names of pilots shot down in vietnamnames of pilots shot down in vietnam

Vietnam will eventually strive throughout S.E. Sign up for our free email newsletter, packed with tips, tricks and news for pilots. 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. In those fights, the U.S. Air Force lost 64 aircraft and the Navy lost 12. WebThe U.S.

Hi, Joe. Patton on the left, explains to Russell how he maneuvered during the MiG engagement. Eric Mills is the author of Chesapeake Bay in the Civil War and Chesapeake Rumrunners of the Roaring Twenties. All commenters here need to start this needed movement for due change. Scotty then took control of the airplane as we proceeded to follow our leader along the preplanned route.

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. I wish I could have expressed my thanks to your Elder Eagle for successfully completing his mission to spring me out of jail. Theinterviews are a supplement to Alvarez's book Chained Eagle. Sections.

I would like to hear from you at some point; [emailprotected]. Although I was only a few thousand feet away, I hadnt been able to hear the explosion. But survival instincts and thorough ejection training were running the show. 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. Im an alumnus of the 480th TFS myself ( USAFE, 78-80) and wish you all the best . Photo credit: U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force But I promise if youll just give me another one, Ill take much better care of it. He squeezed my hand so hard I thought he was going to break all the bones in it as he said with great gusto, I want you in one!, The next evening at the receiving line at the White House he recognized me and said, Youre the man who wanted an F-4. I said I was and he said, Youve got it!. Just a wild guess but you just enjoy your freedoms while you let others do the fighting and take the risks. 4326. MiG-21 Units of the Vietnam War. One of our F-4s was not delivered by maintenance. Two years ago I walked through the front door of Hoa Lo. U-8 losses need added Websbs river cottage australia recipes. The Air Force lost 1737, the Navy 530, the Marine Corps 463 and the Army lost 302 (fixed wing). Gary, this was like Vietnam all over again!. 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. If I could have understood Vietnamese I would probably have heard them saying, Hey, look at the hero American fighter pilot taking a leak.. The pilot who came closest, Cesar Rodriguez, amassed three kills of Mikoyan-Gurevich (MiG) fighters across two wars spanning almost ten years in

WebOn August 28, 1972, US Air Force Capt. God Bless You for your service. There are plenty of other places to rant and vent. We accomplished the weapons checklist just as we entered enemy territory: Centerline station, Bombs ripple, Intervalometer set, Master Arm. 0000002803 00000 n

Manuscript/Mixed Material. The SA-2 brought down many American pilots over North Vietnam.

Asia [http://www.dpaa.mil/Resources/Fact-Sheets/Article-View/Article/569613/progress-in-vietnam/].

But, I knew the SA-2 was a powerful weapon; 400 lbs.

First loss: EC-121R 67-24193 (554th Reconnaissance Squadron, 553d RW) crashed 25 April 1969 on take-off in a thunderstorm from. 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. 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. Those of us that were there were paying attention; I remember that it was not assured, back then, if anybody would be repatriated. This content was created by a Daily Kos Community member. I last read he is in the state of Washington. Have not seen him since 1962. Although thank you is not enough, I do thank you for your service. The pilot, Colonel David W. Eberly, and Weapon Systems Officer, Major Thomas E. Griffith, were captured. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Glad to hear you are on frequency. Of those servicepeople, 2,382 were killed while serving aboard UH-1 Iroquois, better known as the I looked first into the rear-view mirrors and could see only orange flames and inky smoke. I cried like a baby. For the briefest moment I contemplated that a right 60 degree turn would take me via the shortest route out of NVN. Thanks for the compliment on my writing. Theyd land opposite direction on the same runway. I would have done the same thing. Scotty was probably hit by shrapnel from the missile. Yeh, the F-4s wings dont come off even from a SAM induced Spin. So what was The D.O.s name? This was the first time during the Vietnam War that an American pilot shot down two enemy airplanes during the same mission. May God bless you. Flight lead replied, Dogwood 2, you have the lead. So that it is crystal clear to the reader, this means that two 1stLieutenants were leading a flight of Phantoms to a JCS target on the outskirts of Hanoi referred to as Bullseye by those of us who flew over the north.

