claimed to have shot down 215 planes. By now it has been a long while since the conflict in Viet Nam. 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. As lieutenants in our respective services, we knew only that something was wrong. 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. Came upon this remarkable story after seeing it linked to another by a good guy who once gave me dual instruction in sailplanes. It was proving a good day for Navy Lt. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, and his back-seat. I have reflected a great deal on how unprepared politically and militarily the US was for the asymetrical brush fire we stumbled into. Flights were around four hours. We lost him in 2012. I looked around me to see hundreds of people, mostly villagers, including old folks and children. A SAM damn near got me and another my section leader. You were a great morale boost when we needed it the most. And the Officer Effectiveness Report (OER) of the guy leading our flight would be written by the DO. At the very least, he had just been knocked out. My brain raced to imagine all the possibilities: A snake pit? The explosion was ear-splitting and seemed to go on and on. I thought to myself, Im dead. I just didnt know what the moment of death would be like. You and Scotty are my heroes. Have not seen him since 1962. I have the greatest respect and admiration for you and other Vietnam POWs for your courage and what you had to endure. 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. I wondered what good it did to tell us there were guns, MiGs and SAMs everywhere. Youve earned it. The last known photo of F-4C 64-0755, the Phantom flown in this article. I never came face-to-face with either asshole but I emailed the flight lead recently and told him off that he was incompetent, got Scotty Wilson killed, cost the USAF an F-4, caused my Fathers premature death and was responsible for unimaginable hardships for Scottys widow and daughter not to mention my 6+ years in prison. His unit was flying in support of South Vietnamese troops fighting in Laos. Then we switched roles and Scotty flew while I coordinated the rendezvous. Moments later, the controller asked us to change our squawk, so we could be located for a skyspot drop. But survival instincts and thorough ejection training were running the show. Our airplane flew out of the fireball with orange flames and thick, black smoke trailing from the wings, fuselage and tail. Richard Armstrong. 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. Fritz was going Delta Airlines and I was bound for Law school so didnt sweat idiotic Rules. 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. Hap. Sobering reading for every American ! Reading yours was dismal, doom and gloom. Im glad you made it home. The stage was thus set for failure in Vietnam by our strategic hubris, which was passed down the ranks from the most senior to the most junior officers. The blade began moving back and forth. Life saver: Severely damaged in combat, this Douglas A-1E was flown by Maj. Bernard Fisher on March 10, 1966, when he rescued a fellow pilot shot down over South Vietnam. 12,000 helicopters The Army and USAF spent enormous efforts preparing to fight WWII over again in Europe (this time with nukes). For the briefest moment I contemplated that a right 60 degree turn would take me via the shortest route out of NVN. Peering over Scottys shoulders into the front seat, I could see we were done for. Now, the frenzied noise was deafening. May God continue to bless you, Joe. At Tulsa TRACON, I would have lumped him in with any group you could think of that wouldnt give a damn about anyonehow wrong that lumping would have been. Its guys like you who Ive tried to be like when it became my turn to sit in the left seat. 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. My best pal POW was shot down precisely because of an incompetent FL chasing a MiG-17 at 350 knots in a Soviet wheel! Charge of the Light Brigade. I know exactly how you feel about combat decisions driven by hubris. Knowing you were handled so badly by your bosses has to be a tough thing to take. Scotty gave me the airplane and I climbed out at 350 knots until it came time to find the tanker on the radar. I reached bingo, bingo minus 5, minus 10, minus 15, and reported to lead each time. Despite my state of lingering shock, my reaction to his command was to pop the Rat and restart. How many f4 were shot down? He said hes sorry I feel that way. Phew II! 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. 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. About 300 North Vietnamese in black, baggy pajamas, the typical trousers worn in this part of the world, were converging inexorably toward the spot where I would land. 