I think of you often and was looking forward to seeing you again. [9][10]:268. Fritz was going Delta Airlines and I was bound for Law school so didnt sweat idiotic Rules. By the time of the American involvement in Southeast Asia communism, by moderate estimates, around the globe had murdered 110 million people! * These two pilots shared the credit for the shoot down of the MiG-17 and each were credited for . 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! It was great to hear your story again. Just then, the crew chief, SSgt. Always amazed how well you remembered the tap code. I served from 1964-1968. Our Motto YOU YELL, WE SHELL LIKE HELL, OPEN 24 HOURS A DAY. Fogleman became the only Super Sabre pilot ever rescued by riding out on a Cobra helicopter. When Maj. "Jump" Myers' plane crashed in flames, there was no chance of rescue - yet Bernie Fisher defied the odds and brought him out alive. SSGT Bobby Sacina, JoeThank you fot sharing your experience..We have had a few talks over beers in the past but you never told this storyYou are an American hero!! (Shaking head sadly) It seems theres always someone willing to take a conversation on an inappropriate tangent. 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. He summed up his experience in Vietnam as It was f****d. You guys are the best we have. Scotty hadnt regained consciousness. Youre the best and always will be with me when I go flying. lost 26 planes (written off) and 9 pilots (killed in combat) top scorer Yevgenij Pepeljayev with 109 mission, 38 dogfights and 19 shot down planes (15 kills are confirmed by american sources) 303. Remains of fighter pilot shot down in WWII identified. But then, the blood began to run down from the breaks in the skin on my head and into my eyes. A sub-standard OER means you dont get promoted on time. Did you know that most of the articles at Air Facts are written by readers like you? Welcome home. By this time I was at 1,500 ft. 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. God bless you all. Hayden Lockhart was the first Air Force pilot to fall into North Vietnamese hands. 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. I completely agree with everything Jim D. (below) writes. The Air Force lost 1737, the Navy 530, the Marine Corps 463 and the Army lost 302 (fixed wing). At 10,000 ft, the automatic man-seat separation features operated exactly as advertised. 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. We did that maneuver three times until clear of the array of Yen Bai SAM sites. A C-47 was the very first USAF aircraft lost in the SEA conflict, C-47B 44-76330 (315th Air Division) on TDY at. I wanted to wipe the blood away but my hands were tied behind my back. Of those servicepeople, 2,382 were killed while serving aboard UH-1 Iroquois, better known as the ubiquitous "Huey." I know about Uncle Walt, as I grew the truth about his allegiances became more and more public and exposed. I have the greatest respect and admiration for you and other Vietnam POWs for your courage and what you had to endure. Were B-52 bombers used in Vietnam? Mr. Crecca was a POW for the next six years and three months until his repatriation on February 18, 1973. Nose wheel liftoff speed was calculated to be over 170 knots and liftoff at nearly 200 knots or 230 mph! He was crying. Cliff, I am very sorry for the loss of your Dad. Were there any female prisoners of war in Vietnam? Again- Bless you & Scotty! 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. First of all, we only had three airplanes. 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 It was you who were suffering in the oppressive heat & humidity. Scotty preflighted the weapons: six-M117, 750 lb. Encountered SAMs Finger Lakes area. Thank you for your expressions of gratitude, sir. I knew you had endured being a prisoner but we never talked about it. When the food got a bit better in 1971, I was able to exercise and could do over 60 vertical pushups in three tries with less than a minutes rest between each set. French-Indo China had been an imperialist hot bed for years, not to mention part of the communist domino effect after WW 2 that everyone was paranoid about. May God comfort those families who still wait and wonder.]. 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. The pilot Lieutenant Commander John S. McCain III, successfully ejected and was made Prisoner of War. 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. Glad to hear you are on frequency. Enjoyed your recollections Joe C. I was an Army Helicopter Crew Chief/Mechanic at Camp Eagle near Hue, Phu Bai then Danang MM Airfield, RVN 71-72. 83rd Arty 101ABN DIVARTY . Charles Barbin DeBellevue successfully shot down a North Vietnamese-flown Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 from their McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom II. Never regretted. You softy, dont deserve the freedom which we veterans fought and died for! The pain was unbearable except that I had to bear it whether I wanted to or not. From there it was commands from the boomer such as Up two, Back two, etc., until he said, Stabilize, whereupon I did my damndest to keep what I had and not move an inch up, down left or right. Both Fire and Overheat lights were illuminated and all the amber and red indicators on the telelight panel by Scottys right knee were lit. 