I am grateful to him for that, beyond measure. The direct hit had felt like wed had a collision with a fully-loaded cement truck. Final loss: EC-47Q 43-48636 (361st Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron, 56th SOW) shot down in Laos on the night of 04/5 45 February 1973, killing all 8 crewmen. 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. Lt Cmdr Frederick P Crosby's plane crashed in a pond during the Vietnam War in 1965 (inset). There were a total a 269 American and enemy aircraft shot down in air-to-air combat over Vietnam during the entire war201 in fights between the U.S. Air Force and North Vietnamese air force and just 68 in the U.S. Navy's air battles with the North Vietnamese. Cliff, I am very sorry for the loss of your Dad. Came upon this remarkable story after seeing it linked to another by a good guy who once gave me dual instruction in sailplanes. It was moving and changing shape ever so slowly. 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. He was crying. Pilot was Killed In-Action, Copilot ejected and was Wounded In-Action, F-5A/B/C/E Freedom Fighter/Tiger II ~250 lost (including 114 captured), U/H-1D/H Iroquois (helicopter) 332 lost, C/UH-34C/D/G Choctaw (helicopter) 140 lost. The Republic of Vietnam lost 1,018 aircraft and helicopters from January 1964 to September 1973. I am also an Airforce veteran. And after Scotty started the engines, the aerial refueling receptacle would only operate some of the time. Jim Hestand the AC of the fateful flight gave the eulogy at Bobbys funeral! Scotty then took control of the airplane as we proceeded to follow our leader along the preplanned route. 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. He summed up his experience in Vietnam as It was f****d. You guys are the best we have. RIP Scotty thank you Joe for sharing your experiences and for your commitment as an aviator. Contact, followed by, Youre taking fuel, announced the boomer. Permission was granted and I promptly made a big hit with the youngsters in attendance. Glad to hear you are on frequency. Puerto Madero N9710, Oficina 22, Pudahuel - Santiago | pytorch lstm source code But that's exactly what happened to Bill Arcuri when he was forced to bail out of his damaged plane over 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. Thank you, David. When my feet hit the floor with my elbows on my knees at bedside, a feeling of total despair came over me. I cannot express my admiration for you and others who went thru what you did. Pavlovs Dog reaction to his Cmon Back, Chief, I got em spotted. (Im a Sioux Indian, Born on a Dakota Rez.) Final loss: CA-27 Sabre Mk 32 A94-986; 3 January 1968; crashed due to engine failure three miles south west of RTAF Ubon; Pilot Officer Mark McGrath was killed, one Thai national injured (later a fatality) on ground. for my family and I, is absolutely heartfelt and sincere. U-21 losses need added Final loss: EB-66B 42nd TEWS, 388th TFS lost to engine failure on 23 December 1972 during Operation Linebacker II. I taught math, physics, automotive theory and practice, and classical music in the Hanoi Hilton. 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. Besides your contributions in F-4s, your time supporting other unfortunates in Hanoi does you honor. He told me join up. Thanks for your story, Joe. 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. At 2,500 ft. I wondered what good it did to tell us there were guns, MiGs and SAMs everywhere. Phew! Thanks so very much. SMS D.R. Sorry you couldnt be there. Joe could have saved lives and saved 6 years of his own if had just stayed home. I even remember glancing around the cockpit at the throttles and the control stick. He also stated that there were no MiG-17 aces. Sobering reading for every American ! 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. U.S. Marine Corps aircraft lost in combat included 193 fixed-wing and 270 rotary-wing aircraft. Summer-67- Lost an engine to one but miraculously survived blast suffocation and stupidly re-started the J-79 after safely- feet wet. Mr. Crecca was a POW for the next six years and three months until his repatriation on February 18, 1973. 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. God bless you, Sir. 