SGT Sam Tenorio [G] 2 injured. [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]). Its not from the How did you survive? He did what he had to do, did what he was asked to do by his country. for my family and I, is absolutely heartfelt and sincere. Upon arrival at the Hoa Lo prison, I was placed in a dimly-lit room with light green, uneven walls. 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. Before I could muse over any more unhappy endings, I was dropped onto the floor. 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. The villagers made short work of removing everything except my T-Shirt and skivvies. 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. Thank you for your bravery and endurance. I looked around me to see hundreds of people, mostly villagers, including old folks and children. The Army and USAF spent enormous efforts preparing to fight WWII over again in Europe (this time with nukes). Looser! In order to avoid my radio falling into enemy hands where it could be used to lure American rescue teams into an ambush, I broke the antenna and tossed it. I wanted to join you in 1969 after college graduation, but my eyes only qualified me as good enough for USAF navigator. I reached bingo, bingo minus 5, minus 10, minus 15, and reported to lead each time. Many thanks for contributing this excellent memoirhope to read more of your writings in future, and wishing you many more years of life aloft: youve sure earned them! I ask that you honor these costs and sacrifice, as I do. Theyd blow up in midair, before they ever got to the runway. 17 apr 1966: arab 511, an a-1h (buno 135398), lt (jg) william l. tromp, va-115, went down following a night attack on coastal targets, near approximately 1818'n, 10610'e. arab 506, his wingman,. Thanks for the story, Joe. He was crying. It was great to learn about your time before FTL/FDX. Of all those shot-down pilots, the experience apparently only made one uniquely qualified to be President. The direct hit had felt like wed had a collision with a fully-loaded cement truck. 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. I am forever beholding to you on so many fronts. 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. This room was known, unaffectionately, by all who suffered there as the room with the green, bumpy walls. Seated on a small, wooden stool, the interrogation began in the usual way with, Name, rank, serial number and date of birth. When I refused to reply to any further questions except by repeating my name, rank, serial number and date of birth, my interrogating officer, in a most sinister way, and in a very convincing manner said, Crecca, you will die in Vietnam. In a matter of minutes I was bound with ropes. The leaders claim was that we could easily have bingod into the RTAF base on the Thai border, so I should not have abandoned my flight leader. After licking their wounds, North Vietnamese pilots again began challenging American aviators in late April, but as the fighting intensified in May, it became apparent that they would not succeed. Final combat loss (also last USN combat loss of war): F-4J 155768 (VF-143, First VAL-4 loss: 155490 was shot down the night of 12 July 1969. If you think I should not be called a hero, tell them, not me. The black, shapeless mass of Vietnamese peasants was all over me. Both Aircrew members ejected and were rescued; 155394 was shot down on 29 October 1971. 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. Scotty preflighted the weapons: six-M117, 750 lb. 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. A C-47 was the very first USAF aircraft lost in the SEA conflict, C-47B 44-76330 (315th Air Division) on TDY at. 532 aircraft were lost in combat and 329 more to operational causes, resulting in the deaths of 401 naval aviators, with 64 airmen reported missing and 179 taken prisoner of war. Do you know how good a F4 sounds from the darn dirt ?!? * These two pilots shared the credit for the shoot down of the MiG-17 and each were credited for . 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. What could I possibly say to the President of the United States that he hadnt already heard 334 times before? (Shaking head sadly) It seems theres always someone willing to take a conversation on an inappropriate tangent. B/2/20 ARA #63-08597 A/C was shot down and after it hit exploded into flames. 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. Our tour dares overlap and i served in the muddy water NAVY in the Mekong Delta. I recommend . The prison at Hoa Lo was a miserable place. 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. John McCain JohnMcCain Share this article 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. May God comfort those families who still wait and wonder.]. Jeffrey Ethell and Alfred Price wrote a great book about this day called "One Day in a Long War, May 10, 1972, Air War, North Vietnam" that describes in detail events of that day. For the next two hours I ate dust, dirt, rust flakes and rodent droppings as we pounded our way over the worst rutted roads into Hanoi. Phew! My mom, as she promised my father she would, visited my fathers grave at the National Cemetery in Grand Prairie on Saturday, left an American Flag, which, regardless of whether or not the boy scouts or other volunteers do, as they sometimes do and sometimes dont, shes done for the previous 10 Memorial Days. It was then that I could see a shapeless, black mass on the ground. With both my palms up and a telling expression on my face, Don Ward knew that was the end of the conversation. Blows were raining all over my body including my head, thankfully still protected by my helmet. American airmen shot down 196 MiGs137 by the Air Force, 59 by the Navy and the Marine Corpsand sustained 83 losses. Thank you for sharing. God Bless you F-4 drivers! 83rd Arty 101ABN DIVARTY 1972 November 22 First B-52 shot down over North Vietnam The United States loses its first B-52 of the war. Wasnt much left for my remaining Six. Scotty Wilson had a beautiful wife and daughter whose lives were torn asunder as well. The pilot Lieutenant J. M. Krommenhoek is Missing in Action. 