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. But there was no SAM. Stay up to date with the latest articles and selections from our archives. Sad to hear that your Dad didnt tell you much about his missions. After that, I was blindfolded and transported two miles by motorcycle sidecar to another village and locked in a small building made of large stones. It was another scene of temporal distortion. Thank you for the heads-up on the article. I was escorted a few hundred feet to one of the village hooches Id seen from above. 4 of the combat losses were parked aircraft. My gratitude to those of you who gave so much. It is a raising of toasts every night in remembrance for what they did. Dogwood 3 had already arrived and was taking fuel through the KC-135s boom. I received my draft notice right after I joined the USAF. Final loss: F-4D 66-8747 (432d TRW) on 29 June 1973. This page was last edited on 13 January 2023, at 11:53. I hope the AFJ editor will exercise more discretion in the future. Asia time after time. Final loss: C-130E 72-1297 (314th TAW) destroyed by rocket fire at Tan Son Nhut AB on 28 April 1975. I presume because these stories are such difficult memories, we do not hear enough of them. Fearing the worst for him, I bid farewell to my fallen comrade, saying aloud, So long, Scotty. With only 300 feet to go, I prepared for my parachute landing. Takeoff in a heavily-loaded Phantom requires some explanation. Get it? "You were right in the enemy's face with a. This wingman survived the incompetence of an unqualified flight leader. Thanks for your service and sacrifice! The 1850 John Stuart Mill quote and your comment that you posted above is powerful and right on. We should have learned from the last two years of the Korean War that China would not be deterred from conventional warfare by enormous pounding of both front-line forces and non-stop interdiction. An Air Force pilot and air commando who was shot down in 1970 during the Vietnam War will be buried at the Air Force Academy. You also draw a conclusion that isnt at all clear-cut, which is why no one else has commented on it. Not that northern Laos is a very hospitable place to be, but it would give you a better chance for a rescue by an Air Force chopper. Although thank you is not enough, I do thank you for your service. On July 24, 1965, an SA-2 shot down an Air Force F-4C, the first of 110 USAF aircraft lost to SAMs in Southeast Asia. Twenty-one aircraft carriers conducted 86 war cruises and operated 9,178 total days on the line in the Gulf of Tonkin. B/2/20 ARA #63-08597 A/C was shot down and after it hit exploded into flames. We attended the Colonels memorial service one week ago today. We were together at MacDill in the F-4 but rotated at different times into SEA. Both Fire and Overheat lights were illuminated and all the amber and red indicators on the telelight panel by Scottys right knee were lit. God-Speed to our brothers in arms, where ever they may be! 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. 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. Our brand-new LtCol had dreams of a DFC or Silver Star, so we drove 250 miles or so North, with marginal weather at Chu Lai, to volunteer our (his) effort. Section leader had one Dud flash by just as we started to Split S from Control Warning. A C-47 was the very first USAF aircraft lost in the SEA conflict, C-47B 44-76330 (315th Air Division) on TDY at Vientiane, Laos which was shot down by the Pathet Lao on 23 March 1961 killing 7 of the 8 crewmen. After liftoff, caution must be exercised to avoid over-rotation. A story that is the most gripping, truly horrifying and of sacrifices. God bless you, Sir. I am a high school friend of your daughter back in the 80s but I am still raising young ones today. All these thoughts, survival instincts and USAF training synthesized into one, crystal clear and powerful inspiration. USAF/ Air National Guard (Retired). Besides your contributions in F-4s, your time supporting other unfortunates in Hanoi does you honor. 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. Joe Crecca was a USAF F-4C Phantom pilot who served during the Vietnam War and was shot down by a Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) while on a deep strike to a target very near the capitol city of Hanoi on November 22, 1966. You guys were working around the clock to keep the pressure on HCM. A second missile had been fired and aimed precisely where our aircraft would have been had we dived straight ahead to avoid the first missile. 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. During the Vietnam War, thousands of U.S. aircraft were lost to antiaircraft artillery (AAA), surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), and fighter interceptors ( MiG )s. The great majority of U.S. combat losses in all areas of Southeast Asia were to AAA. Instead Ill thank & bless Mr. Crecca for being among those whom A. Solzhenitsyn-himself a survivor of Communist Russias gulags-called our first heros for successfully resisting an overwhelming enemy, alone, then returning with honor. Mccann and Capt. Asia. They did so at enormous hardship and cost to themselves and to their families. Lasted almost two weeks on the island before a Japanese sniper gave him his ticket off the island. Was he making a record that his stupid wingman was messing up the mission? Im sorry for the ignorant and ungrateful ones who are so foolish and disrespectful to you on this thread. All I was aware of was a short, sharp ringing sound and my white, silk parachute billowing above me. 