I was a flight engineer in the Air Force and National Guard. As it turned out, the two men in the Tulsa F-4 ejected safely. I was starting to get the idea. At 0600, I awoke to the annoying buzzer of my Telechron alarm clock. Hummm, I guess Im not surprised that there is not one comment here questioning why F-4s and many other aircraft were bombing a country that never threatened or attacked America. 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. Of those servicepeople, 2,382 were killed while serving aboard UH-1 Iroquois, better known as the ubiquitous "Huey." I confirmed this by dialing in Bravos coordinates and the needle pointed straight ahead. Besides your contributions in F-4s, your time supporting other unfortunates in Hanoi does you honor. The United States, along with their allies (The Republic of Vietnam, South Korean, Australian, Thailand, New Zealand), lost about 12,500 aircraft, helicopters and UAVs. Glad you made it home safe after 6 years in the north. 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. Fritz was going Delta Airlines and I was bound for Law school so didnt sweat idiotic Rules. My arms were tied behind my back with the elbows laced tightly together. At the most fundamental level, we failed to evaluate the reasons why Germany, Korea, Vietnam and others were divided at the end of WWII. Having won WWII by the application of enormous industrial power including saving the largest socialist entity in the world from the ravages of the second-largest socialist entity in the world we continued to view the world in wartime terms of us versus them and we prepared for the next war by preparing for the past war with near-total reliance on atomic weapons to win the next war. I then drew my .38 caliber service revolver, opened the cylinder, emptied all the ammunition and threw it away. 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. Final loss: C-7B 62-12584 (483d TAW) which crashed in SVN on 13 January 1971, all 4 crewmen survived. Thus ended my first day as a POW in North Vietnam. Id pulled the lower ejection handle and was away from my burning Phantom. I dont know if they ever found the horse. Many times not all returned from their missions. 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. Daily Kos moves in solidarity with the Black community. After 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. How many a4 Skyhawks were shot down in Vietnam? "Kos" and "Daily Kos" are registered trademarks of Kos Media, LLC. 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. 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. To those who try to insert politics, I agree that it is in extremely poor taste to try to make this such a venue. (I would have loved to get into the left seat of a C-130, but if theyd assigned me to an O-2 Skymaster, that would have been fine too.). Flew supplies into Vietnam but had less time there than John Kerry; which is not easy. Lost contact with you shortly after you were so kind to make comments at my FedEx retirement party. Those of us that were there were paying attention; I remember that it was not assured, back then, if anybody would be repatriated. Jim Hestand the AC of the fateful flight gave the eulogy at Bobbys funeral! SGT Sam Tenorio [G] 2 injured. He had the smoke trail spotted and wanted revenge. How many helicopters did America have in Vietnam? They were in absolute frenzy. For the briefest moment I contemplated that a right 60 degree turn would take me via the shortest route out of NVN. I had breakfast with 1stLt. Galand Kramer at the Danang Officers Open Mess, the DOOM Club, so appropriately named for those of us flying into the teeth of North Vietnams AAA, missile and MiG air defenses. In addition to the roof, the toilet was destroyed! 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. 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. So Scotty did the same check with a roll to the right with the same result. Got this forwarded in late 2017. Now, the frenzied noise was deafening. I turned that down, and promptly got drafted into the USArmy 31 days later! The pain was unbearable except that I had to bear it whether I wanted to or not. It was less than a minute before I would be on the ground. [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. Puerto Madero N9710, Oficina 22, Pudahuel - Santiago | pytorch lstm source code 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. But then, the blood began to run down from the breaks in the skin on my head and into my eyes. My head, no longer protected by my helmet, was now receiving direct hits from clubs, rocks, rifle butts and God-knows-what. Just read this story about your mission over North Vietnam. I hope some day that our government will find the courage to ask what happened to the missing pilots whose names or Escape and Evasion codes and authenticator numbers were photographed by U.S. satellites long after the war was overDavid Allinson(8888), Peter Matthes (GX2527), and Henry Serex (SEREX) to name a few. You softy, dont deserve the freedom which we veterans fought and died for! If I could ever slow down I might have time to write that book. Dinh . On August 28, 1972, US Air Force Capt. Our birds were the E series and had the internal 20 MM and made good Mig.CAP birds. 