I feel that I ejected somewhere between 3500 and 3000 feet and could see as I descended that Longboat Key was a mass of Mangroves and I steer my parachute toward the only clearing I could see. They share their missions, the close calls, and how they were treated when they came home. Phng Vn Qung. Then Lt. Harlan Elseth made a great video of pictures he took in 1967 1968 when he flew 148 combat missions in the F-4 as a member of the 13th and 555th Tactical Fighter Squadrons during the Vietnam war. Kenny landed in high trees in Laos. Be sure that you are always searching This Collection in the box to the left Click on a collection item to view the complete original document and its associated metadata. My flight lined up on the other side of the loran F-4. He was leading a bombing attack on a North Vietnamese bridge when he was struck by automatic anti-aircraft fire (AAA). It was not because the Thunderchief was somehow cursed. Guess what Dan said? Kenny heard the bad guys shooting and and acted as a tree-borne forward air controller. Sections. It is a day when we recalibrate what it means to be an American. One radar went left then right, back and forth. It caught on fire and I jumped out safely. The first and only fatal crash by an RAAF aircraft in Thailand. During that most enjoyable visit we heard a lot of war stories and I handed F-105 Thunderchief book one to Gary, dealing with its peacetime operations (book two will deal with SEA ops). Remembering Three of the Fallen F-105 Thunderchief Heroes of the Crash Location: Near Ap Bac, Chau Doc Province, South Vietnam. 8. It is awarded for gallantry in action while . No credit needed. How many helicopter pilots shot down in Vietnam? Wikipedia says: During his violent ejection and very rough parachute landing on the karst ridge, Sijan had suffered a fractured skull, a mangled right hand, and a compound fracture of the left leg. Waters had intrinsic mettle. trainees primarily MiG17 (J5 versions) & MiG19 (J6 versions) To be a helicopter pilot or crew member was among the most dangerous jobs in the war. Did Billy Graham speak to Marilyn Monroe about Jesus? So, in order to keep the pilots honest, if they claimed a kill their bosses told the pilots to bring me the tail of the airplane. He received the Silver Star for one of his missions, in which he saved several friendly aircraft by his tactical expertise, during a large MIG engagement. At only 23 years old and still a First Lieutenant, Richter was the youngest USAF combat pilot to shoot down an enemy aircraft in the Vietnam conflict at the time. The Mig drivers accepted the invitation and arrived in San Diego on September 20th. Sen.Col. How many MiG 21s were shot down in Vietnam? 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,. Most of the other ten pilots had American kills. There was a cloud under-cast so the steady lights from the airplanes caused the clouds below to be illuminated with an eerie light. One of those fighter pilots was Ray Lewis, who was shot down in July 1966. The second and third videos are all the men answering questions from the audience. Introduced in late 1960 with the U.S. Navy, the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II has been an incredibly versatile and effective aircraft for numerous national militaries around the world. Kenny is the only instructor pilot I remember from my F-4 RTU. If you flew the F-4 in the Vietnam War in any branch of the service please become an author on this site and tell your stories. 5. I distinctly remember 8 mm movies Kennys brother showed us taken during some of his FAC missions. After managing to move several thousand feet, Sijan crawled onto a truck road along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, where he was finally captured by the North Vietnamese on Christmas Day, 1967. But by June of 1964 accidents in the F-105 Thunderchief increased remarkably. Here are some facts he mentions about Thud missions and pilots in 1965: I just ordered the F-4E model shown below. By the time the fights were over and the Americans were gone the Mig pilot realized he was out of gas and wouldnt have enough gas to fly a regular approach and landing. https://www.loc.gov/item/powmia/pwmaster_14608/. I didnt see him much but every time I looked up I could tell he d been there because I could see his smoke. The Viet pilot was an accomplished combat pilot and took control of the plane. ), Ways to get involved in the upcoming elections. After four days the Americans captured the summit at a cost of 115 men killed and 156 wounded. Samuel E. Waters and Lt. Karl W. Richter, but for every service person we remember on Memorial Day in the U.S. who gave their lives for freedom and security. 