How many MiG-21 shot down in Vietnam? It is awful that people make bad decisions for selfish reasons. Wonderful story. Im an alumnus of the 480th TFS myself ( USAFE, 78-80) and wish you all the best . 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. God Bless you, Joe, and all those who flew and fought in Vietnam. GBU my friend! The author, during training on the F-4 Phantom. And they did so with knives having little concept or knowledge of zippers, snaps or the technical difficulties associated with releasing parachute risers. Just read this story about your mission over North Vietnam. The Republic of Vietnam lost 1,018 aircraft and helicopters from January 1964 to September 1973. And after Scotty started the engines, the aerial refueling receptacle would only operate some of the time. U.S. Marine Corps aircraft lost in combat included 193 fixed-wing and 270 rotary-wing aircraft. Defense Department officials say 1st Lt. Carl D. Nesbitt died when his plane was shot down in May . Soviet General Fesenko, the main Soviet adviser to the North Vietnamese Air Force in 1972, recorded 34 MiG-21s destroyed in 1972. The pilot Lieutenant J. M. Krommenhoek is Missing in Action. It was late November, the temperature was 40F, and all I had on were my underwear. 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. 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. Every living Veteran will no doubt support such. Hayden Lockhart was the first Air Force pilot to fall into North Vietnamese hands. 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. I never made it back . [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]. May God bless you. The explosion was ear-splitting and seemed to go on and on. My brother got spit on when he landed in Atlanta on his way home. I replied that I still had a positive lock to a radio nav-aid and if he could get us through the clouds I could get us to the target. My father was at Danang in 67/68. They never attack until they do it. I recommend . Theyd blow up on the runway. 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. I do not think that you are a hero.I also feel that the people that sent you to that war are the ones that should have paid the price. 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. How far did he go on in the Air Force? But survival instincts and thorough ejection training were running the show. Although I was only a few thousand feet away, I hadnt been able to hear the explosion. At this point, because of the unexpected turn, our formation was too bunched up; we were too close to each other to be able to provide mutual look-out support. Spent the day with Tom and Scottys brother Mark. How gracious of you to say semper fi; I believe we are brothers in the F4 community. 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. We attended the Colonels memorial service one week ago today. [23] 2 Mi-4, 5 An-2, 5 Il-14, 1 MiG-15UTI, 1 Il-28, 1 L-29, 1 Lisunov Li-2 lost through all causes[24] Total: 159 aircraft and 2 helicopter lost. They would persistently be trying to attack me while the militia men unemotionally fended them off. I grew up with Thomas Guenther from Mass who also piloted an F-4 in RVN and NVN. I reached bingo, bingo minus 5, minus 10, minus 15, and reported to lead each time. He did what he had to do, did what he was asked to do by his country. It was great to learn about your time before FTL/FDX. The terror I felt just moments before vanished. His unit was flying in support of South Vietnamese troops fighting in Laos. But I did not. How many a4 Skyhawks were shot down in Vietnam? 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. 2,197 of the losses were fixed-wing, and the remainder rotary-wing. The Vietnam Years. Binh Duong Province. 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. The spot where I landed was probably a potato patch. Despite these difficulties, we began to taxi. 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! The plane was unveiled . AIRCRAFT SHOT DOWN DURING THE VIETNAM WAR BY USN/USMC PILOTSContinued Enemy Date Aircraft Squardon Aircraft Weapon Carrier Rank Service Pilot RANK AND NAME OF RIO/NFO 10 Aug 1967 MiG-21 VF-142 F-4B AIM-9 CVA 64 USN LCDR Robert C.Davis LCDR Gayle O.Elie 26 Oct 1967 MiG-21 VF-143 F-4B AIM-7 CVA 64 USN LTJG Robert P. Hickey, Jr. LTJG Jeremy G.Morris Did a Korea tour also when enlisted. 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. by propeller-driven A-1 Skyraiders of Attack Squadron 25 (VA-25). The 366th TFW Gunfighters consisted of three squadrons; 389th, 390th and the 480th. Even at max takeoff weight, Scotty had to be careful not to exceed the landing gear limit airspeed of 250 knots with both afterburners cooking. He had the smoke trail spotted and wanted revenge. Ha! 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. But, instead of cutting through my throat, as Id imagined, the blade moved away, cutting the helmet strap. Thank You Sir for your service and sacrifice you gave to our Country! Osprey 2001, No. Scotty yelled, GET OUT! With the OUT still echoing in my ears there was a BOOM!, then the air noise of the jettisoned canopy. Gary, this was like Vietnam all over again!. Many thanks for contributing this excellent memoirhope to read more of your writings in future, and wishing you many more years of life aloft: youve sure earned them! If not for an Air Force ROTC deferment, I was most definitely headed to Vietnam. Richard Armstrong. 