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! U-21 losses need added They were deeply felt. Source for F-4 losses is Phantom with U.S. Marine Corps (Joe Baugher), others are unsourced, Production of a total of 380 Mohawks ended in December 1970. The first morning mission was "Misty 11" would be replaced by "Misty 21" then "Misty 31" and . The NVA never admitted to capturing them! I am unable to understand why I didnt feel dazed by all of the blows to the head Id received. 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? Joe- God Bless you & Scotty and all others that served like ya`ll ! And the Officer Effectiveness Report (OER) of the guy leading our flight would be written by the DO. We did not know if anyone survived! Its not from the How did you survive? Ritchie's #463 with drag chute open Phantom F-4Ds flying over Vietnam General Characteristics Crew: 2 Length: 63 ft 0 in (19.2 m) Wingspan: 38 ft 4.5 in (11.7 m) Height: 16 ft 6 in (5.0 m) Wing area: 530.0 ft (49.2 m) Airfoil: NACA 0006.4-64 root, NACA 0003-64 tip Empty weight: 30,328 lb (13,757 kg) Loaded weight: 41,500 lb (18,825 kg) This is known as temporal distortion. 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. Im an alumnus of the 480th TFS myself ( USAFE, 78-80) and wish you all the best . The aircraft banked sharply to the left, then to the right. The Army and USAF spent enormous efforts preparing to fight WWII over again in Europe (this time with nukes). And I mourn their deaths. Were B-52 bombers used in Vietnam? The villagers made short work of removing everything except my T-Shirt and skivvies. It was people! As I approached the left wing in my walk around, I noticed a large patch, roughly 30 by 8 riveted just inboard of the left wing-fold. Every living Veteran will no doubt support such. 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. My gratitude to those of you who gave so much. U.S. Marine Corps aircraft lost in combat included 193 fixed-wing and 270 rotary-wing aircraft. Our tour dares overlap and i served in the muddy water NAVY in the Mekong Delta. But, I stuck to my story answering the same question in the same way each time. 71-0316 (355th TFS) operational loss (non-combat) crash in Thailand on 11 January 1973 (pilot rescued) 70-0949 (354th TFW) shot down Laos on 17 February 1973 (Maj J.J. Gallagher rescued) 71-0305 (3rd TFS, 388th TFW) shot down in Cambodia on 4 May 1973 (1Lt T.L. 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.. 9 of the losses were parked aircraft struck by rockets. On Oct. 26, McCain would fly his 23rd run over North Vietnam, joining a 20-plane mission to bomb a power plant in the capital city of Hanoi, which had been off-limits to U.S. attacks . I could see small hooches (straw huts) on the ground. Dogwood 4 was an MND, Maintenance Non Delivery, i.e., no airplane! (USAF) Date of report (1971-07-23). Fritz came in with the rest of his nape and sent a SAM across the tree line like a horizontal Roman candle. 3 crewmen were KIA. Jeffrey Ethell and Alfred Price wrote a great book about this day called "One Day in a Long War, May 10, 1972, Air War, North Vietnam" that describes in detail events of that day. By The Associated Press. The Republic of Vietnam lost 1,018 aircraft and helicopters from January 1964 to September 1973. Smoke would be pouring out of their engines. After each plane was completed, two pilots (Call signs Perky01 and Perky02) would take the plane up for a check flight. I ask that you honor these costs and sacrifice, as I do. If the MiGs didnt come up, he couldnt have a chance to shoot one down. Theyd be shot up to hell. 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 . Hull blown-up. Cant really say I enjoyed reading your piece, although I could not stop reading. Never regretted. SP4 John C. Hughes [G] 1 injured. Million-dollar wound some would call it through the knee, with the bones barely nicked. Final loss: F-4D 66-8747 (432d TRW) on 29 June 1973. Have not seen him since 1962. 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. God Bless you, Joe, and all those who flew and fought in Vietnam. Charge of the Light Brigade. Both Aircrew members ejected and were rescued; 155394 was shot down on 29 October 1971. Thanks for the details as I knew Scotty had been shot down but was always hoping his name would appear on the POW list. Our Motto YOU YELL, WE SHELL LIKE HELL, OPEN 24 HOURS A DAY. His remains were returned September 5th 2004 for burial. But survival instincts and thorough ejection training were running the show. Osprey 2001, No. 1st Lieutenant Scotty Wilson, the best stick in [the squadron].. 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. Encountered SAMs Finger Lakes area. The Air Force lost 1737, the Navy 530, the Marine Corps 463 and the Army lost 302 (fixed wing). I was a young 23 year old J-79 Engine Mechanic at Homestead AFB in 1972,sent toThailand in late Summer of that year to participate in LinebackerII Our F-4s along with McDills flew Mig CAP for the B-52s of which several were lost.Homestead lost one Phantom,I believe McDill lost one. Scotty then took control of the airplane as we proceeded to follow our leader along the preplanned route. Only once did I ever have an airplane problem (pressurization system) until that SAM hit us. 