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Vietnam Lossesr3 SUMMARY OF A-6 LOSSES: compiled from VIETNAM AIR LOSSES, USAF / USN / USMC Fixed Wing Aircraft Losses in SE Asia 1961-1973 by Chris Hobson; and Grumman Aircraft Corporation summary of Destroyed A-6 Aircraft, Reissued January 1992. Forward by Capt Jerry Coffee, USN (ret) a Vietnam POW One night during a bombing raid on Hanoi, I peeked out of my cell and watched a flight of four F-105s during their bombing run. As they pulled up, it was obvious that lead was badly hit. Trailing smoke, he broke from the formation and I watched the damaged bird until it dis- appeared from sight. I presumed the worst. As I lay there in my cell reflecting on the image, I composed a toast to the unfortunate pilot and all the others who had gone before him. On New Year's Eve 1968, Captain Tom Storey and I were in the Stardust section of Hoa Lo (wa-low) Prison. I whispered the toast under the door to Tom. Tom was enthralled, and de- spite the risk of terrible punishment, insisted that I repeat it several more times until he had it committed to memory. He then promised me that when the time came, and we were again free men, he would give the toast at the first dining-in he attended. [For you civilians, a dining-in is a dreary formal affair with drinks, dinner, and forced joviality and comradeship where officers get to dress up like the head waiters in "The Merry Widow" -- that's the Ameri- can version; I've heard that the Brits, who created the damn things, have a rollicking good time. Tom's first assignment following release in 1973 was to the U.S. Air Force Academy. During that same year the Academy hosted the Annual Conference of General Officers and Those Associated Dining In. ... The jovial clinking of glasses accompanied all the traditional speeches and toasts. Then it was Tom's turn. Remembering his promise so many years earlier, he proposed Jer- ry's "One More Roll." When he was finished there was total silence. We toast our hearty comrades Who have fallen from the skies, And were gently caught by God's own hands To be with him on high, To dwell among the soaring clouds They have known so well before, From victory roll to tail chase At heavens very door. And as we fly among them there, We're sure to hear their plea: Take care, my friend, Watch your six, And do one more roll for me. SUMMARY: VA-75 Sunday Punchers, USS Independence, 14 July 1965, BuNo 151584 LT Don Boecker / LT Don Eaton (both recovered) Daylight / Steel Tiger Laos / Premature Bomb Burst VA-75, 18 July 1965, # 151577 CDR Jerry Denton, Air Wing OpsO / LTJG Bill Tschudy (both POW) Daylight / near Thanh Hoa / Premature Bomb Burst (both released 12 Feb 1973) VA-75, 24 July 1965, #151585 LCDR Deke Bordone / LTJG P F Moffett (both survived) Daylight / Steel Tiger S. Laos / Premature Bomb Burst VA-75, 17 Sept 1965, #151588 CO CDR Fred Vogt / LT Frank Barber (both KIA) Night, SE of Haiphong, Flew into the water on the bomb run. VA-85 Black Falcons / Buckeyes, USS Kitty Hawk, 21 Dec 1965, BuNo 151781 CO CDR Billie Jack Cartwright / LT Edward Frank Gold (both KIA) Night, near Haiphong, flew into the ground avoiding SAMs (Gold's remains ID'd in 1995) VA-85, 18 Feb 1966, #151797 LTJG Joe Murray / LTJG Tom Schroeffel (both KIA) Day Armed Recce, 70mi W of Hanoi, Flew into ground beyond target VA-85, 17 April 1966, #151794 LCDR Sam Sayers / LCDR C J Hawkins (both survived) Armed Recce, near Mui Ron Ma, AAA hit in wing, ensuing fire, ejected at sea & rescued. VA-85, 21 April 1966, #151798 CO CDR Jack Keller / LCDR Ernie Austin (both KIA) Night, near Vinh, shot down or flew into ground VA-85, 22 April 1966, #151785 LCDR Robert Franklin Weimorts / LTJG William Brewster Nickerson (both KIA) Day (hazy), Iron Hand near Vinh, flew into the sea VA-85, 27 April 1966, #151788 LT Bill Westerman / LT Brian Westin (awarded Navy Cross), (both ejected & survived) Day, Near Vinh, Nape run on barges, small arms fire hit pilot, B/N flew A/C seaward, crew successfully ejected & B/N was picked up first. When the rescue helo was unable to pick up the pilot, the B/N went back into water to get his pilot into the rescue sling and then motioned the helo away toward medical attention for the pilot, remaining behind in shark-infested waters. VA-85, 15 May 1966, #151800 LCDR R G Blackwood / LCDR John Cooley Ellison (both survived) Armed Recce in NVN, unable to take fuel from tanker, fuel exhaustion (LCDR Ellison was KIA on a raid at Bac