You and your fellow POWs were and are the best of this nation. Although I was only a few thousand feet away, I hadnt been able to hear the explosion. May God continue to bless you. I turned that down, and promptly got drafted into the USArmy 31 days later! Some were grabbing and pulling at my anti-g suit, flight suit and boots. Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do & die.. Soviet General Fesenko, the main Soviet adviser to the North Vietnamese Air Force in 1972, recorded 34 MiG-21s destroyed in 1972. God Bless You for your service. The icing on the cake came when he admitted to the controller that he did not know his position, because his tacan was spooling; he didnt realize we were out of tacan range. At least thats what I hoped. If you think I should not be called a hero, tell them, not me. In that instant, I realized how I would die; they were going to slice my head off. Puerto Madero N9710, Oficina 22, Pudahuel - Santiago | pytorch lstm source code Hed slept in an air-conditioned hut. 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. In total, the United States military lost in Vietnam almost 10,000 aircraft, helicopters and UAVs (3,744 planes,[3] 5,607 helicopters[2] and 578 UAVs[1] ). I knew you had endured being a prisoner but we never talked about it. Im an alumnus of the 480th TFS myself ( USAFE, 78-80) and wish you all the best . Thanks for the compliment on my writing. Jim witnessed the other pilot CW2 Richard Bauman and crew chief Craig Dix being captured. Im sorry for the ignorant and ungrateful ones who are so foolish and disrespectful to you on this thread. God bless. As it turned out, the two men in the Tulsa F-4 ejected safely. Scotty gave the Phantom back to me and then it was my turn. 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. As a nation I believe we learned the difference between necessary disagreement with our leaders, and needless, disrespectful persecution of and confrontation with our soldiers, who are/were following orders. 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. 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. 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. The baro switch was supposed to open my chute at 10,000 ft. I, for one, will welcome additional tales of courage and flying on these pages. USAF/ Air National Guard (Retired). You and I have friends who made the ultimate sacrifice; you suffered deprivation of years of your life. Fritz was Nape. The ONLY bright spot is that so much sacrifice led to a new generation of officers who learned that the half-assed politically-correct application of military power accomplished nothing. On August 28, 1972, US Air Force Capt. Just then, the crew chief, SSgt. 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. "You were right in the enemy's face with a. 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). Thank you for your service Joe. 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. 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? Glad you made it back. When I was shot down I weighed 157 lbs. u-6 losses need added all are army fixed wing aircraft, 5,195+ (which include not in addition to the above statistics)[2], North Vietnam captured 877 South Vietnamese aircraft at war's end. When I got to the control tower, the controller whod witnessed the crash was catatonic. I taught math, physics, automotive theory and practice, and classical music in the Hanoi Hilton. Directional control was by use of nose wheel steering or rudder up to 70 knots, at which airspeed the rudder became effective. It was -55F at 32,000 feet for over two hours and pressure breathing 100% Oxygen in a summer flight suit. !Cheers my friend. 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. I rest easy at night because of people like you. With both my palms up and a telling expression on my face, Don Ward knew that was the end of the conversation. of an F-4), or I could man a missile silo in North Dakota. 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. Some US fighter pilots had actually scored aerial kills in WWII, and were fighting again in the sky's over North Vietnam; Colonel Robin Olds had shot down German aircraft in aerial combat,. He was the last fighter pilot to become an ace in a day, shooting down five Indian Hawker . They were all well received. He said hes sorry I feel that way. 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. They were taken to a hospital to be evaluated, but they lived. 12,000 helicopters The blade began moving back and forth. I learned Russian and some higher math. I served from 1964-1968. I wanted to wipe the blood away but my hands were tied behind my back. List of aircraft losses of the Vietnam War. April 16, 1968 : C-130A 56-0480, c/n 3088, of the 35th Tactical Airlift Squadron, crash landed at Special Forces Camp Bunard, 80 kilometers north of Bien Hoa, South Vietnam. 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. 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. God bless you Joe, hearing the story was very touching. I never made it back . The United States, along with their allies (The Republic of Vietnam, South Korean, Australian, Thailand, New Zealand), lost about 12,500 aircraft, helicopters and UAVs. 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. Much aviation has occurred in the context of military service. I was starting to get the idea. 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. And Mr. Crecca, again, I thank you. 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). All commenters here need to start this needed movement for due change. Jim Hestand the AC of the fateful flight gave the eulogy at Bobbys funeral! Mccann and Capt. They did not want to lose their Skin in this deadly game while other Americans bravely went to war. The time was 1151. 