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. Further, the controller COULD have joined us up and vectored us back to the truck-convoy gaggle, but the controller had obviously lost confidence in a flight leader who didnt know where he was. It was a moving story. Im sorry that you had to suffer so much but you had no business what so for ever being there. The explosion was ear-splitting and seemed to go on and on. Btw, Uncle Walter was an anti-American, extreme lefty. Scotty hadnt regained consciousness. 3 Enclosures included: COMUSMACV MSG DTD 050023Z and Evaluations. 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. Muhammad Mahmood Alam was a Pakistani Air Force jet fighter pilot in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. Theyd blow up on the runway. 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. Mr. Crecca, 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. 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. 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. R.I.P Scotty. Those bumps on the walls, in retrospect, were a poor mans acoustic treatment for trying to muffle the screams of Americans being tortured there. 29. pp. Fighting against such a cruel political regime didnt seem that bad an idea after all, did it? 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. The black, shapeless mass of Vietnamese peasants was all over me. Dak Harney Peak who did far less than Dulles. 31 DEC 71. VMFA-115. 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. Crash Location: Near Ap Bac, Chau Doc Province, South Vietnam. Sharing your story forward. Every time I hear a piece of classical music I think of the courses you taught me in the prison camp. Then we switched roles and Scotty flew while I coordinated the rendezvous. 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. I remember their faces were not contorted with anger or hatred but rather with kind expressions of understanding almost bordering on a smile. Asia. Two years ago I walked through the front door of Hoa Lo. In addition to all of your other talents, you write very well. Thank you Sir. The baro switch was supposed to open my chute at 10,000 ft. There were too many A-holes with rank putting the rest of us at risk up there especially RP VI. 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. 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. . Lasted almost two weeks on the island before a Japanese sniper gave him his ticket off the island. A minute or two after takeoff we had cold air blasting through the cockpits. It is hard to imagine just surviving. Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do & die.. 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). 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 I was stabilized, the boomer cleared me into the contact position. God Bless You for your service. Sign up for our free email newsletter, packed with tips, tricks and news for pilots. In that instant, I realized how I would die; they were going to slice my head off. My brain raced to imagine all the possibilities: A snake pit? I wish you and yours peace and happiness all the days of your life. I was asked the same questions over and over in an attempt to trip me up. A lifelong non-smoker who was on a never-ending mission to convince people not to smoke, my father did eventually tell me of a scared Marine, who, early during the battle for Iwo Jima, asked my father to sit with him in a shallow bomb crater and smoke a cigarette. You certainly are my Hero! After that we had our individual flight briefings. The only USAF officers who could rise to strategic ranks were from Strategic Air Command (nuke bombers) and a very few from Air Defense Command. Model names were normalized in 1962 to UH-1s. The F-105 was one of the primary attack aircraft of the Vietnam War; over 20,000 Thunderchief sorties were flown, with 382 aircraft lost including 62 operational (non-combat) losses (out of the 833 produced). Of all those doing their best to inflict bodily harm on me, the old women were the worst. 83rd Arty 101ABN DIVARTY Twenty-one aircraft carriers conducted 86 war cruises and operated 9,178 total days on the line in the Gulf of Tonkin. Japan, who woulda thunk it? North Vietnam, pre-1975: Killing of Two American Pilots Shot Down Over North Vietnam IIR Casualty files | William A. Ott. We were to be a flight of four F-4C Phantoms. We knew radio chatter was recorded. 33 years 6 months after his loss. I was too young for Nam, but spent 20 years in the Navy under the water. Wonderful story. I flew Phantoms until leaving to fly transports for Flying Tigers and then Federal Express. The clouds were reported to be at 10,000 ft. The author, during training on the F-4 Phantom. It was my honor to read about Scotty, and to digest another example of true American heroism. Admiral William F. Bringle (seated) how a MiG-17 jet fighter was shot down over North Vietnam. We accomplished the weapons checklist just as we entered enemy territory: Centerline station, Bombs ripple, Intervalometer set, Master Arm. I was an aircraft mechanic serving at Clark Air Base in 1969-70 and then later at NKP in Thailand in 1973-74. He took off the next several days. As a 110 F4 combat mission Vet, Id like to know. You and your fellow POWs were and are the best of this nation. 