently back from the Academy F-4 Phantom ceremony. A SAM damn near got me and another my section leader. Thanks for telling our story Joe. Following the release of all the POWs we met President Nixon at the State Department in May, 1973. 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. 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. Joe, I have reflected a great deal on how unprepared politically and militarily the US was for the asymetrical brush fire we stumbled into. 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. WebHow many helicopters were shot down in Vietnam? Toby Huss Spook Pat Healy Norman GQ Farkas (as Gregory J. Qaiyum) James Aaron Oliver Jet Pilot (as James Oliver) Brad Carr U.S. Navy Pilot Saichia Wongwiroj Pathet Lao Guard Franois Chau Province Governor (as Francois Chau) Teerawat Mulvilai Little Hitler (as Teerawat 'Ka-Ge' Mulvilai) Yuttana Muenwaja Crazy Horse Kriangsak Ming-olo Jumbo 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. WebAfter 52 years, the remains of Air Force pilot Col. Roy Knight Jr., who was shot down in 1967 during the Vietnam War, have finally come home. 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. He said hes sorry I feel that way. In exchange, USAF F We strive for accuracy and fairness. 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. WebOver Vietnam, F-100 pilots flew fast and low. But survival instincts and thorough ejection training were running the show.
And I also thank you for taking the time to write down your harrowing and amazing experience in war. 1:00. Then came the shock. These were probably the local militia. I flew Marine Corps F-4s out of Da Nang and Nam Pong, Thailand in 1972; unfortunately not much had changed in six years. Joe Crecca would spend more than six years in various prison camps. Remembering the First U.S. I will be reading your story to my young ones tonight.
Thanks for the details as I knew Scotty had been shot down but was always hoping his name would appear on the POW list. 0000003338 00000 n Re-reading the bulk of the comments to my article was a pleasurable and uplifting experience. So why were we going in anyway? But like any other aircraft, helicopters were vulnerable to ground fire. Thank you, Joe. 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. 4326. Glad you made it back. Non-subscribers can read five free Naval History articles per month. 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. 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. The process of lifting the American air pirate and dropping him (me) face first onto the floor went on for over an hour. WebShot Down During Vietnam: A Fighter Pilot's Story History.com Editors TV-14 2:42 In 1966, an American fighter pilot took off from the USS Enterprise near the coast of Vietnam, only 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. See also Is Tibetan same as Chinese? By 1973, when we were released, theyd given us enough to eat so that I was back up to 155. 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. Phew II! To read more about the Naval Institute Oral History Program, click here. But with no guarantee to get the slot you wanted you made the right choice to bail out. In Novosels two tours in Vietnam, he flew 2,543 extraction missions, rescuing over 5,500 seriously wounded soldiers. It was great to see you as our paths crossed as we travel the world. Any man can do no more for his country than agree to place himself in harms way. Barney. The video sequence here is great. We held a mass intelligence briefing at wing HQ. Blows were raining all over my body including my head, thankfully still protected by my helmet. Manacles were locked onto my wrists as well. Joe I want to start by thanking you profusely for attending and speaking at my brother Johns funeral 3 years ago. 0000003813 00000 n My gratitude to those of you who gave so much. 0000002268 00000 n
While in that spin both of us, the RIO were reaching for the eject handle but couldnt move our arms. There are plenty of other places to rant and vent. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate.
That may be the biggest benefit from Viet Nam, a conflict which many would say yielded very few benefits, as you suggest. One of our F-4s was not delivered by maintenance. Sorry you couldnt be there. Mr. Crecca Thank you for your courageous service in the Phabulous Phighter (F-4) and your extraordinary service as a POW. We did not know if anyone survived! Wonderful story. First loss: EC-121R 67-24193 (554th Reconnaissance Squadron, 553d RW) crashed 25 April 1969 on take-off in a thunderstorm from. CDR Alvarez discusses his time as a POW during the Vietnam War. USAF/ Air National Guard (Retired). The blade began moving back and forth. This content was created by a Daily Kos Community member. Well written as you brought each of us along with you in the cockpit as your descriptives of that entire mission were intense. Just as we were positioning ourselves for the right-hand turn at Bravo, the lead aircraft unexpectedly turned to the left. 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.