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. Joe, you are one incredible patriot and hero. 64 to 69. Always amazed how well you remembered the tap code. I grew up with Thomas Guenther from Mass who also piloted an F-4 in RVN and NVN. No better tribute to a warrior and man then to be remembered by his fellow warriors 50+ years later. Thank you for sharing. The USN was the only service which had been forced to learn power projection as the fundamental war-fighting technique. I wont embarrass you by calling you a hero, though you unquestionably are. The pain was unbearable except that I had to bear it whether I wanted to or not. You should be ashamed of yourself! The process of lifting the American air pirate and dropping him (me) face first onto the floor went on for over an hour. By the time of the American involvement in Southeast Asia communism, by moderate estimates, around the globe had murdered 110 million people! Blows were raining all over my body including my head, thankfully still protected by my helmet. They fixed it. Your writing is superb and I wonder if you have considered writing a book about your experience in the USAF. A SAM damn near got me and another my section leader. He took off the next several days. One night I flew #2 to a newly crowned pentagon prince. Enroute, we learned USAF had discovered a major truck convoy up near the Plain of Jars, wanting help. Reading yours was dismal, doom and gloom. Fast forward 12 hours. Looking down toward my feet, I could see dozens of hands. 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. Maximum allowable gross takeoff weight in an F-4C was 58,000 lbs. I cried like a baby. God Bless You for your service. Cheers! I ask that you honor these costs and sacrifice, as I do. 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 main qualification to be President. Hope you sre enjoying the golden years. Scotty Wilson had a beautiful wife and daughter whose lives were torn asunder as well. 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. At least thats what I hoped. I have the greatest respect and admiration for you and other Vietnam POWs for your courage and what you had to endure. Although thank you is not enough, I do thank you for your service. 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. I was a bit young to be drafted for Vietnam but as a flying geek and guy who likes to learn about military history, Ive had conversations with many people involved in that conflict, including soldiers, marines, airmen and my brother, a draftee who walked point in the US Army in Vietnam. All we wanted to do was tell him we wanted the French out! Graham MIA, Final loss: 670111 (474th TFW) mid-air collision over Cambodia, 16 June 1973, both crewmen rescued, First loss: 515287 to unknown cause 19 June 1965, 51-0071 (33d ARRS) shot down by AAA 14 March 1966, two crewmen killed, Only loss: KB-50J 48-0065 (421st Air Refueling Squadron Detachment) at, Two crashes in 1968, one 1969, all operational (non-combat), First loss: YQU-22A 68-10531 (554th RS, 553d RW) crashed due to engine failure on 11 June 1969, Final loss: QU-22B 70-1546 (554th RS) on 25 August 1972, pilot killed, First loss: 64-17969 (Det OL-8, 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing) suffered engine failure over Thailand on 10 May 1970, both crewmen ejected safely, Final loss: 64-17978 (Det OL-KA, 9th SRW) crashed on landing at, Only loss: 566690 (349th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron 100th SRW) which crashed on 8 October 1966 near Bien Hoa, SVN, Maj. Leo J Stewart ejected and was rescued. Many times not all returned from their missions. NOTE: Misty numbers listed here were assigned after the war and relates to the order the pilot was assigned to the unit. Remains of fighter pilot shot down in WWII identified. 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. God Bless you, Joe, and all those who flew and fought in Vietnam. I remember their faces were not contorted with anger or hatred but rather with kind expressions of understanding almost bordering on a smile. Wed had it. 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. Your comments and wisdom are much appreciated. The U.S records showing 5,607 helicopter losses[2]. Vietnam will eventually strive throughout S.E. On their MiG-killing mission of Jun. By this time I was at 1,500 ft. A C-47 was the very first USAF aircraft lost in the SEA conflict, C-47B 44-76330 (315th Air Division) on TDY at. Those of us that were there were paying attention; I remember that it was not assured, back then, if anybody would be repatriated. [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]. My brother got spit on when he landed in Atlanta on his way home. Then with release of the first group of POWs WO1 James Hestand was released! Peering over Scottys shoulders into the front seat, I could see we were done for. From the refueling track exit over northern Thailand, our route took us over northern Laos and into North Vietnam. A few of the men wore shoddy uniforms and were armed with old-looking, bolt-action rifles. 