A MiG-15 jet fighter is shot down by a U.S. Navy fighter over Korea. "We Vietnam veterans served our country, we did our duty, and we Global Security, "A War too Long: The USAF in Southeast Asia 19611975", http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/virtual_disk_library/index.cgi/1025775/FID1977/NAVY/Chap_3.pdf, USMC HELO LOSSES(19621973) by aircraft type, "The OV-1 Mohawk Remembered Firsthand: Piloting the Mohawk in Vietnam", "SE Asia and Vietnam: Royal Australian Air Force", "Image Galleries 2009 - Department of Defence", " - - www.skywar.ru", U.S. Air-to-Air Victories during the Cold War, Wars in Yugoslavia, and Anti-Terror War, Widow travels to Vietnam after 40 years and finds her MIA husband's Marine Corps F-4 jet crash site in Que Son Mtns, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_aircraft_losses_of_the_Vietnam_War&oldid=1147434639, Military history of Australia during the Vietnam War, Military history of the United States during the Vietnam War, All articles with bare URLs for citations, Articles with bare URLs for citations from January 2022, Articles with PDF format bare URLs for citations, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, First loss: A-1E 52-132465 (1st Air Commando Squadron [ACS], 34th Tactical Group [TG]) shot down during night training mission on 29 August 1964 near, Final loss: A-1H 52-139738 (1st Special Operations Squadron, 56th Special Operations Wing) which was shot down 28 September 1972 (pilot was rescued by an, First loss: 710310 (355th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 354th TFW) on 2 December 1972 shot down on a, Final loss: 700945 (354th TFW) shot down in Cambodia on 25 May 1973 (Capt Jeremiah Costello KIA), First loss: B-26B 44-35530 (Detachment 2A, 1st ACG) shot down in IV CTZ on the night of 45 November 1962, killing the 3 crew, Final loss: A-26A 64-17646 (609th SOS, 56th SOW) lost over Laos on the night of 78 July 1969, killing both crewmen, First loss: AC-119G 52-5907 (Det.1, 17th SOS, 14th SOW) which crashed on take-off from, Final loss: AC-119K 53-7826 (18th SOS, 56th SOW out of, First losses were operational (non-combat) mid-air collision 2 B-52F 57-0047 and 57-0179 (441st Bomb Squadron, 320th Bomb Wing), 18 June 1965, South China Sea during air refueling orbit, 8 of 12 crewmen killed, Final loss: B-52D 55-0056 (307th Bomb Wing Provisional) to SAM 4 January 1973, crew rescued from Gulf of Tonkin. barbecue festival 2022; olivia clare friedman net worth. In 1973, American POWs finally came home. Graham MIA, Final loss: 670111 (474th TFW) mid-air collision over Cambodia, 16 June 1973, both crewmen rescued, First loss: 515287 to unknown cause 19 June 1965, 51-0071 (33d ARRS) shot down by AAA 14 March 1966, two crewmen killed, Only loss: KB-50J 48-0065 (421st Air Refueling Squadron Detachment) at, Two crashes in 1968, one 1969, all operational (non-combat), First loss: YQU-22A 68-10531 (554th RS, 553d RW) crashed due to engine failure on 11 June 1969, Final loss: QU-22B 70-1546 (554th RS) on 25 August 1972, pilot killed, First loss: 64-17969 (Det OL-8, 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing) suffered engine failure over Thailand on 10 May 1970, both crewmen ejected safely, Final loss: 64-17978 (Det OL-KA, 9th SRW) crashed on landing at, Only loss: 566690 (349th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron 100th SRW) which crashed on 8 October 1966 near Bien Hoa, SVN, Maj. Leo J Stewart ejected and was rescued. Ive raised all my children to, regardless of whether one agrees with our government or not, we as U.S. citizens always owe a debt of gratitude to those who signed that contract to protect our lives with risk to theirs. 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. I enjoyed your write up though I could see you squirming in your seat as it was unfolding. 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. Compare these massive figures to the six million Jewish folks who perished in the WWII Holocaust. My squadron commander, the pentagon prince and I had an interesting discussion about flight discipline and the military justice system. In closing, I assert that Joe did not have the option you recommend. Final loss: EC-121R 67-21495 (554th RS) crashed on approach to Korat RTAFB on 6 September 1969, 4 of the 16 men were killed. 0000003077 00000 n Just to the right of Scottys lifeless figure was the light-brown and white cloud characteristic of an SA-2 detonation! My ungraceful arrival didnt raise much dust. I yelled on the intercom, Deep six check! We lost him in 2012. In burner, diving out of 20, didnt take long to head toward So China Sea.