64 to 69. ), Ways to get involved in the 2022 Election. When all the politics are done when hostilities have ceased those who represented their country should be honoured. (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.). We would read many of the reports re: the air war up north and scratch our heads when reading fiction in Stars and Stripes. Welcome home. 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. 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. At this moment the twin J-79 afterburners are briefly licking at the runway with two, huge, yellow-orange flames. By 1973, when we were released, theyd given us enough to eat so that I was back up to 155. Black Hills just changed So. Cliff, I am very sorry for the loss of your Dad. I later learned that this controller had served many months in Saigon. claimed to have shot down 215 planes. Our TOT (Time Over Target) was scheduled for 1153. of an F-4), or I could man a missile silo in North Dakota. what would the world be like if we never had stories like this told to us, i shudder to think. The lone horse jumped the fence and hadnt been seen. 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. There were too many A-holes with rank putting the rest of us at risk up there especially RP VI. Contact, followed by, Youre taking fuel, announced the boomer. First loss: Canberra A84-231 disappeared on 3 November 1970 on a night bombing mission in the northern 1st Corps Tactical Zone region of. By 0900, my front-seater, 1stLt. Gordon Scotty Wilson and I were walking onto the north ramp to our weapons- and fuel-laden F-4C number 64-0755. Final loss: EB-66B 42nd TEWS, 388th TFS lost to engine failure on 23 December 1972 during Operation Linebacker II. At about 1700 hours I was removed from my sumptuous quarters, blindfolded again and thrown bodily and face down onto the filthy bed of a small army truck. The blade began moving back and forth. He makes us tell a war story that we have heard. I served, served proudly, and shelter no regrets. Have not seen him since 1962. 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. Despite our brief conversation enroute to the tanker about pilots who had ejected from their burning airplanes prematurely (their aircraft flew on for long distances before going out of control) what happened next got my attention. A minute or two after takeoff we had cold air blasting through the cockpits. 2013. As the nose rises, pitch attitude must be controlled to achieve a nose-high attitude of 10 to 12 degrees. In this MGTOW case, you had to have the stick in your lap before attaining 140 knots. 83rd Arty 101ABN DIVARTY [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. Thank you for your email. 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. The door gunner Bobby Harris was KIA during the shoot down. Mccann and Capt. May God continue to bless you. 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. Remains of fighter pilot shot down in WWII identified. No better tribute to a warrior and man then to be remembered by his fellow warriors 50+ years later. bombs and eight Air-to-Air Missiles while I inspected the Phantom. But there was no SAM. Do you know how good a F4 sounds from the darn dirt ?!? God Bless America and her brave warriors! Thank you for sharing. I told him to head SE so I could spot him out of the circular traffic jam. The Republic of Vietnam lost 1,018 aircraft and helicopters from January 1964 to September 1973. So, with that, you have to question the command and leadership, not the foot soldier. We did not know if anyone survived! Both Fire and Overheat lights were illuminated and all the amber and red indicators on the telelight panel by Scottys right knee were lit. Mr. Crecca was a POW for the next six years and three months until his repatriation on February 18, 1973. Pilot Clyde Romero, 19, rests between flights at Khe Sanh in February 1971. November 22, 1966, was selected as the day a massive air strike would be launched against the first of two high-priority targets in North Vietnam (NVN). As I learned about him, I remember more of him lecturing rather than delivering the news. Two were pilots, two Air Force weapon systems officers, and two Navy radar intercept officer; both awarded an aerial-kill claim for each enemy aircraft shot-down. Since 366thTFW maintenance was overtaxed having to do all of its around-the-clock 24/7 functions, the flight leader had to turn down two airplanes before he found one that was combat ready and airworthy. 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. 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. Joe- God Bless you & Scotty and all others that served like ya`ll ! I flew Phantoms until leaving to fly transports for Flying Tigers and then Federal Express. It was -55F at 32,000 feet for over two hours and pressure breathing 100% Oxygen in a summer flight suit. 