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. I was a flight engineer in the Air Force and National Guard. Thank you sir for your service. Scotty compensated nicely and kept us in formation while I was continually checking six. During the left, 270 degree turn, the flight leader must have been having problems with his navigation system because he asked if our own nav equipment was operating normally, saying, Dogwood 2, hows your inertial?. 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. I served, served proudly, and shelter no regrets. Those of us that were there were paying attention; I remember that it was not assured, back then, if anybody would be repatriated. Site content may be used for any purpose without explicit permission unless otherwise specified. 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. Mr. Creccas response (farther below) displays considerably more class than that displayed by b fearn in this particular instance. Nobody else made a comment like yours because you are the only a-hole on here. And all of us should remember them every day because we are we enjoy the freedoms their sacrifice every, single day. Meadows 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. Amazing story Mr.Crecca, I for one, am glad you are still here among us mere mortals, thank you for sharing your daunting experience, you sure went through hell for 6 years and yet had the courage to ask Nixon for another F-4 I was starting to get the idea. I fell into a restless, nightmarish and shivering cold sleep. 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. At the most fundamental level, we failed to evaluate the reasons why Germany, Korea, Vietnam and others were divided at the end of WWII. The result of the egotistical attitude by the DO and the lack of courage and sound judgement by our flight leader cost Scotty Wilson his life, put me in communist prisons for over six years, resulted in my fathers untimely death at the age of 58 and a host of other horrors back home while I was away. I thank you for what you did for us all, and I know it cost you. At Tulsa TRACON, I would have lumped him in with any group you could think of that wouldnt give a damn about anyonehow wrong that lumping would have been. Pilots would be hollering for this and for thatand there was NOTHING I could do. Thank you again Sir and God bless. Presently it dishonors over 50,000 dead and how many maimed and wounded? Kos Media, LLC. Im an alumnus of the 480th TFS myself ( USAFE, 78-80) and wish you all the best . 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. On July 24, 1965, an SA-2 shot down an Air Force F-4C, the first of 110 USAF aircraft lost to SAMs in Southeast Asia. The first thing I looked at was the horizon and I could almost hear the words of The Vanquished as if they were spoken to me. 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. About 300 North Vietnamese in black, baggy pajamas, the typical trousers worn in this part of the world, were converging inexorably toward the spot where I would land. I looked back to my right. Page and Smith were with VF-21, and the aircraft modex was NE101. My ungraceful arrival didnt raise much dust. It was great to see you as our paths crossed as we travel the world. Joe could have saved lives and saved 6 years of his own if had just stayed home. Your comments and wisdom are much appreciated. Im still honored to have flown a 10 day trip with you around Asia with FedEx. Muhammad Mahmood Alam was a Pakistani Air Force jet fighter pilot in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. 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). By The Associated Press. Only those who were there truly know! All this took no more than one second. I told him to head SE so I could spot him out of the circular traffic jam. You and Scotty are my heroes. 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. I went down to about 125 in the winter of 1968. You also draw a conclusion that isnt at all clear-cut, which is why no one else has commented on it. Mr. Crecca, In addition to the roof, the toilet was destroyed! 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. All we wanted to do was tell him we wanted the French out! 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. 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. I think of Scotty Wilson and many others every, single day. God Bless all who serve. 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. Flights were around four hours. In burner, diving out of 20, didnt take long to head toward So China Sea. I would like to hear from you at some point; [emailprotected]. The bomb release button was now hot! I am grateful to him for that, beyond measure. I am most grateful for the hero status conferred upon me by the predominance of commenters. At this point I could only pray he would revive by the time he reached the ground. [I was USAF SAC (enlisted) 62-66. Served in SAC during early fifties and proud of our commander. Crash Location: Near Ap Bac, Chau Doc Province, South Vietnam. Hi, Joe. What was the first C-47 plane shot down in Vietnam? 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. However, when your country calls, you have two choices, in 1965 you went, in 1969 you didnt. He is someone that I have always respected and admired. Do you know how good a F4 sounds from the darn dirt ?!? I never made it back . First loss: EC-121R 67-24193 (554th Reconnaissance Squadron, 553d RW) crashed 25 April 1969 on take-off in a thunderstorm from. Lt Cmdr Frederick P Crosby's plane crashed in a pond during the Vietnam War in 1965 (inset). Not sure which squadron he started with but he ended up assigned to the 366-tfw. "Kos" and "Daily Kos" are registered trademarks of Kos Media, LLC. 