names of pilots shot down in vietnam

While my eyes and my thoughts were on flying out of enemy territory, my hands moved swiftly to the lower ejection handle while my body automatically assumed the correct ejection posture; back straight, legs extended, elbows tucked in close to the body, and BOOM. 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. Presently it dishonors over 50,000 dead and how many maimed and wounded? 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. Further, our leader was apparently unaware that the controller asked us to change squawk ONLY after we were some distance from the 100mm guns photographed around the Plain of Jars. The flight call sign was Dogwood and we were number 2. 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. But, I knew the SA-2 was a powerful weapon; 400 lbs. Welcome home. Galand himself would be shot down two months later. I presume because these stories are such difficult memories, we do not hear enough of them. Japan, who woulda thunk it? I cannot express my admiration for you and others who went thru what you did. All these thoughts, survival instincts and USAF training synthesized into one, crystal clear and powerful inspiration. Had it not been for President Nixon and the sheer courage of the B-52 and tactical aircrews, the POWs would never have returned. He still had the baleful look of an owl about to gobble a mouse. I think of you often and was looking forward to seeing you again. 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. John Chesire , F-4 Navy combat pilot during the Vietnam War and Quora User , former Military & Govt Service at U.S. Air ForceAuthor has 633 answers and 913.6K answer views Updated 3 y Related Who was the farmer pilot that shot down 7 US aircraft in the Vietnam War? Re-reading the bulk of the comments to my article was a pleasurable and uplifting experience. God Bless You for your service. 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.. You and I have friends who made the ultimate sacrifice; you suffered deprivation of years of your life. I looked for an escape route. I valued your friendship and professional dedication as a fellow aviator while in the 33rd TFW, while you served in the 4485th during the 70s. 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. Asia. On Sept. 12, 1968, F-100D pilot Capt. This is aviation commentary. VS-41 at NAS North Island retained four of the borrowed Broncos to be used for training replacement pilots and maintenance personnel. Mr. Crecca was a POW for the next six years and three months until his repatriation on February 18, 1973. I looked around me to see hundreds of people, mostly villagers, including old folks and children. Dogwood 4 was an MND, Maintenance Non Delivery, i.e., no airplane! 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. Gary was the very first USAFE F-105D pilot to land at Bitburg in May 1961 and the very last F-105D pilot to . A-1E (S/N 52-132649) was flown by Maj. Bernard Fisher on March 10, 1966, when he rescued a fellow pilot shot down over South Vietnam. After each plane was completed, two pilots (Call signs Perky01 and Perky02) would take the plane up for a check flight. I saw 3 aircraft in front of me, so I asked lead to flash his lights. of high-explosive surrounded by a thousand 1-inch diameter stainless steel balls inside the 6-foot long nose cone. Soviet General Fesenko, the main Soviet adviser to the North Vietnamese Air Force in 1972, recorded 34 MiG-21s destroyed in 1972. Tried to cross-service in 64 or 65 to Army for WO pilot program, but because I was already in the military (being in a critical COMSEC AFSC probably didnt help), I was offered no guarantee of flight training, so I withdrew the request otherwise, I may have been one of your grateful students, or still buried in some shallow grave. The Communistss claimed 19 B-52s shot down to date. I reached bingo, bingo minus 5, minus 10, minus 15, and reported to lead each time. I am grateful to him for that, beyond measure. [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". Names. Flight lead arrived and took his fuel after we were finished. Messrs. Crecca and Wilson were asked by their nation to serve. The pilot Lieutenant Commander John S. McCain III, successfully ejected and was made Prisoner of War. Thank you for your service Joe. All of a sudden, they stood me up. Joe. 1F-4C-1, Change 1, page 2-20) before reaching 30 knots below calculated nose wheel liftoff speed. Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do & die.. 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. 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. My father was at Danang in 67/68. 4 of the combat losses were parked aircraft. No better tribute to a warrior and man then to be remembered by his fellow warriors 50+ years later. 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!! back then. The man who had less than an hour ago cautioned me against premature ejection had ejected. Before I could muse over any more unhappy endings, I was dropped onto the floor. Had three square meals a day. My gratitude to those of you who gave so much. On August 28, 1972, US Air Force Capt. Thanks, again, for your story many more years of good health & happiness to you. 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. Ignore that kind, it is useless to argue as they are happy in their own world which they believe will lead to some utopian future paid for by others. Page and Smith were with VF-21, and the aircraft modex was NE101. when the canopy rails are parallel to the ground, the nose is 10-12 degrees up. I had never before heard the details of his loss. 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. Burning American aircraft at Bien Hoa Air Base in 1965. I then drew my .38 caliber service revolver, opened the cylinder, emptied all the ammunition and threw it away. 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 . Its guys like you who Ive tried to be like when it became my turn to sit in the left seat. 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. Owing to all the maintenance problems, we did not take off as a flight but departed single-ship and joined up on the KC-135 tanker aircraft over Thailand as a flight of three. The 1850 John Stuart Mill quote and your comment that you posted above is powerful and right on. My father was lost in 64-0771 out of Cam Rahn 9/3/66. 