Despite my state of lingering shock, my reaction to his command was to pop the Rat and restart. Re-reading the bulk of the comments to my article was a pleasurable and uplifting experience. 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. Muhammad Mahmood Alam was a Pakistani Air Force jet fighter pilot in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. And they did so with knives having little concept or knowledge of zippers, snaps or the technical difficulties associated with releasing parachute risers. Russian source: 65 MiG-21s, 5 MiG-19s, 75 MiG-17s lost through all causes. The concept that Vietnamese people who had conquered most of SE Asia and fought off numerous invasions by Chinese dynasties for centuries would be cowed and exhausted by the haphazard application of US air power was the result of historical ignorance and superpower arrogance. It must have occurred just before my own chute opened. Were there any female prisoners of war in Vietnam? Hed slept in an air-conditioned hut. What could I possibly say to the President of the United States that he hadnt already heard 334 times before? back then. 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 . Encountered SAMs Finger Lakes area. I remember the days when my dad flew Young Tiger over there. The leaders claim was that we could easily have bingod into the RTAF base on the Thai border, so I should not have abandoned my flight leader. I think of you often and was looking forward to seeing you again. But, I stuck to my story answering the same question in the same way each time. I wont embarrass you by calling you a hero, though you unquestionably are. Dinh . He didnt. 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! Like the Flat-Earthers who still dont believe we landed on the Moon. All these thoughts, survival instincts and USAF training synthesized into one, crystal clear and powerful inspiration. I grew up with Thomas Guenther from Mass who also piloted an F-4 in RVN and NVN. I ask that you honor these costs and sacrifice, as I do. I was falling towards the Earth and still attached to my Martin-Baker (made in England) ejection seat below a four-foot drogue chute to stabilize my rapid descent. Ill never understand your sacrifice, but want to thank you for it! I was concentrating on Scotty and my eyes were focused only on him. 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. 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. Jan 12, 06:12 PM. Joe, Im sure we met at the DOOM club as I remember seeing Scotty there as we occasionally had battle damage, weather back home or lack of fuel to get there and Da Nang was our recovery base. Joe. [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". Knowing you were handled so badly by your bosses has to be a tough thing to take. You should be ashamed of yourself! The Navy had it right (mostly) in equipping, training and tailoring tactical air assets. 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. Others had knives and were, to my complete surprise, cutting the clothing and equipment from my body. I looked around me to see hundreds of people, mostly villagers, including old folks and children. The Army and USAF spent enormous efforts preparing to fight WWII over again in Europe (this time with nukes). In 1980 and 81, the McDonnell Douglas Plant in Tulsa, Oklahoma was remanufacturing F-4 fighters for the Air Force. Theyd be shot up to hell. Barney. 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. I hope the AFJ editor will exercise more discretion in the future. 2,197 of the losses were fixed-wing, and the remainder rotary-wing. The United States lost 578 UAVs (554 over Vietnam and 24 over China). Pilot Clyde Romero, 19, rests between flights at Khe Sanh in February 1971. 9 of the losses were parked aircraft struck by rockets. Remains of fighter pilot shot down in WWII identified. Before I could muse over any more unhappy endings, I was dropped onto the floor. Joe Crecca would spend more than six years in various prison camps. Some were grabbing and pulling at my anti-g suit, flight suit and boots. 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 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. The session finally came to an end after midnight. My buddies went to B-52s at Fairchild and Guam and bombed the jungle for eight years. My ungraceful arrival didnt raise much dust. Twenty-one aircraft carriers conducted 86 war cruises and operated 9,178 total days on the line in the Gulf of Tonkin. I reached bingo, bingo minus 5, minus 10, minus 15, and reported to lead each time. By this time I was at 1,500 ft. Ho and Giap both wanted to meet with him. Fritz came in with the rest of his nape and sent a SAM across the tree line like a horizontal Roman candle. To increase air support for the SEALORDS Operation in South Vietnam's Mekong Delta, the Navy "borrowed" twenty North American Aviation OV-10A Broncos from the United States Marine Corps. Pilots lost control in low clouds during a night flare mission. Joined up and reported a suspected Truck Park near Finger Lakes since we had avoided calling in to Ask Permission and wait the usual half hour to allow the Russian Radar trainers time to get out courtesy of our GD State Dept. If not for an Air Force ROTC deferment, I was most definitely headed to Vietnam. YGBSM!. 1850 Despite the excellent sound-sealing qualities of my helmet, their jabbering was extremely loud and intense. 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. There are plenty of other places to rant and vent. I am a UK resident but love all things aviation even the painful experiences suffered by many presented here by Joe also on behalf of Scotty. Of those servicepeople, 2,382 were killed while serving aboard UH-1 Iroquois, better known as the ubiquitous "Huey." Contents [ hide] Thanks for the details as I knew Scotty had been shot down but was always hoping his name would appear on the POW list. 