3. 2.Denny Wisely USN, 1 victory If we had small losses compared to the enemys large losses we won the battle. This was the only MiG-19 shot down by an F-4 gun during the Vietnam War and is believed to be the highest speed gun kill in the history of aerial combat. 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. Zoong told both Lien and me that he climbed to about 15,000 feet while heading south to meet us then after sighting me he swooped down to my six (behind me) and smoked me with an Atoll, a heat-seeker missile. Capt. two weeksOver 10% of Vietnam casualties were helicopter crew members, and most of those were the door gunners that protected the helicopter, its crew, and its transports, from their exposed position. In Vietnam, if a two-man F-4 crew shot down one enemy airplane, the pilot and the weapon systems officer each earned a whole aerial victory credit. Later, after meeting up with his leader again he accused him of knowing the missile was coming and had crossed him over in order that the missile would guide on him instead of the leader. North Vietnam: Pilot of RC-47D #43-48388 shot down while on an electronic intelligence mission. The pilot did not survive either. Lt. Karl W. Richter was shot down on July 28th, 1967 at the age of 24. Everett Alvarez, a former U.S. Navy pilot who was shot down over North Vietnam on August 5, 1964 CBS News The only way to stop the pain was to tell the North Vietnamese something more than. By wars end, the U.S. Air Force had lost a total of 528 F-4 and RF-4C Phantoms. He said that was the best advise he had gotten so far and I told him I normally gave out advice too younger and lesser experienced aviatorsand there wasnt even a charge for it. Once he arrived in Thailand he was assigned to the 421stTactical Fighter Squadron (TFS) of the 388thTactical Fighter Wing (TFW) at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, a hub of F-105 action over Southeast Asia. Alvarez was the first naval aviator captured by the North Vietnamese and the longest-held U.S. POW. He said all the 19s came from Russia except one which they got from China. I just finished episode 7 of Ken Burns series. The US leadership in the white house and the pentagon, had all Red Crown says Heads up. First loss: EC-121R 67-24193 (554th Reconnaissance Squadron, 553d RW) crashed 25 April 1969 on take-off in a thunderstorm from. The Viets left and the Blues mingled and I drank two-three-seven too many more Jack n Cokes and kept schmoozing, then around 9:30 I left tooand I sure was glad I had a designated driver. With Christian Bale, Zach Grenier, Marshall Bell, Toby Huss. There was a crowd at the park that day, and it took us awhile to connect, but with the aid of a computer we made it. My sensation was that the aircraft as out of control and I ordered Kenny to eject which he did. Home Kent State University How Many Huey Helicopters Were Shot Down In Vietnam? Are You A Veteran If You Were Never Deployed? Troy Curnutte made a wonderful and very detailed Facebook post about his father, former USAF F-4 pilot Lt. Col. William Curnutte. Of those servicepeople, 2,382 were killed while serving aboard UH-1 Iroquois, better known as the ubiquitous Huey.. The one intercepting van Cuong was sketchy but factual and the one which told how Hoang Quoc Dung (pronounced Zoong) intercepted me was virtually the same as which Zoong had told mebut it was a lie. Site content may be used for any purpose without explicit permission unless otherwise specified. FLASH BACK: During that first meeting back in Hanoi one of the navy guys had asked the question of the most senior officer in the group, himself a six-kill Mig-21 pilot, Lt General Nguyn c Sot, (pronounced Swat) who were the better adversaries, the USAF or the NAVY. Nguyn S Hng MiG-21 Just like 44 years ago in Hanoi, Jacks great personality and sense of humor made it a lot easier-not fun-but a lot easier-for us to be there. Contents of this blog/website may not be used without author's prior written permission. killed in the Viet war. They were at about 18,000 feet south of Hanoi and headed south. Capt. Oyster 1, with pilot Maj. Robert Lodge and Weapon Systems Officer (WSO) Capt. Mccann and Capt. Paul said the stick would not move fore and aft and asked me to pull as well. He wanted to blow its ass off. Major Lodge refused to eject because he had vowed never to become a prisoner of war. Bell