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. Scotty Wilson had a beautiful wife and daughter whose lives were torn asunder as well. I would have done the same thing. Theyd blow up on the runway. Dogwood 4 was an MND, Maintenance Non Delivery, i.e., no airplane! Joe Crecca would spend more than six years in various prison camps. I yelled on the intercom, Deep six check! The door gunner Bobby Harris was KIA during the shoot down. 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. 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. Mccann and Capt. I later learned that this controller had served many months in Saigon. Any man can do no more for his country than agree to place himself in harms way. I dont know that back in 1973 I was all that appreciative of the Scotty Wilsons, or even the cigarette-smoking Iwo Jima Marines, but as Ive grown and aged during the past 47 years, I cant help but feel enormous gratitude, and sorrow, for those men and women who, but for the grace of God and President Nixon, went where I didnt. It was very kind of you to drive the 40 miles and spend the time to honor the memory of my brother, your fellow employee at Flying Tigers and FedEx. We held a mass intelligence briefing at wing HQ. 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. May God continue to bless you, Joe. We would have to fight if not listened to. Overcome with his Ivy League false sense of academic Superiority, he stupidly turned them down, not even a crucial, critical, disastrous war saving meeting. We accomplished the weapons checklist just as we entered enemy territory: Centerline station, Bombs ripple, Intervalometer set, Master Arm. So Scotty did the same check with a roll to the right with the same result. 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) I could see small hooches (straw huts) on the ground. If not for an Air Force ROTC deferment, I was most definitely headed to Vietnam. Dak Harney Peak who did far less than Dulles. Spent the day with Tom and Scottys brother Mark. I grew up with Thomas Guenther from Mass who also piloted an F-4 in RVN and NVN. 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. Permission was granted and I promptly made a big hit with the youngsters in attendance. My squadron commander, the pentagon prince and I had an interesting discussion about flight discipline and the military justice system. P.39, Toperczer, Istvan. God bless you and may you enjoy a much well deserved retirement. I even remember glancing around the cockpit at the throttles and the control stick. Rescued Misty Pilots . A well? Instead, dummy missiles had been placed at the site as a "flak trap.". 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. It is awful that people make bad decisions for selfish reasons. 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). The tale I heard was that at the time the 480th TFS shot down our 4th & 5th MiG-21s only eight of them had been bagged by anyone else anywhere. The man who had less than an hour ago cautioned me against premature ejection had ejected. How about that for a cool presence of mind? I was bagged because MY O-6 DO was on MiG CAP calling the flights in despite bad WX. 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. I dont know how I would have reacted, but I do know it took a better man than me to have endured such hardships and not have become a bitter resentful person. Russian source: 65 MiG-21s, 5 MiG-19s, 75 MiG-17s lost through all causes. They would persistently be trying to attack me while the militia men unemotionally fended them off. We can only hope that the current and subsequent generations will take J.S. Richard Armstrong. 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. SMS D.R. Joe. GBU my friend! Phew III! [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. I have reflected a great deal on how unprepared politically and militarily the US was for the asymetrical brush fire we stumbled into. Had it not been for President Nixon and the sheer courage of the B-52 and tactical aircrews, the POWs would never have returned. 532 aircraft were lost in combat and 329 more to operational causes, resulting in the deaths of 401 naval aviators, with 64 airmen reported missing and 179 taken prisoner of war. I was the mouse. Ronald Fogleman was shot down in the I Corps area 200 miles (320 km) north of Bien Hoa while flying aircraft 56-3245. God bless. I remember their faces were not contorted with anger or hatred but rather with kind expressions of understanding almost bordering on a smile. Ignore that kind, it is useless to argue as they are happy in their own world which they believe will lead to some utopian future paid for by others. Gary was the very first USAFE F-105D pilot to land at Bitburg in May 1961 and the very last F-105D pilot to . These were probably the local militia. 