Jim Hestand the AC of the fateful flight gave the eulogy at Bobbys funeral! 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.. Theyd blow up on the runway. God Bless America and her brave warriors! And he advanced to positions of leadership, in due course leading the entire 31st Fighter Group deep into enemy territory. From the refueling track exit over northern Thailand, our route took us over northern Laos and into North Vietnam. 0000004033 00000 n
Crash Location: Near Ap Bac, Chau Doc Province, South Vietnam. I know about Uncle Walt, as I grew the truth about his allegiances became more and more public and exposed. The explosion was ear-splitting and seemed to go on and on. [5], Claimed by VPAF: 154 MiG aircraft lost through all causes, including 131 in air combat (includes 63 MiG-17s, 8 MiG-19s and 60 MiG-21s)[21][22]. 8081, Air War Vietnam Plans and Operations 19691975. You should be ashamed of yourself! I yelled on the intercom, Deep six check! His articles have appeared in Naval History, Proceedings, Chesapeake Bay Magazine, and other publications. for my family and I, is absolutely heartfelt and sincere. Suddenly, I was lifted from the floor. They were in absolute frenzy. 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. Free shipping for many products! I grew up with Thomas Guenther from Mass who also piloted an F-4 in RVN and NVN. Surprisingly, a young couple bandaged my head wounds. . I didnt know the Marine who was killed as he lit a cigarette on Iwo Jima any more than I knew Scotty Wilson, and yet, thanks to that brief story by my father, and thanks to a longer and more detailed story by Joe Crecca, I feel I do know these servicemen. He did this all without missing a beat. You willingly took huge risks, knowing that that mission could be your last. They were deeply felt. Subconsciously I probably realized I was sitting alone in the back seat of a burning airplane. 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. A sub-standard OER means you dont get promoted on time. Just a wild guess but you just enjoy your freedoms while you let others do the fighting and take the risks. 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. Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Blassie was once known as the Vietnam War Unknown Soldier. In the oral history, Alvarez discussed the lack of preparation at that time for rescuing shot-down airmen; injuries sustained in ejection; the makeshift nature of the early captivity; varying attitudes of different guards; initial period of solitary confinement; the Code of Conduct; his belief that visits by American protesters such as Ramsay Clark and Jane Fonda kept the war going; the value of prayer; propaganda and punishment meted out by the enemy; interrogation details; communication with his wife until he learned she had divorced him; the limited food and medical treatment available; ways in which political events affected the treatment of prisoners; gradual improvement of conditions in the early 1970s; opportunities for sports and exercise; interaction among prisoners; the effect of U.S. B-52 raids on North Vietnam; and eventual release and delivery to the Philippines in early 1973. You have no skin in the game of life and freedom, do you! Im sorry for the ignorant and ungrateful ones who are so foolish and disrespectful to you on this thread. I dont know if they ever found the horse. There are 58,267 names on The Wall in our nations capital and thats why you are free to voice your misguided opinion, Mr. Walker. Presidio Press. Fritz came in with the rest of his nape and sent a SAM across the tree line like a horizontal Roman candle. Great job! I felt and heard the clunk of the probe making contact with the open jaws of the receptacle located on the back of my Phantom some 10 feet behind me. Others had knives and were, to my complete surprise, cutting the clothing and equipment from my body. As a 110 F4 combat mission Vet, Id like to know. Dulles International Needs a name change. A few of the men wore shoddy uniforms and were armed with old-looking, bolt-action rifles. 