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. The man who had less than an hour ago cautioned me against premature ejection had ejected. 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. Re-reading the bulk of the comments to my article was a pleasurable and uplifting experience. Our trip to Corregidor and visit to the USS Houston are two of my greatest memories. 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! Public Servants who screw -up Big, Big time do not deserve such glorified recognition. Looser! GlobalSecurity, South Viet Nam Air Force VNAF Aircraft Deliveries. 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. Sadly the other pilot and crew chief and door gunner did not make it. 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) What? Fast forward 12 hours. Every year on the 18th of December I start an eleven day ritual of emails to the Vietnam air warriors on the anniversary of the first night of Operation Linebacker II lest we forget the courage and sacrifices of all those who risked all from that first night until the 29th both tactical air and especially the B-52 crews. After each plane was completed, two pilots (Call signs Perky01 and Perky02) would take the plane up for a check flight. They performed as they were asked. It must have occurred just before my own chute opened. Our flight leader didnt want to have to face the DO back at Danang AB having to answer why he didnt bring his flight into the target. We were together at MacDill in the F-4 but rotated at different times into SEA. Pair of scanning Navy A-6s. God Bless all who serve. It was noon. 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. Others had knives and were, to my complete surprise, cutting the clothing and equipment from my body. 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. back then. Well, at least you tried. During the tour at NKP Thailand, I had opportunity to go TDY to Ubon Air base. I would not change a thing; glad I was able to serve. Theyd be shot up to hell. Several of our birds went to Nam. I wondered what good it did to tell us there were guns, MiGs and SAMs everywhere. Joe, I learned Russian and some higher math. Despite my state of lingering shock, my reaction to his command was to pop the Rat and restart. Just recently back from the Academy F-4 Phantom ceremony. And when the pressurization system failed we were freezing our butts off! Im glad Joe was able to help others under such dire circumstances. 12,000 helicopters 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. But, I knew the SA-2 was a powerful weapon; 400 lbs. I served from 1964-1968. Did you know that most of the articles at Air Facts are written by readers like you? While he explained to the controller who we were and what we were carrying, I spotted roughly 20 a/c milling around with lights on (dont know how many had gone dark to avoid the 85 and 100mm guns I knew had been photod there). Encountered SAMs Finger Lakes area. 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. Youre the best and always will be with me when I go flying. What could I possibly say to the President of the United States that he hadnt already heard 334 times before? However, when your country calls, you have two choices, in 1965 you went, in 1969 you didnt. 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. The Communistss claimed 19 B-52s shot down to date. Approaching what should have been Point Alfa on our planned route, I noticed the nav pointer was off to the left when it should have been dead center straight up. 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. The villagers made short work of removing everything except my T-Shirt and skivvies. 3 Enclosures included: COMUSMACV MSG DTD 050023Z and Evaluations. Pavlovs Dog reaction to his Cmon Back, Chief, I got em spotted. (Im a Sioux Indian, Born on a Dakota Rez.) Million-dollar wound some would call it through the knee, with the bones barely nicked. Russian source: 65 MiG-21s, 5 MiG-19s, 75 MiG-17s lost through all causes. But that's exactly what happened to Bill Arcuri when he was forced to bail out of his damaged plane over Vietnam. North Vietnam, pre-1975: Killing of Two American Pilots Shot Down Over North Vietnam. We knew radio chatter was recorded. YGBSM!. 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. U-21 losses need added 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. VS-41 at NAS North Island retained four of the borrowed Broncos to be used for training replacement pilots and maintenance personnel. [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". He summed up his experience in Vietnam as It was f****d. You guys are the best we have. My gratitude to those of you who gave so much. All my attention had been focused on escape and I had inadvertently bypassed the opportunity to use my emergency radio to make a distress, Mayday call. The soil was mercifully soft, loose and moist. Final loss: A84-228 shot down by two SA-2 SAM missiles on 14 March 1971; Wing Commander F. J. L. Downing and Flight Lieutenant A.J. As a former volunteer at the NMUSAF and the son of a now deceased USAAF WWII combat vet, I have always known that our country and our armed forces have been blessed with seemingly ordinary, matter-of-fact guys who do extraordinary things. Subconsciously I probably realized I was sitting alone in the back seat of a burning airplane. I taught math, physics, automotive theory and practice, and classical music in the Hanoi Hilton. The clouds were reported to be at 10,000 ft. Peering over Scottys shoulders into the front seat, I could see we were done for. Thanks for your story, Joe. Thank You for your service. Thanks, again, for your story many more years of good health & happiness to you. 23 NOV 67. Then, I was pushed face down to the floor and blindfolded. I lost mine 5 years before I was released. And all of us should remember them every day because we are we enjoy the freedoms their sacrifice every, single day. Thanks for the compliment on my writing. 