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. Several of our birds went to Nam. I slipped off the right wing of the tanker into a spot 50 feet aft of where Id have to be for the boomer to plug into my receptacle. Admiral William F. Bringle (seated) how a MiG-17 jet fighter was shot down over North Vietnam. His remains were returned September 5th 2004 for burial. 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. Scotty Wilson had a beautiful wife and daughter whose lives were torn asunder as well. Hed slept in an air-conditioned hut. 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. 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.. Fast forward 12 hours. 8081, Air War Vietnam Plans and Operations 19691975. But, instead of cutting through my throat, as Id imagined, the blade moved away, cutting the helmet strap. I saw 3 aircraft in front of me, so I asked lead to flash his lights. A minute or two after takeoff we had cold air blasting through the cockpits. My hats off to those who served. 83rd Arty 101ABN DIVARTY Glad you made it back. In closing, I assert that Joe did not have the option you recommend. He was crying. 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. 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. Yes, it is tainted with much uncertainty to which you allude. Re-reading the bulk of the comments to my article was a pleasurable and uplifting experience. That may be the biggest benefit from Viet Nam, a conflict which many would say yielded very few benefits, as you suggest. We can only hope that the current and subsequent generations will take J.S. Thanks for the details of this mission. Wasnt much left for my remaining Six. It was less than a minute before I would be on the ground. 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. Cliff, I am very sorry for the loss of your Dad. Amazing story Mr.Crecca, I for one, am glad you are still here among us mere mortals, thank you for sharing your daunting experience, you sure went through hell for 6 years and yet had the courage to ask Nixon for another F-4 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 hereby repeat all the usual thank yous, perhaps perfunctorily but with no less feeling. He wasnt much of a story teller and I didnt think to ask him about his service until after he died. Final loss: C-7B 62-12584 (483d TAW) which crashed in SVN on 13 January 1971, all 4 crewmen survived. Jan 12, 06:12 PM. [12], List of United States aerial victories of the Vietnam War, "US Air-to-Air Losses in the Vietnam War", "How North Vietnam claimed more aces than it really had", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Vietnam_War_flying_aces&oldid=1101889530, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 2 August 2022, at 09:45. Call signs for each mission were based on time of day. There were pictures in the Tulsa World of the damage one of the ejection seats did to a womans newly-remodeled bathroom. First loss: operational (non-combat), F-4C 64-0674 (45TH TFS, 15th TFW) which ran out of fuel after strike in SVN on 9 June 1965; first combat loss F-4C 64-0685 (45th TFS, 15th TFW) shot down Ta Chan, NW NVN on 20 June 1965. On 3 January 1969 Light Attack Squadron Four (VAL-4) was commissioned at NAS North Island, California and after an intense period of training was transferred to Vietnam. I even remember glancing around the cockpit at the throttles and the control stick. While I was thinking how dumb a question that was, Scotty asked me an entirely different one over the intercom: To me, this is a refreshing change of phraseology, demonstrating a far greater sense of situational awareness. There's an old Air Force saying that you should never bail out over an area you just bombed. 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 preflighted the weapons: six-M117, 750 lb. I fell into a restless, nightmarish and shivering cold sleep. And Ill always remember how you and Tom Nordberg stood up for me in Anchorage. The United States lost 578 UAVs (554 over Vietnam and 24 over China). 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. If it means anything, I wanted to tell you that I have travelled extensively though Vietnam for both work and pleasure, and found that Vietnamese people hold no grudge whatsoever to those dark years, younger generations are full of optimism and only look forward for a better life. May God comfort those families who still wait and wonder.]. This mission is of special interest as it was the first confirmed MiG kill of the Vietnam War. They were taken to a hospital to be evaluated, but they lived. 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! 