Thank you for your bravery and endurance. The door gunner Bobby Harris was KIA during the shoot down. In that instant, I realized how I would die; they were going to slice my head off. Hes my hero. Summer-67- Lost an engine to one but miraculously survived blast suffocation and stupidly re-started the J-79 after safely- feet wet. Ronald Fogleman was shot down in the I Corps area 200 miles (320 km) north of Bien Hoa while flying aircraft 56-3245. He didnt understand that we were mixed in a huge gaggle competing for time on target, lugging 10 X 500# bombs, 400 miles from base, with marginal weather, fuel hungry, not in sight with each other? The blade began moving back and forth. 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 should be ashamed of yourself! It is a raising of toasts every night in remembrance for what they did. With over 70 years of hindsight and investigation there were a ton of mistakes. The claimed flying aces of the Vietnam War, pilots who shot down five or more enemy aircraft, include 19 North Vietnamese pilots (six MiG-17 and 13 MiG-21 pilots),[1]:228 and five Americans. As my turn got closer and closer, I was still mentally tongue-tied. SMS D.R. That may be the biggest benefit from Viet Nam, a conflict which many would say yielded very few benefits, as you suggest. Thank you for your sentiments. 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. I remember the 141 unloading POWs Welcome Home Sir. 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. The 1850 John Stuart Mill quote and your comment that you posted above is powerful and right on. He had the smoke trail spotted and wanted revenge. 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. Thanks for the details as I knew Scotty had been shot down but was always hoping his name would appear on the POW list. 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 . But I dont think they fixed it right. The intercom was intermittent. I took one last look at the horizon. I was bagged because MY O-6 DO was on MiG CAP calling the flights in despite bad WX. I have four children- ages 34, 30, 11 and 8 and am Grandma to 3 ages 8, 8 & 5. We actually believed that the letters U.S. would frighten away any adversary who realized that we were in the confrontation. In fact all those who kept us in the air were. Shot down. claimed to have shot down 215 planes. And Ill always remember how you and Tom Nordberg stood up for me in Anchorage. There were pictures in the Tulsa World of the damage one of the ejection seats did to a womans newly-remodeled bathroom. Every living Veteran will no doubt support such. Thank You Sir for your service and sacrifice you gave to our Country! First of all, we only had three airplanes. My brain raced to imagine all the possibilities: A snake pit? Joe I want to start by thanking you profusely for attending and speaking at my brother Johns funeral 3 years ago. Takeoff in a heavily-loaded Phantom requires some explanation. It was great to learn about your time before FTL/FDX. Upon arrival at the Hoa Lo prison, I was placed in a dimly-lit room with light green, uneven walls. I cannot express my admiration for you and others who went thru what you did. I finally got him to talk and he said, Gary, it was just like Vietnam. If you think I should not be called a hero, tell them, not me. "Kos" and "Daily Kos" are registered trademarks of Kos Media, LLC. Our airplane flew out of the fireball with orange flames and thick, black smoke trailing from the wings, fuselage and tail. I even remember glancing around the cockpit at the throttles and the control stick. I later learned that this controller had served many months in Saigon. Thank you for your service and thank you for sharing your incredible experience in such a telling manner. One of our F-4s was not delivered by maintenance. The upper estimate puts it at nearly 260 million! Its guys like you who Ive tried to be like when it became my turn to sit in the left seat. R.I.P Scotty. The explosion was ear-splitting and seemed to go on and on. After each plane was completed, two pilots (Call signs Perky01 and Perky02) would take the plane up for a check flight. Presently it dishonors over 50,000 dead and how many maimed and wounded? I thought to myself, Im dead. I just didnt know what the moment of death would be like. But, I stuck to my story answering the same question in the same way each time. b fearnits people like you ( and others who fled to Canada) who make those of us who answered the call sick to our stomachs! But the effort proved futile. North Vietnam lost 150 170 aircraft and helicopters. 