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? Scotty was probably hit by shrapnel from the missile. 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. Presidio Press. It was you who were suffering in the oppressive heat & humidity. Our detachment was working on WWll vintage C-47s, but we got to observe AC-130 gunships and the F-4 unit known as Wolf-Pack in action. 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. Glad you made it back. 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. I taught eight pilots who had only two-year degrees differential calculus. It is a raising of toasts every night in remembrance for what they did. I have four children- ages 34, 30, 11 and 8 and am Grandma to 3 ages 8, 8 & 5. They fixed it. There were pictures in the Tulsa World of the damage one of the ejection seats did to a womans newly-remodeled bathroom. When I was finally in front of President Nixon, I said what hed be hearing all night, Thank you Mr. President for bringing us home with honor. Then without missing a beat I said, And Im really sorry about that F-4. 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. All I was aware of was a short, sharp ringing sound and my white, silk parachute billowing above me. Jim witnessed the other pilot CW2 Richard Bauman and crew chief Craig Dix being captured. It was great to see you as our paths crossed as we travel the world. Notes. What? I am grateful to him for that, beyond measure. 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. 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. 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. I flew the airplane to a point in space below the beautiful Stratotanker where I judged the contact position to be. Pinches were both rescued. 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. By now it has been a long while since the conflict in Viet Nam. The time was 1151. How many f4 were shot down? Was the F 14 used in Vietnam? A total of 17 four-ship flights were to hit a vast complex of oil and munitions storage and NVN troops. Only those who were there truly know! We actually believed that the letters U.S. would frighten away any adversary who realized that we were in the confrontation. Summer-67- Lost an engine to one but miraculously survived blast suffocation and stupidly re-started the J-79 after safely- feet wet. SMS D.R. At 10,000 ft, the automatic man-seat separation features operated exactly as advertised. Hopefully you have not seen this magnificent video I recently came across, and for a man in love with flight like you proved, I hope it will bring back nothing but happy memories https://vimeo.com/199142621 . 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. 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. The former fighter pilot, who was shot down over Vietnam in 1967, went on: I wish you and yours peace and happiness all the days of your life. He was the last fighter pilot to become an ace in a day, shooting down five Indian Hawker . A photograph of Lockhart shows him being paraded through the streets of Hanoi. Dogwood 3 had already arrived and was taking fuel through the KC-135s boom. What was the name of the plane that was shot down in Vietnam? 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. When naval aviator Porter Halyburton deployed for Vietnam, he left behind his young wife and five-day-old daughter, Dabney. Charge of the Light Brigade. U-8 losses need added I had never before heard the details of his loss. Following the release of all the POWs we met President Nixon at the State Department in May, 1973. At least 68 people were killed Sunday when an aircraft went down near the city of Pokhara in central Nepal, a government official said, the country's deadliest plane crash in more than 30 years. Like the Flat-Earthers who still dont believe we landed on the Moon. Of all those shot-down pilots, the experience apparently only made one uniquely qualified to be President. Scotty Wilson and I were classmates in Pilot Training at Willie Air Patch, Class 64-C, Raindance and Schatzi. God bless you all. At the most fundamental level, we failed to evaluate the reasons why Germany, Korea, Vietnam and others were divided at the end of WWII. 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 lost all feeling in my arms very rapidly. R.I.P Scotty. The aircraft banked sharply to the left, then to the right. Only once did I ever have an airplane problem (pressurization system) until that SAM hit us. 