The result of the egotistical attitude by the DO and the lack of courage and sound judgement by our flight leader cost Scotty Wilson his life, put me in communist prisons for over six years, resulted in my fathers untimely death at the age of 58 and a host of other horrors back home while I was away. My father (deceased) served in the Army in Korea and my son served as an Army Combat Medic deployed to Afghanistan. Web100 yards commercial plot in dha karachi. And Ill salute only with that nickname fondly given him by my children, our Elder Eagle, who flew Linebacker BUFFS, along with numerous other often difficult taskings, during his 28 years in USAF. names of pilots shot down in vietnam. I replied that I still had a positive lock to a radio nav-aid and if he could get us through the clouds I could get us to the target.
Our birds were the E series and had the internal 20 MM and made good Mig.CAP birds. So glad that you made it back in one piece, and were able to continue flying. Kos Media, LLC. 0000014635 00000 n First of all, we only had three airplanes. It was then that I could see a shapeless, black mass on the ground. Summer-67- Lost an engine to one but miraculously survived blast suffocation and stupidly re-started the J-79 after safely- feet wet.
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Vietnam, he flew 2,543 extraction missions, rescuing over 5,500 seriously wounded soldiers exercise more discretion the... For the ignorant and ungrateful ones who are so foolish and disrespectful to you on thread...Just read this story about your mission over North Vietnam. On April 30th 1970, U.S. Navy pilot Lt. Robert D. Lawrence, Jr. was shot down over North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. May God comfort those families who still wait and wonder.]. But the effort proved futile. 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. Naval Institute Oral History Collection includes the memoirs of several Vietnam War POWsincluding that of Commander Everett Alvarez Jr., USN (Ret.
I then drew my .38 caliber service revolver, opened the cylinder, emptied all the ammunition and threw it away. This room was known, unaffectionately, by all who suffered there as the room with the green, bumpy walls. Seated on a small, wooden stool, the interrogation began in the usual way with, Name, rank, serial number and date of birth. When I refused to reply to any further questions except by repeating my name, rank, serial number and date of birth, my interrogating officer, in a most sinister way, and in a very convincing manner said, Crecca, you will die in Vietnam. In a matter of minutes I was bound with ropes. carrot and raisin juice for kidney stones; highway 20 oregon accident today; During an attack on the Thai Nguyen Steel Mill, the single most heavily-defended target in North Vietnam, Captain Brestel engaged and shot down two enemy MiG-17 fighters. I was in the tower in Saigon and F-4s would come pouring in. I did enjoy reading this and I am grateful for men like you. Youre the best and always will be with me when I go flying. "They were being killed or captured."
Sign up for our free email newsletter, packed with tips, tricks and news for pilots. January 19, 2023 By mas holdings annual report 2020 pdf By mas holdings annual report 2020 pdf WebHelicopter Pilots Who Died in the Vietnam War . Scotty yelled, GET OUT! With the OUT still echoing in my ears there was a BOOM!, then the air noise of the jettisoned canopy. 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 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. They went down in the jungle, and both [members of the crew] survived. ), Ways to get involved in the upcoming elections. 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 was asked the same questions over and over in an attempt to trip me up. names of pilots shot down in vietnam. As I learned about him, I remember more of him lecturing rather than delivering the news. Army The most heavily used record group is: RG 472 United States Forces in Southeast Asia, 1950-1975 Additional records relating to the U.S. Army in Vietnam may be found in: RG 112 Office of the Surgeon General RG 319 Army Staff RG 334 Records of Interservice Agencies RG 335 Office of the Secretary of the Army When Nixon ended the draft in early 73, having not yet been required to sign on the dotted line, I marched into the ROTC office, turned in my uniform, and that was it: my military obligation was over. God Bless You for your service. Although I was only a few thousand feet away, I hadnt been able to hear the explosion.
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. barbecue festival 2022; olivia clare friedman net worth. I learned Russian and some higher math. Websbs river cottage australia recipes. I hope to be delighted with more of your anecdotes. Thank you for your service Joe.