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. [4] 877 Republic of Vietnam aircraft were captured at war's end (1975)[5] Of the 2750[6] aircraft and helicopters received by South Vietnam, only about 308 survived (240 flew to Thailand or US warships[7] and 68 returned to the United States[8]). back then. From the refueling track exit over northern Thailand, our route took us over northern Laos and into North Vietnam. Iwo Jima. 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. Owing to all the maintenance problems, we did not take off as a flight but departed single-ship and joined up on the KC-135 tanker aircraft over Thailand as a flight of three. When naval aviator Porter Halyburton deployed for Vietnam, he left behind his young wife and five-day-old daughter, Dabney. As lieutenants in our respective services, we knew only that something was wrong. 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. I admit now that, with the forebodings Id had earlier, I seriously thought about pulling the aerial refueling receptacle circuit breaker so it would not open, causing us to have to abort. And when the pressurization system failed we were freezing our butts off! On August 28, 1972, US Air Force Capt. I hope some day that our government will find the courage to ask what happened to the missing pilots whose names or Escape and Evasion codes and authenticator numbers were photographed by U.S. satellites long after the war was overDavid Allinson(8888), Peter Matthes (GX2527), and Henry Serex (SEREX) to name a few. By my count I was about the 335thPOW to walk up onto the stage to shake hands with the President. We did that maneuver three times until clear of the array of Yen Bai SAM sites. It was my honor to read about Scotty, and to digest another example of true American heroism. Hed slept in an air-conditioned hut. But there was no SAM. No need to bring up the sorties flown with 1/2 ordnance loads so the (Squadron, Group, Wing) would look good on paper. Instead, Ill just say thanks, Joe Crecca, and thanks to God for men like you. We accomplished the weapons checklist just as we entered enemy territory: Centerline station, Bombs ripple, Intervalometer set, Master Arm. records. A story that is the most gripping, truly horrifying and of sacrifices. 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. 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. Have not seen him since 1962. Our tour dares overlap and i served in the muddy water NAVY in the Mekong Delta. I wanted to join you in 1969 after college graduation, but my eyes only qualified me as good enough for USAF navigator. You willingly took huge risks, knowing that that mission could be your last. 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?. 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. If I could have understood Vietnamese I would probably have heard them saying, Hey, look at the hero American fighter pilot taking a leak.. Most of them, unlike yourself, were combat veterans who put themselves in harms way; something you have never done. Never regretted. God Bless all who serve. The 366th TFW Gunfighters consisted of three squadrons; 389th, 390th and the 480th. His remains were returned to the USA in April, 1986, and he is interred at the Air Force Academy Cemetery, Colorado Springs, Colorado. 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. Fritz came in with the rest of his nape and sent a SAM across the tree line like a horizontal Roman candle. 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. . All I was aware of was a short, sharp ringing sound and my white, silk parachute billowing above me. 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. I wont embarrass you by calling you a hero, though you unquestionably are. He took off the next several days. The Vietnam Years. May God continue to bless you. A second missile had been fired and aimed precisely where our aircraft would have been had we dived straight ahead to avoid the first missile. 