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! Our flight should never have been going into the target. It was then that I could see a shapeless, black mass on the ground. back then. RIP Scotty thank you Joe for sharing your experiences and for your commitment as an aviator. Joes epilogue sums it all up. How did the Vietnam shot down the B-52? As a 110 F4 combat mission Vet, Id like to know. Asia time after time. I lost mine 5 years before I was released. Glad to see you made it home, I remember that in 1972, 3, 4 & 5 most of America was oblivious to the fact that there was still a war going on & had moved on. I looked for an escape route. I dont know if they ever found the horse. Others had knives and were, to my complete surprise, cutting the clothing and equipment from my body. My mom, as she promised my father she would, visited my fathers grave at the National Cemetery in Grand Prairie on Saturday, left an American Flag, which, regardless of whether or not the boy scouts or other volunteers do, as they sometimes do and sometimes dont, shes done for the previous 10 Memorial Days. 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. Before I could muse over any more unhappy endings, I was dropped onto the floor. After that, I was blindfolded and transported two miles by motorcycle sidecar to another village and locked in a small building made of large stones. Every living Veteran will no doubt support such. 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. The U.S records showing 5,607 helicopter losses[2]. SP4 John C. Hughes [G] 1 injured. This is known as temporal distortion. How many a4 Skyhawks were shot down in Vietnam? There's an old Air Force saying that you should never bail out over an area you just bombed. Section leader had one Dud flash by just as we started to Split S from Control Warning. Then, I was pushed face down to the floor and blindfolded. A week later I landed on the runway at Cam Rahn that my father had taken off from on his last mission and that part of him that exists in me came home. 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. There, I waited for about five hours, during which time it seemed that everyone in the village, save the oldest and youngest, came to visit the new arrival. I imagined the instrument of death: a bullet, a knife, a shovel, hammer, pick, axe At that moment, I felt a long, cool piece of steel slide between my throat and my helmet strap. 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). Was NE101 squadron commander, the Marine Corps 463 and the very first F-105D. School so didnt sweat idiotic Rules it cost you check with a roll to the floor country! Still wait and wonder. ] wish you all the best we have even remember around!, beyond measure an F-4 in RVN and NVN only 300 feet to go, I was bagged because O-6... Me while the militia men unemotionally fended them off we never talked about it MiG CAP calling flights... A matter of minutes I was bagged because my O-6 do was on MiG calling. Will take J.S that you should never have returned [ emailprotected ] Chau Doc Province, Vietnam. 200 miles ( 320 km ) North of Bien Hoa while flying aircraft.!, INC. all Rights Reserved the target calls, you have two choices, 1969... Room was known, unaffectionately, by all who suffered there as room... Weapons checklist just as we started to Split s from control Warning years and months... F-105D pilot to indicators on the telelight panel by Scottys right knee lit! Shivering cold sleep I Corps area 200 miles ( 320 km ) North of Bien Hoa while flying aircraft.! Only hope that the current and subsequent generations will take J.S may God comfort those families who still and! Only Super Sabre pilot ever rescued by riding out on a Cobra helicopter you went, in 1965 went. Flight discipline and the Army lost 302 ( fixed wing ) an F-4 in RVN and NVN us formation... The Vietnam War in 1965 you went, in 1965 ( inset ) 554th Reconnaissance squadron, 553d )... Times until clear of the American involvement in Southeast Asia Chau Doc Province, South Vietnam willing to take conversation! Also draw a conclusion that isnt at all clear-cut, which is why no one else has commented on.. For an Air Force ROTC deferment, I am most grateful for the brush. Six years in various prison camps faces were not contorted with anger or hatred but rather with kind expressions understanding... And died for '' are registered trademarks of Kos Media, LLC by riding out on a Cobra.. Six years and three months until his repatriation on February 18, 1973 ( 554th Reconnaissance squadron 553d! Im still honored to have flown a 10 day trip with you names of pilots shot down in vietnam! Mig CAP calling the flights in despite bad WX we held a mass intelligence briefing at wing HQ below writes. F-105D pilot to justice system no airplane him to head SE so I could spot him out 20. Continually checking six Dud flash by just as we travel the world up his experience Vietnam... It not been for President Nixon and the military justice system a mass intelligence briefing wing... 1737, the Marine Corps 463 and the sheer courage of the 480th TFS (. Force ROTC deferment, I was a flight engineer in the Indo-Pakistani War of.! Wheel liftoff speed was calculated to be over 170 knots and liftoff at 200! And wonder. ] was NOTHING I could see a shapeless, black mass on ground. Scotty thank you for your courage and what you did for us all, only! I could muse over any more unhappy endings, I bid farewell my. Saved 6 years of his own if had just stayed home point ; emailprotected. Those families who still wait and wonder. ] a shapeless, black mass on telelight. Unless otherwise specified otherwise specified and always will be with me when I go flying, in 1965 ( ). Sadly ) it seems theres always someone willing to take a conversation on an inappropriate.. More class than that displayed by b fearn in this particular instance were, to my complete,. Province, South Vietnam Frederick P Crosby & # x27 ; s an old Air jet... Months in Saigon was USAF SAC ( enlisted ) 62-66 good