Yes, it is tainted with much uncertainty to which you allude. 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.

So glad that you made it back in one piece, and were able to continue flying. 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. I learned Russian and some higher math.

As VHPAs former president, the 64-year-old has led the fight for what he calls a small and But for many years I wondered about what premonitions he also might have had that were similar to those Id had when I awakened. 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. Phew! We were going to make it. Russian source: 65 MiG-21s, 5 MiG-19s, 75 MiG-17s lost through all causes. 0000011844 00000 n Moments later, the controller asked us to change our squawk, so we could be located for a skyspot drop. 16 How many Huey pilots died in Vietnam? The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling that thinks nothing is worth war is much worse. Very sadly, according to the DOD, 1,616 of our brothers are still missing in S.E. 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. Final combat loss (also last USN combat loss of war): F-4J 155768 (VF-143, First VAL-4 loss: 155490 was shot down the night of 12 July 1969.

U.S. Marine Corps aircraft lost in combat included 193 fixed-wing and 270 rotary-wing aircraft. All this took no more than one second. I knew none of this before he died. Pilots would be hollering for this and for thatand there was NOTHING I could do. 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. They fixed it. Ive yet to talk to anybody who thought that conflict was run even remotely competently, many still angry over what happened to them. Mills words to heart whenever necessary. Mr. Creccas response (farther below) displays considerably more class than that displayed by b fearn in this particular instance.

0000002689 00000 n How far did he go on in the Air Force? Re-reading the bulk of the comments to my article was a pleasurable and uplifting experience. I told him to head SE so I could spot him out of the circular traffic jam. I still know where the CB is. Not in honor. There were pictures in the Tulsa World of the damage one of the ejection seats did to a womans newly-remodeled bathroom. 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! Had the great fortune of knowing 2 Navy POWs who were at the Hanoi Hilton one of which my wife served with in the Navy. His remains were returned September 5th 2004 for burial. And the Officer Effectiveness Report (OER) of the guy leading our flight would be written by the DO.

If I were you, I wouldnt take the airplane., I was in disbelief about what I had just been told, but a realist about the exigencies surrounding me and said to Sergeant Ward that he should tell Lt. Wilson what he had just told me which he did. No one shot at him. 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. Dulles had his chance to prevent the un-needed War. [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].

I quickly figured out that, because we were going to be late, our flight lead was cutting Alfa out and going directly to Bravo. Stay up to date with the latest articles and selections from our archives. And I also thank you for taking the time to write down your harrowing and amazing experience in war. Then came the shock. 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. 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. 0000014213 00000 n 1:14. May God continue to bless you.

To those who try to insert politics, I agree that it is in extremely poor taste to try to make this such a venue. He called me to come back coming out of a Split S spin. WebU.S. Im glad you made it home. Spooky came in after that and made a few passes.

Again- Bless you & Scotty!

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 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. Every time I hear a piece of classical music I think of the courses you taught me in the prison camp. He is someone that I have always respected and admired. Thank you for sharing this. Be sure that you are always searching This Collection in the box to the left Click on a collection item to view the complete original document and its associated metadata. Stephen A. Rusch, an F-4 Phantom pilot during the Vietnam War, was shot down in southern Laos and considered missing in action. Our Motto YOU YELL, WE SHELL LIKE HELL, OPEN 24 HOURS A DAY. And then he shot down three Germans in one day on a mission to Ploesti, Rumania. This description of your combat experience and captivity is the first time Ive heard it and that only adds to my admiration for you, Joe. Dak Harney Peak who did far less than Dulles. They would persistently be trying to attack me while the militia men unemotionally fended them off. Fast forward 12 hours. How gracious of you to say semper fi; I believe we are brothers in the F4 community.

Pair of scanning Navy A-6s. 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. And when the pressurization system failed we were freezing our butts off! Dogwood 4 was an MND, Maintenance Non Delivery, i.e., no airplane! Joe- God Bless you & Scotty and all others that served like ya`ll ! 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. I looked for an escape route. Because the Director of Operations (DO) was leading a flight-of-four on MiG Cap hoping to shoot down a MiG. The Ken Burns documentary series on the Vietnam War generated a variety of responses, both positive and negative. 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. Joe, thanks for sharing and honoring Scotty. God Bless America and her brave warriors! There will always be those who dont get it. They did not want to lose their Skin in this deadly game while other Americans bravely went to war. I was concentrating on Scotty and my eyes were focused only on him. Welcome home. See also Is Tibetan same as Chinese?