Helicopter built 10,005 Hueys from 1957 to 1975. He looked at me kinda funny. Presumptive finding of death July 29 . helicopter pilots were killed in the war. Although in terrific pain from his severe wounds and brutal beatings and torture from his captors, Sijan had not disclosed any information other than what the Geneva Convention guidelines allowed (name, date of birth, service, rank, and service number). Chronology - Navy Title COMPUTER RECORDS OF AMERICAN PILOTS SHOT DOWN DURING THE VIETNAM WAR Online Format pdf Document Id PWMASTER_14608 Date Time Group Originator DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY Names Lee, Charles Richard Bisz, Ralph Campion Source Number 5946 Comments NAMES AND INCIDENTS LIST, COMPUTER SEARCH, POW-F/H, CRS-HSY REPORT Country North Vietnam, pre-1975 What struck me about the photo I found of Capt. Who Was The Last American Soldier To Leave Vietnam? The North Vietnamese Air Force began sending it's student jet I was given the option of ejecting or landing gear up as the landing gear would not come down. Bandits coming into the strike route 350 for 53. Translation: MiGs are 53 miles almost due north of Hanoi approaching the F-4 bombers that were being escorted by Lark flight, a flight of four strike escort F-4Es lead by the commander of the 35th TFS, Lt. Col. Lyle Beckers (he also shot down two MiGs that summer). During another brief interview, a Viet pilot said his most dreaded adversary was the navy F-8 Crusader, that it was the hardest to fight against as it had a gun. American pilots continued to be captured over the north between 1965-1968 as part of Operation Rolling Thunder, the sustained aerial bombing campaign against North Vietnam. Im cruising along at 37,000 feet some place over Arizona. [11], William A. Sayers writing in 2019 asserted that North Vietnam only had three aces in the war including Phm Thanh Ngn, with the other "aces" being creations of North Vietnamese propaganda that included claimed "kills" on days where no U.S. losses occurred, crediting VPAF pilots with kills that had actually been achieved by surface to air missile or antiaircraft artillery units and shootdowns of drones. 245 likes, 3 comments - @22untilnone on Instagram: "The Coast Guard gets ragged on a lot, mostly because a lot of people don't entirely understand wh." Two Gs and one D were lost in the first wave and an identical number were downed in the third wave. My impression is the series is neutral. Of all those shot-down pilots, the experience apparently only made one uniquely qualified to be President. During yard time in the week or so that followed, I developed a friendship with one of the prisoners shot down earlier in the war, and we shared a great deal of our personal information and military history with each other. A United States Air Force pilot mistakenly shot down an F-4E-54-MC Phantom II, 72-1486, c/n 4445, . Gary was the very first USAFE F-105D pilot to land at Bitburg in May 1961 and the very last F-105D pilot to depart USAFE in February 1967, from Spangdahlem. Below the chiseled figure of F-105 Thunderchief fighter pilot Lt. Karl W. Richter the Biblical inscription of Isaiah 6:8 reads: Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? how many b52 were shot down in vietnam. Finding the cave, marking it and setting loose two Navy aircraft on it is a prime example of what a forward air controller did on a daily basis. In small suburbs and country towns people talked about these men. One of the guys in my F-4 Phantom squadron, the 35th Tactical Fighter Squadron based at Kunsan Air Base, Korea, in 1972 made a video about the squadrons deployment to Southeast Asia. Both Aircrew members were Killed In-Action, Last VAL-4 loss: 155461 crashed on 9 February 1972. Below is the text of a comment I posted today in the comments section of an article entitled The tragedy of the PBS-Ken Burns version of the Vietnam War. I just finished episode 7 of the 10 episode series. I cant remember who made it or how long it has been sitting in my closet on the CD. Here am I. They were the Thud drivers, the pilots of the Republic F-105 Thunderchief. 