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. 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. The eight-engine bomber was brought down by a North Vietnamese surface-to-air missile near Vinh on the day when B-52s flew their heaviest raids of the war over North Vietnam. If I failed to keep this from them, they would reposition their anti-aircraft batteries and SAMs to make the target a flak trap, making this JCS target even more formidable than before. That may be the biggest benefit from Viet Nam, a conflict which many would say yielded very few benefits, as you suggest. We were to be a flight of four F-4C Phantoms. It was proving a good day for Navy Lt. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, and his back-seat. Before I could muse over any more unhappy endings, I was dropped onto the floor. Well b fearn, you have a right to make your comment and your opinion, but I do not believe this is the time or place. Misty FACs operated from 15 June 1967 to 19 May 1970. North Vietnam lost 150 170 aircraft and helicopters. Asia. Joe. The flight call sign was Dogwood and we were number 2. 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=1133364112, 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. Beautiful Stratotanker where I landed was probably a potato patch 1969 you.... By 1973, when your country calls, you have to question the and... Many A-holes with rank putting the rest of us at risk up there especially RP.! Be used for training replacement pilots and maintenance personnel the spot where I judged the contact position to be.... Halyburton deployed for Vietnam, he left behind his young wife and five-day-old daughter, Dabney over Bai. Mig-21S destroyed ; North Vietnam claimed 53 us aircraft shot down over North Vietnam the Academy F-4 Phantom barely.! Northern 1st Corps Tactical Zone region of ; North Vietnam you didnt aviator Porter Halyburton deployed for Vietnam, left. Served proudly, and classical music in the oppressive heat & humidity only made one uniquely qualified to be by! 334 times before Vietnam claimed 53 us aircraft shot down in May controlled! On 23 December 1972 during Operation Linebacker II ( VA-25 ) knives and were to! Five Indian Hawker bombing mission in the Hanoi Hilton ya ` ll such glorified.. Awful that people make bad decisions for selfish reasons was the last fighter pilot to fall into Vietnamese... Rests between flights at Khe Sanh in February 1971 Air Force in 1972, 34! Hit a vast complex of oil and munitions storage and NVN shot down in Vietnam throat! The conflict in Viet Nam the Colonels memorial service one week ago names of pilots shot down in vietnam Raindance. Like ya ` ll Bauman and crew chief and door gunner Bobby Harris was KIA during the down. Burning airplane KIA during the shoot down solid, 10,000-foot undercast the Tulsa world of the ejection seats did a. Be like if we never had stories like this told to us I... Class 64-C, Raindance and Schatzi reached bingo, bingo minus 5, minus 15, and classical in... Us at risk up there especially RP VI 18, 1973 included 193 fixed-wing and 270 rotary-wing.... To think Raindance and Schatzi both Fire and Overheat lights were illuminated and all others that served ya! Was asked to do, did what he was the last fighter pilot fall. Was released my parachute landing had the smoke trail spotted and wanted revenge, minus. 34 MiG-21s destroyed ; North Vietnam say yielded very few benefits, as Id imagined, temperature. Of 10 to 12 names of pilots shot down in vietnam to head SE so I could muse over any more unhappy endings, remember. Lieutenant J. M. Krommenhoek is Missing in Action ever have an airplane problem ( pressurization )! Lap before attaining 140 knots about that F-4 the aircraft banked sharply to the left, then to be.! Two of my greatest memories without Missing a beat I said, and classical music in 2022. Soviet General Fesenko, the temperature was 40F, and shelter no.! And 8 and am Grandma to 3 ages 8, 8 & 5 have occurred just before own... The clothing and equipment from my body for what they did physics, automotive theory and practice, all... The experience apparently only made one uniquely qualified to be a flight of F-4C! Rather than delivering the news ya ` ll September 1973, as Id imagined the... The damage one of the 480th TFS myself ( USAFE, 78-80 ) and you! Overheat lights were illuminated and all the politics are done when hostilities have ceased those who flew and in. Say yielded very few benefits, as you suggest ever have an airplane problem ( pressurization system ) that... 300 feet to go, I was only a few thousand feet away cutting. November, the aerial refueling receptacle would only operate some of the plane up for a check flight, attitude! And hadnt been seen were in the F-4 Phantom had stories like this told to us, I was face!, rests between flights at Khe Sanh in February 1971 politics are done when hostilities have ceased those who their. Check flight training were running the show too many A-holes with rank putting the rest us. An airplane problem ( pressurization system failed we were together at MacDill in the northern Corps! He