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? Outwardly grateful to Jesus Christ above all and to our United States military service members is the way of life I choose to live and pass on to my children. The intercom was intermittent. Defense Department officials say 1st Lt. Carl D. Nesbitt died when his plane was shot down in May . Now I know a little bit more about what he did. Maximum allowable gross takeoff weight in an F-4C was 58,000 lbs. * These two pilots shared the credit for the shoot down of the MiG-17 and each were credited for . Sad to hear that your Dad didnt tell you much about his missions. If you are wondering how this is possible, I will reveal at the outset that it is not possible. You softy, dont deserve the freedom which we veterans fought and died for! Scotty was probably hit by shrapnel from the missile. You certainly are my Hero! I looked first into the rear-view mirrors and could see only orange flames and inky smoke. 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. Im sorry that you had to suffer so much but you had no business what so for ever being there. Wed had it. My ungraceful arrival didnt raise much dust. Get it? Because the Director of Operations (DO) was leading a flight-of-four on MiG Cap hoping to shoot down a MiG. 1972: U.S. claimed 51 MiG-21s destroyed; North Vietnam claimed 53 US aircraft shot down by MiG-21s, including two B-52 Stratofortress bombers. Meadows [I was USAF SAC (enlisted) 62-66. bombs and eight Air-to-Air Missiles while I inspected the Phantom. 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. With over 70 years of hindsight and investigation there were a ton of mistakes. First loss: EC-121R 67-24193 (554th Reconnaissance Squadron, 553d RW) crashed 25 April 1969 on take-off in a thunderstorm from. 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. And thanks to one incident at Tulsa International Airport sometime around January of 1981, I know how much the loss of servicemen and women can mean to people you might never suspect would have any feelings at all. By now it has been a long while since the conflict in Viet Nam. First of all, we only had three airplanes. YGBSM!. 1st Lieutenant Scotty Wilson, the best stick in [the squadron].. It was about 0200 hours and the flares lit up the place like day. 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. We accomplished the weapons checklist just as we entered enemy territory: Centerline station, Bombs ripple, Intervalometer set, Master Arm. I taught eight pilots who had only two-year degrees differential calculus. 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,. Joe, Every Friday Im privileged to have lunch with a WWII veteran who flew virtually every airplane in the arsenal of the time. Cant really say I enjoyed reading your piece, although I could not stop reading. The terror I felt just moments before vanished. If not for an Air Force ROTC deferment, I was most definitely headed to Vietnam. 3 crewmen were KIA. The baro switch was supposed to open my chute at 10,000 ft. Stay up to date with the latest articles and selections from our archives. Scotty hadnt regained consciousness. I yelled on the intercom, Deep six check! 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. I always enjoyed flying with you and sharing a beverage. This wingman survived the incompetence of an unqualified flight leader. At 0600, I awoke to the annoying buzzer of my Telechron alarm clock. Like the Flat-Earthers who still dont believe we landed on the Moon. Once the controller whod witnessed the crash learned that the men were alive, he settled down enough where we thought he could drive home safely. Just a wild guess but you just enjoy your freedoms while you let others do the fighting and take the risks. Pavlovs Dog reaction to his Cmon Back, Chief, I got em spotted. (Im a Sioux Indian, Born on a Dakota Rez.) Others had knives and were, to my complete surprise, cutting the clothing and equipment from my body. Good lives were wasted for what? I quickly figured out that, because we were going to be late, our flight lead was cutting Alfa out and going directly to Bravo. You who kept the supplies coming to us were a vital part of the war effort. Joe I want to start by thanking you profusely for attending and speaking at my brother Johns funeral 3 years ago. Although thank you is not enough, I do thank you for your service. I served from 1964-1968. Dulles International Needs a name change. The session finally came to an end after midnight. 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 was sad to read about poor decisions based on ego costing lives, I know how true that is. Thanks for the story, Joe. The Dash-1 (USAF How to Fly the F-4 book) technique to accomplish this feat was to have the control stick fully aft (T.O. Spooky came in after that and made a few passes. Joe- God Bless you & Scotty and all others that served like ya`ll ! 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. Only those who were there truly know! 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. There's an old Air Force saying that you should never bail out over an area you just bombed. Some were grabbing and pulling at my anti-g suit, flight suit and boots. Good or bad we all contributed and finally got the job done.May all our brothers and sisters that made the ultimate sacrifice, rest in peace. 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. 9 of the losses were parked aircraft struck by rockets. 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. I believe I heard, or read, that the F-4 itself crashed in a small horse pasture. ), Ways to get involved in the 2022 Election. During the Vietnam War Monika Schwinn, a German nurse, was held captive for three and a half years - at one time the only woman prisoner at the "Hanoi Hilton".The following missionaries were POWs: Evelyn Anderson, captured and later burned to death in Kengkok, Laos, 1972.She is still listed as POW. This mission is of special interest as it was the first confirmed MiG kill of the Vietnam War. Here, then, is our take on the five deadliest fighter pilots in U.S. military history: Major Richard Bong, Army Air Forces Hometown: Superior, Wisconsin Aka: Bing-Bang Years of Service: 1941 to. [1], There were about 11,846 U.S helicopters that served in the Vietnam War. The Republic of Vietnam lost 1,018 aircraft and helicopters from January 1964 to September 1973. 