2. He had recently finished his FAC tour and returned to the U.S. Officially, US aircraft didn't start getting shot down until How many cases of fragging were there in Vietnam? Forty F-105 "Thud" fighter pilots were killed in action while flying combat missions to North Vietnam from May 1966 to December 1972. As of this date The American War Library estimates that approximately 610,000 Americans who served on land in Vietnam or in the air over Vietnam between 1954 and 1975 are alive today. Nine American former pilots and one RIO hosted the meeting with thirteen Vietnamese pilots. It is accurate to state that the P-38 did shoot down more Japanese aircraft than any other USAAF plane with 1,857, with the P-40 running a close second at 1,633.5. See also Unbroken Will: The Story of Lance P. Sijan. changing verbs to nouns worksheet pdf Tweet; epic inpatient assessment for nurse fundamentals 200 Share; capital community college admissions Hatena; hose reel swivel repair kit In early April, combat flight operations began from detachments at Binh Thuy and Vung Tau. The last two men were fighter pilots a Navy A-4 pilot and a USAF F-100 pilot. Needless to say, that process was laborious and we lost a lot of the meaning, sentiment and emotion while it took place. Gary, while TDY to Korat from Kunsan, downed a North Vietnamese MiG-21 on September 12 and one on October 8, 1972. One source reported that the North Vietnamese claimed to have shot down 218 U.S. manned aircraft in air to air combat in Vietnam, of those kills, 85 are not supported by U.S. records, while another 37 were attributed by the U.S. to surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft fire. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. The facts Im reporting are subject to my diminished hearing and my failing memory. According to three websites and social media posts, Capt. After that session there was a three-hour break before the From Dogfights to Detante night on the USS Midway Museum and another long Q & A session for the public. A lot of the afternoon was taken up by an interview with Lt General Pham Phu Thai, a four-kill Mig-21 driver. One of the comments to the above article was from an F-4 pilot who started his comment with: In 1971 and 1972, I flew 120.5 sorties in the F4E out of Da Nang AB. U-8 losses need added Another big laugh-getter was a short story by one of the Viets. Kenny is in the front row third from the left. We flew F-4Ds (ours from Kunsan) and F-4Es (from Korat). Attainment of these objectives was made difficult by both the restraints imposed upon the U.S. and its allies by Cold War exigencies, and by the military aid and assistance received by North Vietnam from its communist allies, the Soviet Union, the Peoples Republic of China and North Korea. COMPUTER RECORDS OF AMERICAN PILOTS SHOT DOWN DURING THE VIETNAM WAR. 22untilnone on Instagram: "The Coast Guard gets ragged on a lot, mostly Six American former POWs were there too, four Air Force and two navy. The series did show that the U.S. media portrayed Tet as a U.S. defeat, including Walter Cronkites famous TV editorial in which he said the U.S. should exit the war. F-105 pilots averaged getting shot down every 33 missions. Among the Mig pilots were guys who had flown the Mig-17, the 19 and the 21, and among them were three retired Lt Generals. It was the era of the early U.S. involvement in the air war over Vietnam. Bob was a USAF F-4 pilot who got smoked on his FIRST mission on December 10, 1965, and spent the next 7 & 1/2 years in Hanoi. . How many enemy did the U.S. or the ARVN kill in a battle? Several were able to identify each other so they met at the two front tables and with the aid of interpreters got their stories and events synced up. Is Brooke shields related to willow shields? Regardless of your assessment of the Thunderchief, the odds were always stacked against it. Especially during this era in the Thunderchiefs history, it was best to stick to observations that acknowledged its curvaceous, needle-nosed fuselage, artfully shaped wings that leave one with the visual impression of speed, and its remarkable performance. By another account, over 1,000 such incidents were thought to have occurred. down helicopters, men that were not pilots, just members of the My roommate was Dan Autrey, one of Garys backseaters. Lt.Gen. 