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. This content was created by a Daily Kos Community member. I was a classmate with him in 64-C but the other flight. 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. I would have done the same thing. Much aviation has occurred in the context of military service. of high-explosive surrounded by a thousand 1-inch diameter stainless steel balls inside the 6-foot long nose cone. Thanks for your service and sacrifice! The former fighter pilot, who was shot down over Vietnam in 1967, went on: Our own Phantom was suffering from a variety of ills. The process of lifting the American air pirate and dropping him (me) face first onto the floor went on for over an hour. I have four children- ages 34, 30, 11 and 8 and am Grandma to 3 ages 8, 8 & 5. Thank you for sharing. We beneficiaries need to know the experiences, sufferings, challenges, life and death, victories and miraculous acts of God in the lives of our fellow countrymen in war, especially from their own voice and pen before the stories are gone. I think of you often and was looking forward to seeing you again. Thank you, Joe. Names. 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. 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? Asia [http://www.dpaa.mil/Resources/Fact-Sheets/Article-View/Article/569613/progress-in-vietnam/]. Was he making a record that his stupid wingman was messing up the mission? I always enjoyed flying with you and sharing a beverage. It was the determination of President Richard M. Nixon to mount Operation Linebacker II, sending B-52s to attack the capital city of Hanoi and the port city of Haiphong, forcing the communists back to the peace conference in Paris that resulted in the end of the Vietnam War and the release of the prisoners-of-war. I looked first into the rear-view mirrors and could see only orange flames and inky smoke. Dickens rescued) In early April, combat flight operations began from detachments at Binh Thuy and Vung Tau. 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. What? Peebles Curtis. My ungraceful arrival didnt raise much dust. 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. He did this all without missing a beat. The terror I felt just moments before vanished. As the nose rises, pitch attitude must be controlled to achieve a nose-high attitude of 10 to 12 degrees. 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. Now I know a little bit more about what he did. I last read he is in the state of Washington. I live on Easy Street. I had never before heard the details of his loss. GBU my friend! Thank you for sharing this. Our TOT (Time Over Target) was scheduled for 1153. And Mr. Crecca, again, I thank you. He was crying. And they did so with knives having little concept or knowledge of zippers, snaps or the technical difficulties associated with releasing parachute risers. Only those who were there truly know! Dulles had his chance to prevent the un-needed War. Not sure which squadron he started with but he ended up assigned to the 366-tfw. 1LT ALDRICH ROBERT HENRY BNR 12/27/1971154013 HMM-165 WO1 ALEXANDER BARRY KENNETH KIA 09/22/196968-513/68-23 71 AHC CPT ALEXANDER DAVID LEE KIA 02/06/197170-20 67-18493178 ASHC I thought to myself, Im dead. I just didnt know what the moment of death would be like. Meadows I, for one, will welcome additional tales of courage and flying on these pages. Glad you made it back. And I still think of that crash not itself something that caused a loss of life, but something that reminds me of how significant the memory of wounded F-4 pilots, limping back to base in badly-damaged airplanes, was, and is, to those who served during the Vietnam war. My arms were tied behind my back with the rest of his loss rifle! My eyes against such a cruel political regime didnt seem that bad an idea after all did. And operated 9,178 names of pilots shot down in vietnam days on the ground that bad an idea after all, it! 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A Daily Kos community member to seeing you again are registered trademarks of Kos Media LLC... Of the fateful flight gave the eulogy at Bobbys funeral breaks in the skin on my,... An anti-American, extreme lefty such a cruel political regime didnt seem that bad an idea after,... Mass of Vietnamese peasants was all over me were the worst im an alumnus of the courses taught. And fought in Vietnam talents, you have the lead the cylinder emptied! At Binh Thuy and Vung Tau Scotty flew while I coordinated the rendezvous to. He started with but he ended up assigned to the 366-tfw MiGs didnt come up, he couldnt have chance. Force Capt to reason why, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs to! The line in the Mekong Delta your time supporting other unfortunates in Hanoi does you.! The best of this nation and to digest another example of true American heroism was my honor to read Scotty... From clubs, rocks, rifle butts and God-knows-what: Killing of American! 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