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. In fact, there is no way you may be honored equal to what you gave. But that's exactly what happened to Bill Arcuri when he was forced to bail out of his damaged plane over Vietnam. 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. And Ill always remember how you and Tom Nordberg stood up for me in Anchorage. My father may not have approved of the smoking, but he clearly was shocked to see someone he nonetheless cared for killed right in front of him. Mills words to heart whenever necessary. Sharing your story forward. I was an aircraft mechanic serving at Clark Air Base in 1969-70 and then later at NKP in Thailand in 1973-74. The next thing I knew, I was back on the wooden stool facing my interrogator. It was a moving story. Only once did I ever have an airplane problem (pressurization system) until that SAM hit us. I dont know if they ever found the horse. No need to bring up the sorties flown with 1/2 ordnance loads so the (Squadron, Group, Wing) would look good on paper. Iwo Jima. If you do that, itll be your first time in harms way. (USAF) Date of report (1971-07-23). 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. Our Motto YOU YELL, WE SHELL LIKE HELL, OPEN 24 HOURS A DAY. If none of the strike flights entered the target area, the MiGs wouldnt come up. I have reflected a great deal on how unprepared politically and militarily the US was for the asymetrical brush fire we stumbled into. Black Hills just changed So. Thanks for the compliment on my writing. Richard Armstrong. I put off law school acceptance for a year to volunteer for the combat tour instead. Yeh, the F-4s wings dont come off even from a SAM induced Spin. lost 26 planes (written off) and 9 pilots (killed in combat) top scorer Yevgenij Pepeljayev with 109 mission, 38 dogfights and 19 shot down planes (15 kills are confirmed by american sources) 303. I wont embarrass you by calling you a hero, though you unquestionably are. Theyd be shot up to hell. 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. 29. pp. The leaders claim was that we could easily have bingod into the RTAF base on the Thai border, so I should not have abandoned my flight leader. The American aces flew as members of two-man crews on F-4 Phantoms, reflecting the emergence of air-to-air missiles as the primary weapons of aerial combat. My father was a Marine. 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. 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. Interservice arrogance held back both the USAF and the USMC until Rolling Thunder was finally recognized as a mismanaged and wasteful failure. Fogleman became the only Super Sabre pilot ever rescued by riding out on a Cobra helicopter. Just then, the crew chief, SSgt. I told him to head SE so I could spot him out of the circular traffic jam. Better than snakes or drowning in contaminated water, I thought briefly, before I was elevated again and dropped again. Shot Down During Vietnam: A Fighter Pilot's Story - HISTORY Shot Down During Vietnam: A Fighter Pilot's Story History.com Editors TV-14 2:42 In 1966, an American fighter pilot took off. I thank you for what you did for us all, and I know it cost you. Great job! Crecca/Wilson International would be my recommendation in honor of a deceased F4 pilot and a 6 year POW since the F4 was the most numerous of Vietnam War aircraft casualties. His first pass was- G D- Chief, 200 long. I was way back in trail, tree top, plenty of time to do 2 football fields short. It was less than a minute before I would be on the ground. Fogleman became the only Super Sabre pilot ever rescued by riding out on a Cobra helicopter. I did enjoy reading this and I am grateful for men like you. During this relatively minor ordeal, I asked permission of my guard, using sign language, for permission to relieve my bladder. I live on Easy Street. Thank you for the heads-up on the article. Suddenly, I was lifted from the floor. Looking down toward my feet, I could see dozens of hands. In fact all those who kept us in the air were. Of those servicepeople, 2,382 were killed while serving aboard UH-1 Iroquois, better known as the ubiquitous "Huey." Contents [ hide] 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. I remember their faces were not contorted with anger or hatred but rather with kind expressions of understanding almost bordering on a smile. My squadron commander, the pentagon prince and I had an interesting discussion about flight discipline and the military justice system. Thank you for sharing. Phew III! Sorry about your Dad. When my feet hit the floor with my elbows on my knees at bedside, a feeling of total despair came over me. Section leader had one Dud flash by just as we started to Split S from Control Warning. Without guys like Joe you would go to prison for writing what you just wrote. Hope you sre enjoying the golden years. Thank You Sir for your service and sacrifice you gave to our Country! Hes taking us direct to Bravo and right over Yen Bai! Without hesitation Scotty rolled smoothly to the left into a near 90 degree bank and applied right (top) rudder and held it for a few seconds while I looked for the SAM that was certainly coming for us. 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. You willingly took huge risks, knowing that that mission could be your last. Lonely feeling for a pilot over enemy territory. I confirmed this by dialing in Bravos coordinates and the needle pointed straight ahead. I was the mouse. I wish you and yours peace and happiness all the days of your life. When the food got a bit better in 1971, I was able to exercise and could do over 60 vertical pushups in three tries with less than a minutes rest between each set. The result was the signing of the Paris Peace Accords on 27JAN1973 and the release of 591 POWs. It was then that I could see a shapeless, black mass on the ground. The spot where I landed was probably a potato patch. 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? 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