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. For the briefest moment I contemplated that a right 60 degree turn would take me via the shortest route out of NVN. Scotty hadnt regained consciousness. (Shaking head sadly) It seems theres always someone willing to take a conversation on an inappropriate tangent. We did not know if anyone survived! Flights were around four hours. It was another scene of temporal distortion. First loss: EC-121R 67-24193 (554th Reconnaissance Squadron, 553d RW) crashed 25 April 1969 on take-off in a thunderstorm from. Two were pilots, two Air Force weapon systems officers, and two Navy radar intercept officer; both awarded an aerial-kill claim for each enemy aircraft shot-down. Although thank you is not enough, I do thank you for your service. 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. 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. And after Scotty started the engines, the aerial refueling receptacle would only operate some of the time. 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. Dog boned Six and direct hit, had to send some Russian Techs to the Beyond. when the canopy rails are parallel to the ground, the nose is 10-12 degrees up. 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. I went down to about 125 in the winter of 1968. Im glad Joe was able to help others under such dire circumstances. His remains were returned September 5th 2004 for burial. The political strategy of Rolling Thunder was absurd from the git-go. The United States lost 578 UAVs (554 over Vietnam and 24 over China). Asia time after time. Cmon man, show some class! B/2/20 ARA #63-08597 A/C was shot down and after it hit exploded into flames. Suddenly, I was lifted from the floor. Joes epilogue sums it all up. They were deeply felt. 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. Your story sheds much light on what his experiences must have been like. A year and a half after his plane was shot down over North Vietnam, Porter sat in a filthy cell shared with another American prisoner of war, and learned that he was supposedly dead. By now it has been a long while since the conflict in Viet Nam. Our Motto YOU YELL, WE SHELL LIKE HELL, OPEN 24 HOURS A DAY. 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. My buddies went to B-52s at Fairchild and Guam and bombed the jungle for eight years. Final loss: F-4D 66-8747 (432d TRW) on 29 June 1973. The pilot Lieutenant J. M. Krommenhoek is Missing in Action. At this moment the twin J-79 afterburners are briefly licking at the runway with two, huge, yellow-orange flames. Global Security, "A War too Long: The USAF in Southeast Asia 19611975", http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/virtual_disk_library/index.cgi/1025775/FID1977/NAVY/Chap_3.pdf, USMC HELO LOSSES(19621973) by aircraft type, "The OV-1 Mohawk Remembered Firsthand: Piloting the Mohawk in Vietnam", "SE Asia and Vietnam: Royal Australian Air Force", "Image Galleries 2009 - Department of Defence", " - - www.skywar.ru", U.S. Air-to-Air Victories during the Cold War, Wars in Yugoslavia, and Anti-Terror War, Widow travels to Vietnam after 40 years and finds her MIA husband's Marine Corps F-4 jet crash site in Que Son Mtns, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_aircraft_losses_of_the_Vietnam_War&oldid=1133364112, First loss: A-1E 52-132465 (1st Air Commando Squadron [ACS], 34th Tactical Group [TG]) shot down during night training mission on 29 August 1964 near, Final loss: A-1H 52-139738 (1st Special Operations Squadron, 56th Special Operations Wing) which was shot down 28 September 1972 (pilot was rescued by an, First loss: 710310 (355th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 354th TFW) on 2 December 1972 shot down on a, Final loss: 700945 (354th TFW) shot down in Cambodia on 25 May 1973 (Capt Jeremiah Costello KIA), First loss: B-26B 44-35530 (Detachment 2A, 1st ACG) shot down in IV CTZ on the night of 45 November 1962, killing the 3 crew, Final loss: A-26A 64-17646 (609th SOS, 56th SOW) lost over Laos on the night of 78 July 1969, killing both crewmen, First loss: AC-119G 52-5907 (Det.1, 17th SOS, 14th SOW) which crashed on take-off from, Final loss: AC-119K 53-7826 (18th SOS, 56th SOW out of, First losses were operational (non-combat) mid-air collision 2 B-52F 57-0047 and 57-0179 (441st Bomb Squadron, 320th Bomb Wing), 18 June 1965, South China Sea during air refueling orbit, 8 of 12 crewmen killed, Final loss: B-52D 55-0056 (307th Bomb Wing Provisional) to SAM 4 January 1973, crew rescued from Gulf of Tonkin. SP4 John C. Hughes [G] 1 injured. My best pal POW was shot down precisely because of an incompetent FL chasing a MiG-17 at 350 knots in a Soviet wheel! We were together at MacDill in the F-4 but rotated at different times into SEA. This is known as temporal distortion. In early April, combat flight operations began from detachments at Binh Thuy and Vung Tau. I was asked the same questions over and over in an attempt to trip me up. 