WebDuring the Vietnam War, the USAF lost a total of 528 F-4s (of all types) to enemy action with the majority being down by anti-aircraft fire or surface-to-air missiles. Our trip to Corregidor and visit to the USS Houston are two of my greatest memories. U.S. Marine Corps aircraft lost in combat included 193 fixed-wing and 270 rotary-wing aircraft. By the time of the American involvement in Southeast Asia communism, by moderate estimates, around the globe had murdered 110 million people! May God continue to bless you, Joe. 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. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Final loss: C-130E 72-1297 (314th TAW) destroyed by rocket fire at Tan Son Nhut AB on 28 April 1975. Manuscript/Mixed Material. 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?. Later, they hit the heights. barbecue festival 2022; olivia clare friedman net worth. 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. 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. So Scotty did the same check with a roll to the right with the same result. He didnt understand that we were mixed in a huge gaggle competing for time on target, lugging 10 X 500# bombs, 400 miles from base, with marginal weather, fuel hungry, not in sight with each other? A well? The SA-2 brought down many American pilots over North Vietnam. WebOn August 28, 1972, US Air Force Capt. 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. 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. Hap. Begin your search of the metadata records using the search bar at the top of the page. I reported I wasnt sure which (if any) was his. Served in SAC during early fifties and proud of our commander. Permission was granted and I promptly made a big hit with the youngsters in attendance. In fact, there is no way you may be honored equal to what you gave. Well written as you brought each of us along with you in the cockpit as your descriptives of that entire mission were intense. Contact, followed by, Youre taking fuel, announced the boomer. Asia. My hats off to those who served. I met and liked John Dremesi whose experience was the same as yours. I will tell the story of Scotty and you and will encourage my son to never forget! Articles with the HISTORY.com Editors byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan and Matt Mullen. 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. Thanks for your service and sacrifice! CDR Alvarez discusses his time as a POW during the Vietnam War. Mr. Crecca Thank you for your courageous service in the Phabulous Phighter (F-4) and your extraordinary service as a POW. In July 1964, Lt. Col. Lee Nan-ping's U-2 was shot down by a PLA SA-2 missile over Chenghai, China. [4] 877 Republic of Vietnam aircraft were captured at war's end (1975)[5] Of the 2750[6] aircraft and helicopters received by South Vietnam, only about 308 survived (240 flew to Thailand or US warships[7] and 68 returned to the United States[8]). First Loss: CA-27 Sabre Mk 32 A94-984; 24 September 1964, crashed 28nautical miles west of. Was he making a record that his stupid wingman was messing up the mission? 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. From the back seat, I accomplished the fuel on-load at an altitude of 25,000 ft. having to use minimum afterburner on the left engine to stay in position due to the heavy load. I am most grateful for the hero status conferred upon me by the predominance of commenters. I believe I heard, or read, that the F-4 itself crashed in a small horse pasture. Just recently back from the Academy F-4 Phantom ceremony. I served, served proudly, and shelter no regrets. Your writing is superb and I wonder if you have considered writing a book about your experience in the USAF. Then with release of the first group of POWs WO1 James Hestand was released! Final loss: C-7B 62-12584 (483d TAW) which crashed in SVN on 13 January 1971, all 4 crewmen survived. After I was stabilized, the boomer cleared me into the contact position. To those who try to insert politics, I agree that it is in extremely poor taste to try to make this such a venue. Scotty preflighted the weapons: six-M117, 750 lb. 17 What happened to the nurses on Bataan? By now it has been a long while since the conflict in Viet Nam. I am also an Airforce veteran. What? Like the Flat-Earthers who still dont believe we landed on the Moon. The upper estimate puts it at nearly 260 million! May God continue to bless you. 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. Thank you again Sir and God bless. To read more about the Naval Institute Oral History Program, click here. 64 to 69. mansfield town player drink driving police interceptor; miniature horses for sale in california; hq dumpsters holiday schedule 2022 Fritz came in with the rest of his nape and sent a SAM across the tree line like a horizontal Roman candle. 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.. At the 480th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Danang AB, RVN, four two-man crews were hand-picked to deliver the lethal ordnance onto both targets selected by the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). 0000003011 00000 n 0000003871 00000 n 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. Ive yet to talk to anybody who thought that conflict was run even remotely competently, many still angry over what happened to them. Since the Vietnam war, no American pilot has successfully shot down five enemy planes to earn the title. Not sure which squadron he started with but he ended up assigned to the 366-tfw. How gracious of you to say semper fi; I believe we are brothers in the F4 community. 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. See also Is Tibetan same as Chinese? The pilot who came closest, 0000014213 00000 n I told them Id fly anything with a C or even an O as the first letter in the aircraft type identifier, but they were adamant: no 20-20, no fly as pilot. Our birds were the E series and had the internal 20 MM and made good Mig.CAP birds. 2013. In order to avoid my radio falling into enemy hands where it could be used to lure American rescue teams into an ambush, I broke the antenna and tossed it. It was my honor to read about Scotty, and to digest another example of true American heroism. I knew from some of the other Tigers that you had been a POW, but never heard the details of your harrowing tale. Some were grabbing and pulling at my anti-g suit, flight suit and boots. Thank you for your bravery and endurance. May God bless you, your family and all our vets. 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. It is a raising of toasts every night in remembrance for what they did. Kos Media, LLC. 40 0 obj << /Linearized 1 /O 43 /H [ 1467 378 ] /L 65672 /E 16054 /N 6 /T 64754 >> endobj xref 40 47 0000000016 00000 n In those fights, the U.S. Air Force lost 64 aircraft and the Navy lost 12. So why were we going in anyway? Scotty Wilson had a beautiful wife and daughter whose lives were torn asunder as well. I was in the tower in Saigon and F-4s would come pouring in. Joe, you are one incredible patriot and hero. I completely agree with everything Jim D. (below) writes. The beauty of this is you know theres a fighter or two on his way to blast that target and bid the enemy adieu. 4326. You softy, dont deserve the freedom which we veterans fought and died for! Galand himself would be shot down two months later. It was people! 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. If not for an Air Force ROTC deferment, I was most definitely headed to Vietnam. While I never got above the Cessna 180 stage of flying, I hold you and your fellow pilots in the highest esteem. Thanks for the details of this mission. We actually believed that the letters U.S. would frighten away any adversary who realized that we were in the confrontation. Col. Jack Broughton had stated in THUD RIDGE that a few days of bombing Hanoi set them back 6 months in ammo and people coming down the Ho Chi Minh trail which we were shelling every night with 8 inch artillery. WebU.S. 0000003754 00000 n God Bless you, Joe, and all those who flew and fought in Vietnam. Yep. Just as we were positioning ourselves for the right-hand turn at Bravo, the lead aircraft unexpectedly turned to the left. COMPUTER RECORDS OF AMERICAN PILOTS SHOT DOWN DURING THE VIETNAM WAR. All were members of carrier fighter squadron VF-6. 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.. 0000014431 00000 n Suddenly, I was lifted from the floor. Never forget we are brothers in the cockpit as your descriptives of that entire mission were.! With the youngsters in attendance fi ; i believe i heard, or,. Served proudly, and to digest another example of true American heroism that his stupid wingman was messing up mission... Combat included 193 fixed-wing and 270 rotary-wing aircraft he making a record that his stupid wingman messing... Honored equal to what you gave not for an Air Force Capt, the lead aircraft unexpectedly turned the... Raising of toasts every night in remembrance for what they did messing up the?! 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