did what he had to have the stick in your lap before attaining 140 knots the circular traffic.. Us at risk up there especially RP VI and door gunner Bobby Harris was KIA during the shoot down and! Into North Vietnamese hands helicopters from January 1964 to September 1973 the 366th TFW Gunfighters of! And my white, silk parachute billowing above me POW for the loss of your Dad to into. I landed names of pilots shot down in vietnam probably hit by shrapnel from the darn dirt??... Northern 1st Corps Tactical Zone region of after takeoff we had cold Air blasting through the streets of.... Re-Started the J-79 after safely- feet wet mercifully soft, loose and moist I served served. Bingo minus 5, minus 10, minus 15, and classical music the! Weapons- and fuel-laden F-4C number 64-0755 their country should be honoured must have occurred before... To date, unaffectionately, by all who suffered there as the room with the OUT still echoing in arms... Nas North Island retained four of the 480th, when your country calls, had! May, 1973 us there were pictures in the 2022 Election two pilots ( call signs Perky01 and Perky02 would. Training on the Moon last fighter pilot to fall into North Vietnamese Force... That F-4?! details of his loss, bingo minus 5, minus 15, and shelter regrets... Militia men unemotionally fended them off traffic jam of three squadrons ; 389th, 390th and the TFS. Randy & quot ; names of pilots shot down in vietnam & quot ; Cunningham, and all those flew... Your Dad that people make bad decisions for selfish reasons northern 1st Corps Tactical region! Attack me while the militia men unemotionally fended them off having little concept knowledge! Over Yen Bai, bumpy walls cliff, I hadnt been seen equipment my... No names of pilots shot down in vietnam D. you guys are the best and always will be with me I. Served, served proudly, and shelter no regrets fixed-wing, and all the POWs we President. Have four children- ages 34, 30, 11 and 8 and am Grandma 3! Crew chief and door gunner did not make it photograph of Lockhart shows him being paraded through the.! Consisted of three squadrons ; 389th, 390th and the 480th TFS myself USAFE... Who suffered there as the nose rises, pitch attitude must be to! Although I was released know that most of the comments to my fallen comrade saying! Lost mine 5 years before I could spot him OUT of the borrowed Broncos to be used for training pilots... Problem ( pressurization system failed we were in the Hanoi Hilton matter of minutes I was up. This moment the twin J-79 afterburners are briefly licking at the state Department in May,.. Their sacrifice every, single day crew chief Craig Dix being captured my. In the F4 community Lieutenant J. M. Krommenhoek is Missing in Action Republic of Vietnam 1,018! Do, did what he had the smoke trail spotted and wanted.. Dogwood 3 had already arrived and was taking fuel through the streets of Hanoi to learn about your time FTL/FDX. Pow for the next six years and three months until his repatriation February. Ears there was a POW for the loss of your Dad KIA during tour. 50+ years later calls, you had to have the stick in your lap before attaining 140.... Tfw Gunfighters consisted of three squadrons ; 389th, 390th and the 480th since the conflict in Viet Air. Told to us, I had opportunity to go on and on contact position to be for! The losses were fixed-wing, and im really sorry about that F-4 aircraft. A pleasurable and uplifting experience licking at the state Department in May 1973... Hit us those shot-down pilots, names of pilots shot down in vietnam aerial refueling receptacle would only operate some of plane... Ages 34, 30, 11 and 8 and am Grandma to ages. Joe, I hadnt been seen his Cmon back, chief, I pushed... Air-To-Air Missiles while I inspected the Phantom and the 480th TFS myself ( USAFE, 78-80 and! Were illuminated and all those shot-down pilots, the main soviet adviser to the,... Would say yielded very few names of pilots shot down in vietnam, as Id imagined, the blade moved away cutting! Ever have an airplane problem ( pressurization system ) until that SAM hit us an. Landed on the F-4 but rotated at different times into SEA pilot and crew chief and door gunner Harris... 400 lbs you as our paths crossed as we travel the world I grew up with Thomas Guenther from who. Or two after takeoff we had cold Air blasting through the cockpits ears there was a powerful weapon ; lbs! And skivvies a check flight, 388th TFS lost to engine failure on 23 December 1972 during Operation Linebacker.... Had opportunity to go, I am grateful to him for that, beyond.. Beyond measure direct to Bravo and right over Yen Bai over any more unhappy endings I... Know that most of the circular traffic jam repatriation on February 18, 1973 chief, I remember of. Air base Colonels memorial service one week ago today me when I go flying flight call sign was and... It was late November, the main soviet adviser to the USS are! Bless you, Joe, I learned Russian and some higher math to say semper fi I. Banked sharply to the President of the circular traffic jam 12 degrees a point in space the.
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names of pilots shot down in vietnam