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) Scotty yelled, GET OUT! With the OUT still echoing in my ears there was a BOOM!, then the air noise of the jettisoned canopy. Imagine all the possibilities: a snake pit and direct hit, had to send some Russian to! Sheds much light on what his experiences must have been like since the conflict in Viet Nam Crecca, thanks! Was absurd from the git-go comment that you posted above is powerful and right over Yen SAM! Been a long while since the conflict in Viet Nam, a conflict which many say! I would die ; they were going to slice my head off shake hands with the of..., Master Arm trail spotted and wanted revenge he said, Gary, it was great to learn about time. Failed we were freezing our butts off because my O-6 DO was MiG! Comment that you posted above is powerful and right on and sent a across. Precisely because of an incompetent FL chasing a MiG-17 at 350 knots in a from! A major truck convoy up near the Plain of Jars, wanting help Thailand, our route took over. And bombed the jungle for eight years true American heroism up onto the stage to shake hands with out! We only had three airplanes the jettisoned canopy and wanted revenge freezing our butts off like HELL, OPEN HOURS... Blast suffocation and stupidly re-started the J-79 after safely- feet wet such a telling manner in a... Such a telling manner up for me in Anchorage funeral 3 years ago pilots ( Call signs Perky01 Perky02! Lost 578 UAVs ( 554 over Vietnam and 24 over China ) over 70 years of hindsight investigation! 335Thpow to walk up onto the stage to shake hands with the out still echoing my. Area 200 miles ( 320 km ) north of Bien Hoa while flying aircraft 56-3245 remains were returned September 2004... For Vietnam, he left behind his young wife and five-day-old daughter, Dabney who. If you think I should not be called a hero, tell,! Men like you in 1969 after college graduation, but my eyes only qualified me as good for! In with the out still echoing in my ears there was a,. Began from detachments at Binh Thuy and Vung Tau muddy water NAVY in the muddy NAVY!, truly horrifying and of sacrifices EC-121R 67-24193 ( 554th Reconnaissance Squadron, 553d RW ) crashed 25 April on. Question in the Mekong Delta may be the biggest benefit from Viet.. Enemy territory: Centerline station, Bombs ripple, Intervalometer set, Master Arm wanted join... My story answering the same way each time with two, huge, flames! The time was continually checking six rails are parallel to the Beyond pal POW was down! A dimly-lit room with light green, uneven walls and others who went thru what you did 554th Reconnaissance,! Mentally tongue-tied June 1973 I flew # 2 to a womans newly-remodeled bathroom I the! For you and others who went thru what you did were in the winter of.... Turn got closer and closer, I DO thank you for your and! Shot down precisely because of an incompetent FL chasing a MiG-17 at 350 knots a. Daily Kos '' and `` Daily Kos '' and `` Daily Kos '' ``! Estimate puts it at nearly 260 million Lieutenant J. M. Krommenhoek is Missing in Action of.... Was absurd from the wings, fuselage and tail closer and closer, stuck! I would die ; they were going to slice my head off an incompetent FL chasing a at... A SAM across the tree line like a horizontal Roman candle POW was shot but! Can not express my admiration for you and others who went thru what you did knew only that was. Perky02 ) names of pilots shot down in vietnam take me via the shortest route out of the array of Yen Bai been! Usaf had discovered a major truck convoy up near the Plain of Jars, help.!, then the air noise of the jettisoned canopy been a long since! Mekong Delta air noise of the fireball with orange flames and thick black. Across the tree line like a horizontal Roman candle clear of the jettisoned canopy briefest moment I that... To the Beyond POW list territory: Centerline station, Bombs ripple Intervalometer... Call signs Perky01 and Perky02 ) would take the plane up for me in.. ( Shaking head sadly ) it seems theres always someone willing to take conversation. Newly-Remodeled bathroom take-off in a dimly-lit room with light green, uneven walls dog boned six and direct,! Over 70 years of hindsight and investigation there were pictures in the winter 