Giang on 24 March 1967 VA-65 Tigers, USS Constellation, 25 June 1966, BuNo 151816 LT Dick Weber (survived) / LTJG Charles Marik (KIA) Day raid on Hoi Thuong Barracks near Vinh, hit by AAA ejected at sea VA-65, 27 Aug 1966, #151822 LCDR Jack Fellowes / LTJG George Coker (both POW, both released 4 Mar 1973) Day Visual Ordnance, bridge near Vinh, AAA hit with wing fire, ejected over land LTJG Coker one of few to escape a POW camp, was recaptured a day later and tortured for it. He received the Navy Cross, the Legion of Merit, and the Bronze Star with Combat V for his heroic actions while a POW. VA-85, USS Kitty Hawk, 19 Jan 1967, BuNo 151590 XO CDR Allen Brady (POW) / LCDR Bill Yarbrough (KIA, remains returned Aug 1985) Day Visual Ordnance, near Thanh Hoa, hit by AAA, aircraft blew up, chute failure for Yarbrough VMA(AW)-242 Bats, MAG-11, DaNang Air Base, 23 Mar 1967, BuNo 152608 Capt Fred Cone USMC / CWO-3 Doug Wilson USMC, both survived, amazingly enough. A-6 on night T/O roll hit a C-141 loaded with acetylene at midfield, A-6 fully loaded with MK- 82s and rockets went upside down, 5 USAF KIA with only 1 survivor on the C-141. Then- Major Cone received the Navy Cross for a later mission on Phuc Yen airfield in October. VA-85, 24 Mar 1967, #151587 LCDR John Ellison / LTJG Jim Plowman (both listed KIA in 1980 for admin purposes) Night 4-plane strike on Bac Giang thermal power plant near Kep, aircraft disappeared off E-2 scope after target was hit, one or both may have been captured, a mystery to this day VMA(AW)-242, MAG-11, DaNang, 17 Apr 1967, #152609 Maj Jim McGarvey / Capt Jim Carlton (both KIA) Night attack on transshipment point near Vinh, AAA or ground collision suspected VA-85, 24 Apr 1967, #152589 LTJG Irv Williams / LTJG Mike Christian (both POW, released 4 March 1973) Day strike on Kep airfield MIG base, AAA hits to wing, ejected over land. Christian made American flags out of bits of cloth and was nearly tortured to death for his actions. VA-35 Black Panthers, USS Enterprise, 19 May 1967, BuNo 152594 LCDR Red McDaniel (POW) / LT James Kelly Patterson (alive on ground, whereabouts unknown to this day) Day, three-CV Alpha-strike planned on targets around Hanoi, A/C hit by SAM, both ejected, 6 aircraft & 10 Navy aircrew were lost on this day, two from each Carrier. VA-196 Main Battery, USS Constellation, 21 Aug 1967, BuNo 152638 CO CDR Leo Profilet / LCDR Bill Hardman, on their 59th mission together, (both POW) Day strike, Duc Noi RR Yard 5 mi NE of Hanoi, SAM hit a wing and wing departed aircraft. Both released 14 Mar 1973. Profilet had flown 98 combat missions in the Skyraider in Korea. VA-196, 21 August 1967, #152627 LTJG Dain Scott / LTJG George Trembley (both KIA) same Duc Noi RR Yard, chased by MIGs into China, shot down by MIG-19 in China. VA-196, 21 Aug 1967, #152625 LCDR Jimmy Lee Buckley (KIA) / LT Bob Flynn (POW) same Duc Noi RR Yard, chased by MIGs into China, shot down by MIG-19 in China. Flynn spent 2,030 consecutive days in solitary confinement, repatriated through Hong Kong on 15 Mar 1973. Buckley's ashes were returned on 15 Dec 1975. Only one of the four Milestone Intruders on the strike that day made it back to the Connie. VMA(AW)-533 Hawks, MAG-12, Chu Lai, 26 Aug 1967, #152639. Squadron arrived 1 Apr 1967 Major Val Bacik / Capt. Pat Boggs (both KIA) Night strike near Hon Gay, hit by AAA over target, or crashed exiting target area. VMA(AW)-242, MAG-11 DaNang, 30 Oct 1967, #152601 Capt. Hugh Fanning / Capt. Steve Kott (both KIA) 2-plane Night strike on Canal des Rapides bridge, 5 mi NE of Hanoi. Seeding mission with MK-36 DST Destructor mines (MK-82s with special fuses). Bright flash on ground observed by ECM aircraft, SE of Hanoi exiting target area. Exact cause unknown, AAA or hit ground. VA-196, 2 Nov 1967, #152629 LCDR Richard David Morrow / LT James Joseph Wright (both KIA) Failed to return from night, DST seeding mission. Intense AAA and SAM activity noted near Van La, 10 mi S of Hanoi. Fireball observed on ground. VMA(AW)-242. MAG-11 DaNang, 25 Nov 1967, #152612 CO LtCol. Lew Abrams / 1st LT Bob Holdeman (both KIA) Night strike on Kien An airfield near Haiphong. Remains returned on 27 June 1997, after excavation of crash site in 1993 & 1995. Abrams received Navy Cross for earlier mission. VA-75, USS Kitty Hawk, 31 Dec 1967, #152917 LCDR John Pearce / LT Sam Perisho (both KIA) Day, IFR single-plane strike on storage caves near Vinh.
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