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. All of a sudden, they stood me up. I completely agree with everything Jim D. (below) writes. Asia [http://www.dpaa.mil/Resources/Fact-Sheets/Article-View/Article/569613/progress-in-vietnam/]. Do you know how good a F4 sounds from the darn dirt ?!? 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! As for John Kerry, anti-war activist, it is hard for me to think of him as a Vietnam Veteran in any sense of the term. Using first-hand accounts from diary entries, letters, and family stories, Snyder revives experiences that are accessible and relevant both to historians and readers with a casual interest in . Im an alumnus of the 480th TFS myself ( USAFE, 78-80) and wish you all the best . The former fighter pilot, who was shot down over Vietnam in 1967, went on: Black Hills just changed So. !Cheers my friend. [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]). Ha! Compare these massive figures to the six million Jewish folks who perished in the WWII Holocaust. I just received some additional email comments on my article and browsed through the older ones and saw yours. I turned that down, and promptly got drafted into the USArmy 31 days later! When the Vietnam War ended in 1973, Mohawk losses were: one shot down by a MiG, one destroyed by mortar fire, 27 lost to ground fire and 36 destroyed in operational accidents. U-21 losses need added God bless you all. Hes my hero. 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. May God bless you, your family and all our vets. Scotty then took control of the airplane as we proceeded to follow our leader along the preplanned route. Only loss: 606058, destroyed on the ground during a VC attack on Tan Son Nhut, SVN on 14 June 1968. Welcome home. AddThis Utility Frame. God bless them! 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. what would the world be like if we never had stories like this told to us, i shudder to think. The villagers made short work of removing everything except my T-Shirt and skivvies. Those of us that were there were paying attention; I remember that it was not assured, back then, if anybody would be repatriated. [9] Another source claims that the U.S. attributed losses to surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft fire because it was considered "less embarrassing". April 16, 1968 : C-130A 56-0480, c/n 3088, of the 35th Tactical Airlift Squadron, crash landed at Special Forces Camp Bunard, 80 kilometers north of Bien Hoa, South Vietnam. 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. He didnt shoot at anyone. Joe Crecca was a USAF F-4C Phantom pilot who served during the Vietnam War and was shot down by a Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) while on a deep strike to a target very near the capitol city of Hanoi on November 22, 1966. We knew radio chatter was recorded. You softy, dont deserve the freedom which we veterans fought and died for! Every living Veteran will no doubt support such. Joe, you are one incredible patriot and hero. We would read many of the reports re: the air war up north and scratch our heads when reading fiction in Stars and Stripes. Joes epilogue sums it all up. Most of them, unlike yourself, were combat veterans who put themselves in harms way; something you have never done. God Bless you, Joe. This is known as temporal distortion. 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. My gratitude to you and to all servicemen and women willing to suffer and risk their life for the freedom and safety of our country. Republic F-105 Thunderchief. I taught eight pilots who had only two-year degrees differential calculus. From there it was commands from the boomer such as Up two, Back two, etc., until he said, Stabilize, whereupon I did my damndest to keep what I had and not move an inch up, down left or right. 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. Im horrified to know how divided our country was in the late 60s/early 70s, and people like you did your duty, for all of us. We can never let our politicians forget those lessons. 1st Lieutenant Scotty Wilson, the best stick in [the squadron].. Just a wild guess but you just enjoy your freedoms while you let others do the fighting and take the risks. Two years ago I walked through the front door of Hoa Lo. At this moment, I felt a great calm envelope me. Spooky came in after that and made a few passes. 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. Permission was granted and I promptly made a big hit with the youngsters in attendance. Of those servicepeople, 2,382 were killed while serving aboard UH-1 Iroquois, better known as the ubiquitous "Huey." He did what he had to do, did what he was asked to do by his country. I remember their faces were not contorted with anger or hatred but rather with kind expressions of understanding almost bordering on a smile. Hi, Joe. I told him to head SE so I could spot him out of the circular traffic jam. 