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. So that the pilot does not have to be utilizing his attitude indicator for this, the canopy rails happen to be canted downward at just the correct angle making it possible to perform the takeoff maneuver using purely visual references, e.g. I am unable to understand why I didnt feel dazed by all of the blows to the head Id received. 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. Get it? Scotty hadnt regained consciousness. A photograph of Lockhart shows him being paraded through the streets of Hanoi. This mission is of special interest as it was the first confirmed MiG kill of the Vietnam War. How gracious of you to say semper fi; I believe we are brothers in the F4 community. One of our F-4s was not delivered by maintenance. Joe Crecca would spend more than six years in various prison camps. Welcome home. 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! Of all those shot-down pilots, the experience apparently only made one uniquely qualified to be President. 23 NOV 67. What was the first C-47 plane shot down in Vietnam? Admiral William F. Bringle (seated) how a MiG-17 jet fighter was shot down over North Vietnam. 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. Before I could muse over any more unhappy endings, I was dropped onto the floor. Thanks for the details of this mission. Thank you for the heads-up on the article. October 26, 1967: A-4E Skyhawk BuNo. Hayden Lockhart was the first Air Force pilot to fall into North Vietnamese hands. Very sadly, according to the DOD, 1,616 of our brothers are still missing in S.E. God bless. We can never let our politicians forget those lessons. Ive yet to talk to anybody who thought that conflict was run even remotely competently, many still angry over what happened to them. But, I stuck to my story answering the same question in the same way each time. 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. Hed slept in an air-conditioned hut. I yelled on the intercom, Deep six check! 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 Sayonara, engines! 83rd Arty 101ABN DIVARTY And all of us should remember them every day because we are we enjoy the freedoms their sacrifice every, single day. Upon arrival at the Hoa Lo prison, I was placed in a dimly-lit room with light green, uneven walls. We were only two minutes from the target, descending through 14,000 ft. at a speed of 540 knots or about 650 miles per hour. I remember the day we lost a crew in Cambodia. P.39, Toperczer, Istvan. Were there any female prisoners of war in Vietnam? 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. I lost all feeling in my arms very rapidly. It is hard to imagine just surviving. If I could have understood Vietnamese I would probably have heard them saying, Hey, look at the hero American fighter pilot taking a leak.. We lost him in 2012. Lockhart is still alive, although. The black, shapeless mass of Vietnamese peasants was all over me. Scottys arms seemed to be at his sides and head slumped forward. Page and Smith were with VF-21, and the aircraft modex was NE101. First loss: Canberra A84-231 disappeared on 3 November 1970 on a night bombing mission in the northern 1st Corps Tactical Zone region of. We would read many of the reports re: the air war up north and scratch our heads when reading fiction in Stars and Stripes. When the Vietnam War ended in 1973, Mohawk losses were: one shot down by a MiG, one destroyed by mortar fire, 27 lost to ground fire and 36 destroyed in operational accidents. 31 DEC 71. 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. Model names were normalized in 1962 to UH-1s. I put off law school acceptance for a year to volunteer for the combat tour instead. With both my palms up and a telling expression on my face, Don Ward knew that was the end of the conversation. 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. 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. Presently it dishonors over 50,000 dead and how many maimed and wounded? We actually believed that the letters U.S. would frighten away any adversary who realized that we were in the confrontation. As I descended lower and lower, I realized that by the time I reached the surface Id still be a long way from even the base of the higher ground. Looser! 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. 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. Mccann and Capt. He called me to come back coming out of a Split S spin. When I was shot down I weighed 157 lbs. We were going to make it. Mills words to heart whenever necessary. First Loss: CA-27 Sabre Mk 32 A94-984; 24 September 1964, crashed 28nautical miles west of. 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. I wanted to wipe the blood away but my hands were tied behind my back. God Bless them all. 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