8081, Air War Vietnam Plans and Operations 19691975. Stay up to date with the latest articles and selections from our archives. records. Not sure which squadron he started with but he ended up assigned to the 366-tfw. Messrs. Crecca and Wilson were asked by their nation to serve. . First of all, we only had three airplanes. 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. From the refueling track exit over northern Thailand, our route took us over northern Laos and into North Vietnam. Asia [http://www.dpaa.mil/Resources/Fact-Sheets/Article-View/Article/569613/progress-in-vietnam/]. Thank You for your service. It must have occurred just before my own chute opened. But, knowing this might be my only chance to talk before the fun and games began anew, I concocted a mission scenario that I hoped would be accepted as truth. Sharing your story forward. 12,000 helicopters The Republic of Vietnam lost 1,018 aircraft and helicopters from January 1964 to September 1973. Final loss: A84-228 shot down by two SA-2 SAM missiles on 14 March 1971; Wing Commander F. J. L. Downing and Flight Lieutenant A.J. 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),: 228 and five Americans. Day after day intel would ask us to listen up for Buick 4, or Chevy 4, or whoever Number 4 who had been shot down while lead worked on getting his Mig. No need to bring up the sorties flown with 1/2 ordnance loads so the (Squadron, Group, Wing) would look good on paper. Thank you for your service! I flew Marine Corps F-4s out of Da Nang and Nam Pong, Thailand in 1972; unfortunately not much had changed in six years. In addition to the roof, the toilet was destroyed! Served in SAC during early fifties and proud of our commander. Joe, I fly a POW/MIA flag below Old Glory everydayin honor of you, Scotty, and all the other heroes that sacrificed so much in that war. SP4 John C. Hughes [G] 1 injured. It was noon. Steve Snyder's masterful book, Shot Down, does justice to the adventures of his father, pilot Howard Snyder, and the crew of the B-17 plane Susan Ruth. [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]. Youre the best and always will be with me when I go flying. 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. Pilots lost control in low clouds during a night flare mission. Get it? 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. A SAM damn near got me and another my section leader. After I was stabilized, the boomer cleared me into the contact position. Mills words to heart whenever necessary. Both Aircrew members were Killed In-Action, Last VAL-4 loss: 155461 crashed on 9 February 1972. Had it not been for President Nixon and the sheer courage of the B-52 and tactical aircrews, the POWs would never have returned. I put off law school acceptance for a year to volunteer for the combat tour instead. Having been a teenager in Vietnam years, I had a Vietnam map on my bedroom wall and marked bombing missions that Cronkite would report that night. Sir, the airplane was in a SAM break two days ago. I did enjoy reading this and I am grateful for men like you. As my turn got closer and closer, I was still mentally tongue-tied. 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). VS-41 at NAS North Island retained four of the borrowed Broncos to be used for training replacement pilots and maintenance personnel. Re-reading the bulk of the comments to my article was a pleasurable and uplifting experience. The White House approved a retaliatory air strike, but by the time it got there, the SAM batteries were long gone. That may be the biggest benefit from Viet Nam, a conflict which many would say yielded very few benefits, as you suggest. Its guys like you who Ive tried to be like when it became my turn to sit in the left seat. me 500s. Sad to hear that your Dad didnt tell you much about his missions. Sayonara, engines! SMS D.R. A natural reaction. AddThis Utility Frame. I was O.K. I wanted to wipe the blood away but my hands were tied behind my back. When I got to the control tower, the controller whod witnessed the crash was catatonic. A well? Instead, dummy missiles had been placed at the site as a "flak trap.". Of those servicepeople, 2,382 were killed while serving aboard UH-1 Iroquois, better known as the ubiquitous "Huey." After that we had our individual flight briefings. Your writing is superb and I wonder if you have considered writing a book about your experience in the USAF. On May 10, 1972, the USAF and Navy shot down 11 North Vietnam MiGs in the skies over North Vietnam at a cost of two USAF and two Navy F-4s shot down. Crash Location: Into Sea off southwest coast of Vietnam near Rach Gia and Ca Mau. Id pulled the lower ejection handle and was away from my burning Phantom. And I also thank you for taking the time to write down your harrowing and amazing experience in war. Then we switched roles and Scotty flew while I coordinated the rendezvous. And when the pressurization system failed we were freezing our butts off! As for Mr. Fearn, Politics aside, we probably did back the wrong side. I am a UK resident but love all things aviation even the painful experiences suffered by many presented here by Joe also on behalf of Scotty. However, when your country calls, you have two choices, in 1965 you went, in 1969 you didnt. It was the darkest moment of an amazing three weeks in Vietnam and I was quite happy to leave that place. [9][10]:268. 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. How do you look in the mirror? The process of lifting the American air pirate and dropping him (me) face first onto the floor went on for over an hour. Osprey 2001, No. You were a great morale boost when we needed it the most. I was too young for Nam, but spent 20 years in the Navy under the water. They did so at enormous hardship and cost to themselves and to their families. Scotty then said over the radio to the leader, Dogwood 2 has a good inertial. 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