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. 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. I finally got him to talk and he said, Gary, it was just like Vietnam. By The Associated Press. 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. But survival instincts and thorough ejection training were running the show. 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. Kos Media, LLC. I served from 1964-1968. Of those servicepeople, 2,382 were killed while serving aboard UH-1 Iroquois, better known as the ubiquitous "Huey." His unit was flying in support of South Vietnamese troops fighting in Laos. 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. When all the politics are done when hostilities have ceased those who represented their country should be honoured. I believe I heard, or read, that the F-4 itself crashed in a small horse pasture. Thank you, Mr. Crecca! I took one last look at the horizon. Admiral William F. Bringle (seated) how a MiG-17 jet fighter was shot down over North Vietnam. 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. Theyd blow up in midair, before they ever got to the runway. The soil was mercifully soft, loose and moist. Lockhart is still alive, although. I lost all feeling in my arms very rapidly. Our TOT (Time Over Target) was scheduled for 1153. Thanks for your service and sacrifice! The four-foot stabilizing chute was severed, my lap belt was opened and the butt snapper straps straightened, booting me out of the seat while simultaneously pulling the ripcord that would deploy my parachute. First loss: 1964, final loss: 1967. 17 apr 1966: arab 511, an a-1h (buno 135398), lt (jg) william l. tromp, va-115, went down following a night attack on coastal targets, near approximately 1818'n, 10610'e. arab 506, his wingman,. 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. He should be yours as well, regardless of what you think of the efficacy and need for that conflict of many years ago. 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. Joe, you are one incredible patriot and hero. VS-41 at NAS North Island retained four of the borrowed Broncos to be used for training replacement pilots and maintenance personnel. Hi, Joe. In burner, diving out of 20, didnt take long to head toward So China Sea. I wanted to wipe the blood away but my hands were tied behind my back. for my family and I, is absolutely heartfelt and sincere. 1972 November 22 First B-52 shot down over North Vietnam The United States loses its first B-52 of the war. Just a wild guess but you just enjoy your freedoms while you let others do the fighting and take the risks. "You were right in the enemy's face with a. 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. 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. 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. I just received some additional email comments on my article and browsed through the older ones and saw yours. SP4 John C. Hughes [G] 1 injured. His remains were returned September 5th 2004 for burial. SGT Sam Tenorio [G] 2 injured. I had never before heard the details of his loss. A C-47 was the very first USAF aircraft lost in the SEA conflict, C-47B 44-76330 (315th Air Division) on TDY at Vientiane, Laos which was shot down by the Pathet Lao on 23 March 1961 killing 7 of the 8 crewmen. I was over Hanoi in a D model BUFF on 5 of the 11 nights of Linebacker II, and a couple more missions after that just to remind the North Vietnamese that we could come back, if our POWs were not released. GlobalSecurity, South Viet Nam Air Force VNAF Aircraft Deliveries. Of all those doing their best to inflict bodily harm on me, the old women were the worst. I did enjoy reading this and I am grateful for men like you. 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. Republic F-105 Thunderchief. Dickens rescued) Burning American aircraft at Bien Hoa Air Base in 1965. A sub-standard OER means you dont get promoted on time. We were to be a flight of four F-4C Phantoms. He took off the next several days. All commenters here need to start this needed movement for due change. Its a real shame but they ruined a perfectly good pair of nearly new, highly-polished USAF flying boots with zippers; they cut right through the damn zippers! Theyd land opposite direction on the same runway. This wingman survived the incompetence of an unqualified flight leader. They fixed it. Among fixed-wing aircraft, more F-4 Phantoms were lost than any other type in service with any nation. I completely agree with everything Jim D. (below) writes. RIP Scotty thank you Joe for sharing your experiences and for your commitment as an aviator. 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. It was great to get back to the sweltering heat, I gotta tell ya. Announcing the 2023 Richard Collins Writing Prize for Young Pilots, Flying in paradise: a vacation flight lesson in Maui, Accident report: losing control at 43,000 feet. There will always be those who dont get it. Then we switched roles and Scotty flew while I coordinated the rendezvous. 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. Your reaction to my article bears the stamps of liberalist tradition unhampered by progress, reveals a lack of understanding of politics on the world stage and shows complete disrespect for the sacrifices made by all Vietnam combat veterans. 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).
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