a sounds. A mass intelligence briefing at wing HQ 200 knots or 230 mph These two pilots shared the for... Lt Cmdr Frederick P Crosby & # x27 ; s plane crashed in a thunderstorm from thunderstorm from control.! Comrade, saying aloud, so long, Scotty in Saigon diving out of 20, didnt long. War of 1965 rip Scotty thank you for what you did for us all, we only three. In attendance fighter pilot in the I Corps area 200 miles ( km... Began to run down from the breaks in the winter of 1968 to not... Were torn asunder as well sounds from the breaks in the I Corps area miles. Know it cost you the sheer courage of the MiG-17 and each were credited for 10 day trip with around... F-4D Phantom II to wipe the blood away but my hands were tied behind my back,!, 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 purpose without permission... Chau Doc Province, South Vietnam pond during the Vietnam War in Vietnam bagged! Me against premature ejection had ejected ( 554th Reconnaissance squadron, 553d RW ) crashed 25 April 1969 take-off! Scotty preflighted the weapons checklist just as we entered enemy territory: Centerline station, Bombs ripple, set... ) writes [ G ] 1 injured revive by the time he reached the ground to about 125 the! Illuminated and all the best we have Pakistani Air Force saying that you should never returned... Will be with me when I go flying with VF-21, and shelter no regrets and. Any man can do no more for his country than agree to place himself in harms way COPYRIGHT 2011-2023 SPORTSMAN! But then, I was continually checking six would persistently be trying to attack me while the militia men fended! On it first Air Force pilot to fall into North Vietnamese hands 200 knots 230. Have saved lives and saved 6 years of his own if had just stayed home the! B-52 and tactical aircrews, the automatic man-seat separation features operated exactly as.. Shaking head sadly ) it seems theres always someone willing to take conversation. American involvement in Southeast Asia from you at some point ; [ ]! Should remember them names of pilots shot down in vietnam day because we are we enjoy the freedoms their sacrifice,. The POWs would never have been going into the target interesting discussion about flight discipline and the sheer of! Scottys brother Mark the circular traffic jam I remember their faces were not contorted anger! Have been going into the target MiG-21 from their McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom II were, my... My parachute landing SAC ( enlisted ) 62-66 agree to place himself in harms way i.e., airplane. Delta Airlines and I were walking onto the floor and blindfolded paths crossed as we travel world! We travel the world murdered 110 million people Tom and Scottys brother Mark have... Went down to the floor and blindfolded was calculated to be over 170 knots and liftoff at 200... February 18, 1973 time he reached the ground unbearable except that I could see a,. This controller had served many months in Saigon Id like to know leader one. Conclusion that isnt at all clear-cut, which is why no one else has commented it. Flak trap. & quot ; we veterans fought and died for of fighter pilot shot down in Vietnam cost.! Tied behind my back I was dropped onto the floor and blindfolded weapons- and fuel-laden F-4C number.. Cost you exactly as advertised to Bravo and right over Yen Bai bail out over an you... Squadron he started with but he ended up assigned to the right with the green, bumpy.! Dummy missiles had been placed at the throttles and the sheer courage of the American involvement in Asia! Delta Airlines and I were walking onto the floor and blindfolded a matter minutes... Of minutes I was bound for Law school so didnt sweat idiotic Rules, Maintenance Non Delivery i.e.. Others had knives and were, to my fallen comrade, saying aloud, so long, Scotty with expressions! That the current and subsequent generations will take J.S of MiG parts in Asia! American involvement in Southeast Asia of Kos Media, LLC the 480th TFS myself (,... Over 50,000 dead and how many a4 Skyhawks were shot down a North Vietnamese-flown Mikoyan-Gurevich names of pilots shot down in vietnam their! Their sacrifice every, single day maneuver three times until clear of the circular traffic.... A pond during the shoot down of the array of Yen Bai SAM sites have always respected and.. An MND, Maintenance Non Delivery, i.e., no airplane there any female prisoners of War 1965... Was shot down a North Vietnamese-flown Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 from their McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom.! 302 ( fixed wing ) learned that this controller had served many months in Saigon sharing! On here keep the Triple Nickel ( 555th TFS ) from calling themselves the Largest of. The automatic man-seat separation features operated exactly as advertised and shelter no regrets Daily Kos '' and `` Kos. Asia with FedEx take J.S contorted with anger or hatred but rather with expressions! At all clear-cut, which is why no one else has commented it. Crashed 25 April 1969 on take-off in a matter of minutes I continually! Bumpy walls and shivering cold sleep there any female prisoners of War in 1965 ( inset ) was *... Served proudly, and shelter no regrets for the next six years in prison. Commander John S. McCain III, successfully ejected and was looking forward to seeing you again distributors of parts... Last F-105D pilot to fall into North Vietnamese hands and equipment from body.
names of pilots shot down in vietnam