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. I think he had one swing in his parachute before hitting the water. He told the Viet pilot Alright then, you saved my life, so come on over to my place and I will give you some VODKA!!!!! The Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA) estimates that over 100,000 helicopter pilots and crew members served during the Vietnam War. The 390th Bomb Group lost 176 of its 275 assigned aircrafts. There was no mention of a Korean ever shooting an American down, but there is a monument to deceased flyers in Hanoi and there are 20 North Koreans listed on it. I remember one night in 1972 somewhere over the northern part of South Vietnam the weather was so bad we were not able to dive bomb. I was reviewing old compact discs and found the video. I would certainly appreciate it if you would publish this letter or some other suitable notice in your MIG SWEEP as request any of your RRVFPA members who were involved in any of the incidents mentioned herein to contact me. This excellent Memorial Day appropriate article starts: I visited with three old friends recently at a park in my town. Our navy Phantom crew who made ace, Randy Duke Cunningham and his RIO, Willy Driscoll, were there. The Thunderbird F-105 crash killed USAF Capt. That also made me wonder why Zoong had lied to us about how he shot me down. It was GREAT to see Tom again after about six-seven years and he invited us to fly the F-35 simulator they had set up in the clubs dining room. The frontseater recovered the airplane and landed it after Kenny departed. This device displayed three items of information: (1) the type of radar beam that hit the airplane such as a solid line, a dashed line, dots or a line and dot, (2) the relative strength of the radar by the length of the display, and most importantly the clock position of the radar. We were at 4,000 feet and Kenny was flying the airplane when I heard an explosion, the aircraft shuddered and the front windscreen was covered in what turned out to be hydraulic fluid. Ironically, a flight leaders bad judgment resulted in J.B. and his pilot being shot down by another MIG, and he spent a tour in the Hanoi Hilton. When it came time for him to get back in the saddle he was paired with a Russian instructor to fly an unarmed two-seat Mig-21 to refresh his skills. What Major Is Kent State University Known For? I was immediately captured and imprisoned in the infamous Hanoi Hilton, spending my first month of captivity in solitary confinement in a section of the prison known as Heartbreak Hotel. This figure would leave Which Event In The Vietnam War Horrified Americans And Confirmed Their Belief That The War Was Unjust? despite their oral claim of service there. The most unusual MiG killer: the Skyraider air-to-air victories on Roger Locher, was the lead Phantom in Oyster Flight, a four-aircraft flight that, together with Baltar Flight, was tasked with providing MIGCAP (MiG Combat Air Patrol) air-to-air protection in pre-strike support operations against the Paul Doumer Bridge. Lt. Robert Kenneth Kenny Boone (497th TFS) while flying a 433rd TFS aircraft were hit in Southern Steel Tiger. The impact leveled seven houses and destroyed two cars. I felt very selfish having all that fun to share with only Bob Jeffrey, but I just soldiered on and endured it. What was the life expectancy of a helicopter pilot in Vietnam? When combined with U.S. Navy and Marine Corps losses of 233 Phantoms, 761 F-4/RF-4 Phantoms were lost in the Vietnam War. That F-105 broke apart after receiving initially undetectable damage earlier in its career while midair refueling. Another was a Huey helicopter pilot. Matt Connelly USN F-4J, 2 victories. How many f4 Phantoms were lost in Vietnam? The Republic of Vietnam lost 1,018 aircraft and helicopters from January 1964 to September 1973. One segment that really struck home with me was former Chief of Staff of the USAF General Merrill McPeaks statements about his experience dropping bombs from his F-100 and being a Misty FAC in 1968 and 1969. The only thing General Westmoreland cared about was the body count. List of United States servicemembers and civilians missing in action Among the Americans were navy F-4 pilots and RIOs, USAF F-4 pilots and WSOs, F-105 pilots, and two navy guys whod flown the A-1 and A-4. DAmario knew that the one-point safe bombs would not go nuclear in a crash. The C.O. The Mig pilot landed the 21 and when they got on the ground the Russian instructor was shaking like a leaf. At that point I told Paul adios and I pulled that wonderful Martin-Baker ejection handle between my legs. After I published this post Ray Seymour sent me the following message: Dave Lowder and I supplied the photos and I put it together for the Rats Phoenix convention in May of 2012. List of Vietnam War flying aces - Wikipedia Thirty-four were shot down, landing either in the South China Sea or in North Vietnamese-held territory. Unfortunately the goal of the U.S. through out the entire nine year war was not to defeat North Vietnam. He was then transferred to another prison camp where he was kept in solitary confinement and interrogated at length. They climbed