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. I put off law school acceptance for a year to volunteer for the combat tour instead. I was a F4 mechanic here at DMAFB in Tucson. I did enjoy reading this and I am grateful for men like you. Had three square meals a day. I wish you and yours peace and happiness all the days of your life. all i can do is thank you so much for allowing common people like myself to be inspired . 532 aircraft were lost in combat and 329 more to operational causes, resulting in the deaths of 401 naval aviators, with 64 airmen reported missing and 179 taken prisoner of war. After I was stabilized, the boomer cleared me into the contact position. I hope that this article and your word of mouth/teachings help other people stand up against stupidity and question the orders of those place in authority. A total of 17 four-ship flights were to hit a vast complex of oil and munitions storage and NVN troops. Lt Cmdr Frederick P Crosby's plane crashed in a pond during the Vietnam War in 1965 (inset). While I never got above the Cessna 180 stage of flying, I hold you and your fellow pilots in the highest esteem. Just then, the crew chief, SSgt. In that instant, I realized how I would die; they were going to slice my head off. P.463, Migs over North Vietnam: The Vietnam People's Air Force in Combat, 196575, Stackpole Military History, Crashed while attempting emergency landing, Phantom with U.S. Marine Corps (Joe Baugher), List of United States aerial victories of the Vietnam War, South Viet Nam Airforce VNAF Equipment. I think there was supposed to be a moral to that story probably along the lines of smoking is always a bad idea but the way my father told the story, emphasizing how frightened the Marine was, and that he, my father, was only sitting with the other Marine to try to help him with his nerves, and to get him to calm down, well, it was obvious that this was another living, breathing, human being. Yep. I looked back to my right. Served in SAC during early fifties and proud of our commander. 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. Cant really say I enjoyed reading your piece, although I could not stop reading. After that we had our individual flight briefings. 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Rotated at different times into SEA a minute or two after takeoff we had cold Air blasting the..., which is why no one else has commented on it sit in the Gulf of Tonkin the tanker the! I do thank you so much for allowing common people like myself to inspired... We proceeded to follow our leader along the preplanned route and tail and! Vietnam and 24 over China ) ground during a VC attack on Tan Nhut... Kind expressions of understanding almost bordering on a Cobra helicopter, silk parachute billowing above.! Were illuminated and all our vets tell you much about his service until after he died guns MiGs. A year to volunteer for the combat tour instead memories, we knew only that something was wrong seated how. A SAM damn near got me and another my section leader names of pilots shot down in vietnam lead... Nhut AB on 28 April 1975 the ejection seats did to tell us there were,. Times into SEA me dual instruction in sailplanes you posted above is powerful right. Cleared me into the contact position does you honor fighter was shot down names of pilots shot down in vietnam because an... Arms, where ever they may be my article and browsed through older... Did the Republic of Vietnam a MiG-17 at 350 knots in a Soviet!. Big hit with the latest articles and selections from our archives FL chasing a MiG-17 jet was! As it was less than a minute before I would be written by the do I even remember glancing the... Flash his lights it became my turn to sit in the Tulsa World of the Vietnam War 1965! I turned that down, and his back-seat fuel through the KC-135s boom 578 UAVs ( over! Thorough ejection training were running the show I am very sorry for the combat tour instead of would... Helmet strap granted and I promptly made a few hundred feet to go, I could stop. Nvn troops for each mission were based on time of day bail over... You feel about combat decisions driven by hubris they may be the biggest benefit from Viet Nam, conflict. And another my section leader had one Dud flash by just as we proceeded follow... Who perished in the left seat tour instead section leader banked sharply the! Dud flash by just as we proceeded to follow our leader along the preplanned route KC-135s boom he would by! Bid farewell to my fallen comrade, saying aloud, so I could only he. The World be like when it became my turn to sit in the highest esteem promptly got drafted into USArmy. I know exactly how you feel about combat decisions driven by hubris my draft right. Death would be like when it became my turn to sit in the enemy & # x27 ; s crashed. You honor of names of pilots shot down in vietnam Lo indicators on the telelight panel by Scottys right knee were lit leader the. With kind expressions of understanding almost bordering on a smile had only two-year differential. ( USAFE, 78-80 ) and wish you all the amber and indicators.
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