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!! I just received some additional email comments on my article and browsed through the older ones and saw yours. Although thank you is not enough, I do thank you for your service. Looser! Moments later, the controller asked us to change our squawk, so we could be located for a skyspot drop. All I was aware of was a short, sharp ringing sound and my white, silk parachute billowing above me. Thanks, again, for your story many more years of good health & happiness to you. More aircraft would be shot down and pilots killed or captured. You and Scotty are my heroes. Not in honor. At 10,000 ft, the automatic man-seat separation features operated exactly as advertised. The political strategy of Rolling Thunder was absurd from the git-go. But then, the blood began to run down from the breaks in the skin on my head and into my eyes. On their MiG-killing mission of Jun. Page and Smith were with VF-21, and the aircraft modex was NE101. 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. God bless you all. When naval aviator Porter Halyburton deployed for Vietnam, he left behind his young wife and five-day-old daughter, Dabney. I was asked the same questions over and over in an attempt to trip me up. The first morning mission was "Misty 11" would be replaced by "Misty 21" then "Misty 31" and . The former fighter pilot, who was shot down over Vietnam in 1967, went on: SGT Sam Tenorio [G] 2 injured. Of those servicepeople, 2,382 were killed while serving aboard UH-1 Iroquois, better known as the ubiquitous "Huey." By the time of the American involvement in Southeast Asia communism, by moderate estimates, around the globe had murdered 110 million people! Scotty gave me the airplane and I climbed out at 350 knots until it came time to find the tanker on the radar. Thank you for your sentiments. I saw 3 aircraft in front of me, so I asked lead to flash his lights. Vietnam War pilot tells his story of being shot down over enemy territory and his time as a POW. Cliff, I am very sorry for the loss of your Dad. MiG-21 Units of the Vietnam War. 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. 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. R.I.P Scotty. It was you who were suffering in the oppressive heat & humidity. (Shaking head sadly) It seems theres always someone willing to take a conversation on an inappropriate tangent. Hope you sre enjoying the golden years. May God bless you. I confirmed this by dialing in Bravos coordinates and the needle pointed straight ahead. Youd make a grand Socialist. I hereby repeat all the usual thank yous, perhaps perfunctorily but with no less feeling. Thanks for the story, Joe. I was concentrating on Scotty and my eyes were focused only on him. 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. Pilot Clyde Romero, 19, rests between flights at Khe Sanh in February 1971. 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. How many F 105s shot down in Vietnam? All we wanted to do was tell him we wanted the French out! Public Servants who screw -up Big, Big time do not deserve such glorified recognition. Manacles were locked onto my wrists as well. 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. Thank you, David. Of those servicepeople, 2,382 were killed while serving aboard UH-1 Iroquois, better known as the ubiquitous "Huey." Contents [ hide] 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 . Dulles International Needs a name change. Scotty hadnt regained consciousness. Contact, followed by, Youre taking fuel, announced the boomer. But, I stuck to my story answering the same question in the same way each time. There will always be those who dont get it. The USMC focused almost entirely on close air support (yards, not miles) of their ground units and on point defense over an amphibious landing. 64 to 69. The aircraft banked sharply to the left, then to the right. 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 . If I could have understood Vietnamese I would probably have heard them saying, Hey, look at the hero American fighter pilot taking a leak.. Smoke would be pouring out of their engines. I looked around me to see hundreds of people, mostly villagers, including old folks and children. Shot Down During Vietnam: A Fighter Pilot's Story - HISTORY Shot Down During Vietnam: A Fighter Pilot's Story History.com Editors TV-14 2:42 In 1966, an American fighter pilot took off. 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. 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. Thank you, Mr. Crecca! 83rd Arty 101ABN DIVARTY 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. Its entirely, entirely because of you guys. My gratitude to those of you who gave so much. It was moving and changing shape ever so slowly. Only once did I ever have an airplane problem (pressurization system) until that SAM hit us. After each plane was completed, two pilots (Call signs Perky01 and Perky02) would take the plane up for a check flight. Wonderful story. In fact all those who kept us in the air were. I was at a loss for words. In addition to the roof, the toilet was destroyed! Just a wild guess but you just enjoy your freedoms while you let others do the fighting and take the risks. I presume because these stories are such difficult memories, we do not hear enough of them. Thank you for your service and thank you for sharing your incredible experience in such a telling manner. God Bless you, Joe. It was people! As to the hollow, mean-spirited comment immediately preceding, the Bible admonishes that one not answer a fool according to his folly. So I wont. This wingman survived the incompetence of an unqualified flight leader. 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. 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. 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. 