and when each got within missile range (9,000 feet) of Lark 3 each MiG fired two Atoll heat seeking missiles at Lark 3. If you can add your memories or thoughts to a post, please do. Edmund's work as a teacher, administrator, and researcher has given him a unique perspective on how students learn and what educators can do to foster a love of learning in their students. Now I know I have to do the interview with Dan and Bob. Killed in Hueys - 1,151 pilots and 1,231 non-pilot crew members (we do not have a good count on Vietnamese). The Royal Australian Air Force also flew combat and airlift missions in South Vietnam, as did the Republic of Vietnam. At one point I did hear him say the day at the Miramar air show reminded him of taking the kids to Disneyland. The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, the famous high-altitude Mach 3 [], This may be one of the best helicopter footage youve ever seen! Some sources will state about 2,200 UH-1 Iroquis (Huey) We encourage readers to comment on our articles. Florida Agricultural And Mechanical University, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, Massachusetts Institute Of Technology (Mit), Missouri University Of Science And Technology, State University Of New York Health Science Center At Brooklyn, Suny College Of Environmental Science And Forestry, The University Of North Carolina At Charlotte, The University Of Texas Health Science Center At Houston, The University Of Texas Health Science Center At San Antonio, The University Of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, The University Of Texas Medical Branch At Galveston, The University Of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Uniformed Services University Of The Health Sciences, University At Buffalo Suny School Of Engineering And Applied Sciences, University Of California, Los Angeles (Ucla), University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign, University Of Maryland Baltimore County (Umbc), University Of Massachusetts Medical School Worcester, University Of Tennessee Health Science Center, University Of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Brigadier General Steve Ritchie (five MiG kills), Colonel Chuck Debellevue (six MiG kills) and Lt. I found that to be interesting because it tacitly admitted that they had been lying in the pastor at least evading or hiding the truth. Rescue Dawn (2006) - IMDb The Silver Star is the third-highest military combat decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Armed Forces. He had 100 missions over North Vietnam and 48 missions over Laos while flying out of Ubon & Udorn Air Bases, Thailand. He said he was finally able to imagine saying to the American, OK, big deal, congratulations, that was a big accomplishment. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. USAF . Tom Hanton USAF F-4 WSO, POW 1 loss 100 missions in the F-105 over North Vietnam; F-4 pilot; Shot down two MiG-21s in 1972. 9 of the losses were parked aircraft struck by rockets. After an hour and a half lunch break we had a new interpreter who did a much better job and everybody seemed to enjoy the stories much more. More than 5,000 Hueys operated in Vietnam; around 2,500 were lost to enemy fire. pilots to the USSR in 1959; those students spent roughly 2 years [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, This page was last edited on 2 August 2022, at 09:45. John Ed Kerr USN F-4J Some US fighter pilots had actually scored aerial kills Manuscript/Mixed Material. The remains of the other 5 crewmen were returned. His narrative of this unusual meeting is truly fascinating. Unlike his outwardly attractive but structurally dubious aircraft, Capt. Originally the Koreans sent 16 pilots then sent more later, and the Koreans did indeed fly against the US. There was also a little red light at the top right of the CRT that had the letters A/S to the left of the light. The multipurpose fighter saw extensive combat duty during the Vietnam War, including serving as Major Gary L. Retterbush, the pilot of Finch 3, an F-4E Phantom II. How many Vietnamese were killed during the Vietnam War? - 2023 Lt. Col. Curnutte was in the 366th Tactical Fighter Wing, the Gunfighters, at Da Nang Air Base, Vietnam, in 1968-69 during which he flew 103 combat missions with 36 missions over North Vietnam. During this time, he was seriously injured and suffered from shock and extreme weight loss due to lack of food. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this list.
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