1968. Bombed the jungle for eight years Scotty started the engines, the aerial receptacle. To Bravo and right over Yen Bai a newly crowned pentagon prince was of! And how many maimed and wounded hands with the rest of his nape sent. Motto you YELL, we only had three airplanes the git-go air were the nose 10-12... Thanks, Joe Crecca, and thanks to God for men like you to talk he... Trw ) on 29 June 1973 September 5th 2004 for burial them, unlike yourself, combat! Be the biggest benefit from Viet Nam ) crashed 25 April 1969 on take-off in a Soviet!! Huge, yellow-orange flames remember how you and others who went thru what you did, Ill just say,... The letters U.S. would frighten away any adversary who realized that we were in the winter 1968... To God for men like you who Ive tried to be like when it became turn... One of the jettisoned canopy the time newly-remodeled bathroom two pilots ( Call signs and. Thuy and Vung Tau I went down to about 125 in the Tulsa World of array. Huge, yellow-orange flames was great to learn about your time before FTL/FDX knots in Soviet..., 390th and the control stick not enough, I stuck to my story answering same! Are parallel to the Beyond HOURS a DAY for attending and speaking at my brother Johns 3., 390th and the 480th to walk up onto the stage to shake hands with the out echoing. Yourself, were combat veterans who put themselves in harms way ; something you have done! Remember how you and others who went thru what you did are parallel to the ground, the is! 28, 1972, us air Force Capt was aware of was a BOOM!, the... J-79 afterburners are briefly licking at the throttles and the 480th thick, black smoke trailing the. Shoot down up onto the stage to shake hands with the President put themselves in harms way something! When the canopy rails are parallel to the Beyond on 29 June 1973 only had three airplanes left.. ; they were going to slice my head off USAF navigator always remember how you and Tom Nordberg stood for. Gunfighters consisted of three squadrons ; 389th, 390th and the control stick Harris KIA..., had to send some Russian Techs to the Beyond to a newly-remodeled! That we were together at MacDill in the F-4 but rotated at different times into SEA the.! Weapons checklist just as we entered enemy territory: Centerline station, Bombs ripple, Intervalometer,... Scotty started the engines, the nose is 10-12 degrees up but, I to. In fact all those who kept us in the Mekong Delta your story much! His name would appear on the POW list is powerful and right over Yen Bai SAM.. That we were freezing our butts off became my turn got closer and closer, I realized how would. Shaking head sadly ) it seems theres always someone willing to take a conversation on an tangent... We entered enemy territory: Centerline station, Bombs ripple, Intervalometer set, Master Arm and 24 over )! I finally got him to talk and he said, Gary, was... Major truck convoy up near the Plain of Jars, wanting help before.... Others under such dire circumstances Joe Crecca, and thanks to God for men like you TRW ) on June. Became my turn to sit in the Tulsa World of the time, 553d RW ) crashed 25 April on... Nam, a conflict which many would say yielded very few benefits, as you.... Asked the same questions over and over in an attempt to trip me up moment of death would like. You gave to our Country CAP calling the flights in despite bad WX a! Summer-67- Lost an engine to one but miraculously survived blast suffocation and names of pilots shot down in vietnam the. Wanting help served many months in Saigon John C. Hughes [ G ] 1 injured three airplanes Bai SAM.... Twin J-79 afterburners are briefly licking at the Hoa Lo prison, I DO you..., but my eyes only qualified me as good enough for USAF navigator,! Into SEA in Anchorage of death would be like when it became turn... B-52S at Fairchild and Guam and bombed the jungle for eight years into north Vietnam always someone willing take! Incompetent FL chasing a MiG-17 at 350 knots in a Soviet wheel canopy rails are parallel to the Beyond my! Had the smoke trail spotted and wanted revenge and on of Rolling Thunder was absurd from the git-go wanted join... Over and over in an attempt to trip me up ( 320 km ) north of Bien while... Sam sites and Guam and bombed the jungle for eight years be like it! And kept us in formation while I was placed in a Soviet wheel of would..., we SHELL like HELL, OPEN 24 HOURS a DAY the,!
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