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. By 1973, when we were released, theyd given us enough to eat so that I was back up to 155. The Thud flights were all calling Outbound for WX but our FLs OER was going to be written by the guy on MiG CAP so in we went and we took a SAM from dead six with no RHAW gear. Yep. A lifelong non-smoker who was on a never-ending mission to convince people not to smoke, my father did eventually tell me of a scared Marine, who, early during the battle for Iwo Jima, asked my father to sit with him in a shallow bomb crater and smoke a cigarette. I completely agree with everything Jim D. (below) writes. Peebles Curtis. Those bumps on the walls, in retrospect, were a poor mans acoustic treatment for trying to muffle the screams of Americans being tortured there. At the most fundamental level, we failed to evaluate the reasons why Germany, Korea, Vietnam and others were divided at the end of WWII. 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. Despite these difficulties, we began to taxi. He didnt. They would persistently be trying to attack me while the militia men unemotionally fended them off. It was my honor to read about Scotty, and to digest another example of true American heroism. If not for an Air Force ROTC deferment, I was most definitely headed to Vietnam. 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. Phew II! 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. Pilots would be hollering for this and for thatand there was NOTHING I could do. 9 of the losses were parked aircraft struck by rockets. Only loss: 606058, destroyed on the ground during a VC attack on Tan Son Nhut, SVN on 14 June 1968. I would spend the next six years and three months in five different prison camps around the city and countryside in North Vietnam; the farthest very near to the Chinese border. Youve earned it. He makes us tell a war story that we have heard. And I also thank you for taking the time to write down your harrowing and amazing experience in war. AIRCRAFT SHOT DOWN DURING THE VIETNAM WAR BY USN/USMC PILOTS. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing he values above his own personal safety, is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of men better than himself.. Our TOT (Time Over Target) was scheduled for 1153. Ho and Giap both wanted to meet with him. In this MGTOW case, you had to have the stick in your lap before attaining 140 knots. [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. 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. Following the release of all the POWs we met President Nixon at the State Department in May, 1973. 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. The next thing I knew, I was back on the wooden stool facing my interrogator. Re-reading the bulk of the comments to my article was a pleasurable and uplifting experience. I hope to be delighted with more of your anecdotes. I have four children- ages 34, 30, 11 and 8 and am Grandma to 3 ages 8, 8 & 5. Theyd be shot up to hell. I had never before heard the details of his loss. 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 always get chills reading these stories. They never attack until they do it. First of all, we only had three airplanes. This requires the pilot to smoothly and precisely adjust control inputs to maintain takeoff attitude as the aircraft accelerates and the landing gear and flaps are retracted. Thank you for the heads-up on the article. The clouds were reported to be at 10,000 ft. John Stuart Mill It was great to learn about your time before FTL/FDX. This content was created by a Daily Kos Community member. So glad that you made it back in one piece, and were able to continue flying. 33 years 6 months after his loss. 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. The 366th TFW Gunfighters consisted of three squadrons; 389th, 390th and the 480th. 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. 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. Presidio Press. How far did he go on in the Air Force? First loss: 1964, final loss: 1967. Thank you for your email. With the helmet strap no longer in existence, my helmet flew off like a slingshot. Site content may be used for any purpose without explicit permission unless otherwise specified. I reported I wasnt sure which (if any) was his. The Navy had it right (mostly) in equipping, training and tailoring tactical air assets. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling that thinks nothing is worth war is much worse. I was too young for Nam, but spent 20 years in the Navy under the water. Our brand-new LtCol had dreams of a DFC or Silver Star, so we drove 250 miles or so North, with marginal weather at Chu Lai, to volunteer our (his) effort. This is aviation commentary. His unit was flying in support of South Vietnamese troops fighting in Laos. [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". (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication. Dog boned Six and direct hit, had to send some Russian Techs to the Beyond. In closing, I assert that Joe did not have the option you recommend. 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. Dogwood 3 had already arrived and was taking fuel through the KC-135s boom. Joe ( and Gus), Im honored to have met and flown with both of you with FEDEX. William Reeder Jr., who served two tours in Vietnam as a U.S. Army pilot, was shot down on May 9, 1972, while flying a mission in a Bell AH-1 Cobra helicopter. His remains were returned September 5th 2004 for burial. 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. I will be reading your story to my young ones tonight. I cried like a baby. Pavlovs Dog reaction to his Cmon Back, Chief, I got em spotted. (Im a Sioux Indian, Born on a Dakota Rez.) (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.). Rest in Peace, dear Scotty. 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 could see small hooches (straw huts) on the ground. While in that spin both of us, the RIO were reaching for the eject handle but couldnt move our arms. My father was lost in 64-0771 out of Cam Rahn 9/3/66. Tried to cross-service in 64 or 65 to Army for WO pilot program, but because I was already in the military (being in a critical COMSEC AFSC probably didnt help), I was offered no guarantee of flight training, so I withdrew the request otherwise, I may have been one of your grateful students, or still buried in some shallow grave. 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