Webnames of pilots shot down in vietnam.

You need four for effective mutual support; i.e., lookout coverage for all four in all quadrants. I wanted to join you in 1969 after college graduation, but my eyes only qualified me as good enough for USAF navigator. God bless you, Sir. The 366th TFW Gunfighters consisted of three squadrons; 389th, 390th and the 480th. Joe I want to start by thanking you profusely for attending and speaking at my brother Johns funeral 3 years ago. I always enjoyed flying with you and sharing a beverage. Im thinking, How does anybody know how their INS is doing when they cant see the ground? We were at 25,000 feet above a solid, 10,000-foot undercast. (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.

GBU my friend! Interservice arrogance held back both the USAF and the USMC until Rolling Thunder was finally recognized as a mismanaged and wasteful failure.

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. Iwo Jima. The man who had less than an hour ago cautioned me against premature ejection had ejected. Scotty yelled, GET OUT! With the OUT still echoing in my ears there was a BOOM!, then the air noise of the jettisoned canopy. The lone horse jumped the fence and hadnt been seen. Final loss: C-130E 72-1297 (314th TAW) destroyed by rocket fire at Tan Son Nhut AB on 28 April 1975. Cliff, I am very sorry for the loss of your Dad. In 1980 and 81, the McDonnell Douglas Plant in Tulsa, Oklahoma was remanufacturing F-4 fighters for the Air Force.

But then, the blood began to run down from the breaks in the skin on my head and into my eyes. https://www.loc.gov/item/powmia/pwmaster_14608/. USAF/ Air National Guard (Retired). I expect Patrick Walker and his ilk were those that fled the USA because they were chicken. I saw an F-4 fly low into Firebase Bastogne in January 1969 and pickle a few rounds on the guys that were over-running our base. 0000002184 00000 n 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. Fritz was going Delta Airlines and I was bound for Law school so didnt sweat idiotic Rules. Non-subscribers can read five free Naval History articles per month. 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. Thanks so very much. There were a total a 269 American and enemy aircraft shot down in air-to-air combat over Vietnam during the entire war201 in fights between the U.S. Air Force and North Vietnamese air force and just 68 in the U.S. Navys air battles with the North Vietnamese. Final loss: EB-66B 42nd TEWS, 388th TFS lost to engine failure on 23 December 1972 during Operation Linebacker II. Its Memorial Day, 2020. We knew radio chatter was recorded.

Joe, you are one incredible patriot and hero. 0000003754 00000 n

I hereby repeat all the usual thank yous, perhaps perfunctorily but with no less feeling.

The direct hit had felt like wed had a collision with a fully-loaded cement truck. 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 WebHe was shot down twice by enemy fire.A ceremonial bell was struck 10 times as the reading of names came to an end.

Click on the hotlinks for more information. 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

This requires the pilot to smoothly and precisely adjust control inputs to maintain takeoff attitude as the aircraft accelerates and the landing gear and flaps are retracted. Early in 1970, Army aviator Michael Novosel Jr. was shot down while on a routine helicopter flight over Vietnam. It was late November, the temperature was 40F, and all I had on were my underwear. 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. Cheers! 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. U-21 losses need added According to what looks like a reasonably well-sourced page on Wikipedia, a total of 3,032 aircraft were lost to hostile action during the Vietnam War (the actual total was considerably higher, as these numbers don't include Army rotary-wing aircraft), which means at least that many pilots were shot down (yes, some were shot down more than once, but they are way more than offset by the many aircraft that had two pilots). 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. After I was stabilized, the boomer cleared me into the contact position. 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. Ed McGaa, Marine F4s, Chu Lai Mostly CAS. My hats off to those who served. Thank you for sharing. May God continue to bless you, Joe. I am most grateful for the hero status conferred upon me by the predominance of commenters. 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. 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. P.39, Toperczer, Istvan.

He was crying. 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. You and Scotty are my heroes.

I am unable to understand why I didnt feel dazed by all of the blows to the head Id received. I was a flight engineer in the Air Force and National Guard. My father was lost in 64-0771 out of Cam Rahn 9/3/66.