To All,
Good Tuesday Morning April 9, 2024. Another clear blue sky today. I hope you all got to see the Eclipse Yesterday even if it was on TV. Very impressive. The next one will be visible from SoCal in 20 years so I think I will try for that one.
Regards,
Skip
HAGD
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This day in Naval and Marine Corps History (thanks to NHHC)
Here is a link to the NHHC website: https://www.history.navy.mil/
This day in Naval and Marine Corps History April 9
1848 A party of men from the sloop-of-war USS Dale march 12 miles inland from Guaymas, Mexico, to capture and spike a 3-gun Mexican battery that was firing at other ships.
1941 USS North Carolina (BB 55) is commissioned. Some of the notable battles she participates in are the Guadalcanal Campaign, the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, the Battle of Philippine Sea, and gunfire support during the Iwo Jima invasion.
1943 Due to World War II, the rank of commodore is reestablished as a temporary rank. During the 1986 Defense Authorization bill, O-7 officers are called rear admiral (lower half).
1944 TBM bombers and FM-2s aircraft (VC 58) from USS Guadalcanal (CVE 60), together with USS Pillsbury (DE 133), USS Pope (DE 134), USS Flaherty (DE 135), and USS Chatelain (DE 149) sink German submarine U 515.
1959 The first seven Mercury astronauts are selected, including three Navy aviators and one Marine: Lt. Cmdr. Walter M. Schirra, Lt. Malcom S. Carpenter, Marine Lt. Col. John Glenn Jr., and Lt. Cmdr. Alan B. Shepard.
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This day in World History April 9
0193 In the Balkans, the distinguished soldier Septimius Severus is proclaimed emperor by the army in Illyricum.
0715 Constantine ends his reign as Catholic Pope.
1241 In the Battle of Liegnitz, Mongol armies defeat Poles and Germans.
1454 The city states of Venice, Milan and Florence sign a peace agreement at Lodi, Italy.
1682 Robert La Salle claims lower Mississippi River and all lands that touch it for France.
1731 British Captain Robert Jenkins loses an ear to a band of Spanish brigands, starting a war between Britain and Spain: The War of Jenkins' Ear.
1770 Captain James Cook discovers Botany Bay on the Australian continent.
1859 Realizing that France has encouraged the Piedmontese forces to mobilize for invading Italy, Austria begins mobilizing its army.
1865 General Robert E. Lee surrenders his rebel forces to Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, Va.
1900 British forces route Boers at Kroonstadt, South Africa.
1916 The German army launches its third offensive during the Battle of Verdun.
1917 The Battle of Arras begins as Canadian troops begin a massive assault on Vimy Ridge.
1921 Russo-Polish conflict ends with signing of the Riga Treaty.
1940 Germany invades Norway and Denmark.
1942 In the Battle of Bataan, American and Filipino forces are overwhelmed by the Japanese Army.
1945 The Red Army is repulsed at the Seelow Heights on the outskirts of Berlin.
1950 Comedian Bob Hope makes his first television appearance.
1963 Winston Churchill becomes the first honorary U.S. citizen.
1966 The statue of Winston Churchill is dedicated at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C.
1968 Murdered civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., is buried.
1970 Paul McCartney announces the official break-up of the Beatles.
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OPERATION COMMANDO HUNT Thanks to the Bear
Skip… For The List for the week beginning Monday, 8 April 2024 through Sunday, 14 April 2024… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION COMMANDO HUNT (1968-1972)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post of 30 June 2019…
B-52 Operation MENU targeting leaked to NVN… No surprises…?…
Thanks to Micro
To remind folks that these are from the Vietnam Air Losses site that Micro put together. You click on the url below and can read what happened each day to the aircraft and its crew. ……Skip
From Vietnam Air Losses site for "Tuesday 9 April
9 https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=515
This following work accounts for every fixed wing loss of the Vietnam War and you can use it to read more about the losses in The Bear's Daily account. Even better it allows you to add your updated information to the work to update for history…skip
Vietnam Air Losses Access Chris Hobson and Dave Lovelady's work at: https://www.VietnamAirLosses.com.
This is a list of all Helicopter Pilots Who Died in the Vietnam War . Listed by last name and has other info https://www.vhpa.org/KIA/KIAINDEX.HTM
MOAA - Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Service members Killed in the Vietnam War
(This site was sent by a friend . The site works, find anyone you knew in "search" feature. https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/ )
Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Service members Killed in the Vietnam War
By: Kipp Hanley
AUGUST 15, 2022
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Thanks to Dr. Rich
Solar eclipse seen from Space Station …
Very cool video showing the moon's shadow gliding across the surface of the earth!
Tam
https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1777472490190860347
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Please see Barrett's article at the end of today's List
Thanks to Barett
G'day Skip,
Following up our telecon, I have a couple of other prospects for The List but need to sort out what's possible to transmit published articles intact and what needs text only cut & paste. "Watch this space."
Ref. The Greatest: Joe Foss mentored Brokaw when SD governor and kept contact. In '88 Brokaw published The Greatest Generation, which included a section on Joe. I knew him well for 20 years, and he was miffed at TGG. More than twice he said "We weren't the greatest. We just did what we had to do. The Founders were the greatest because without them we wouldn't have our country."
He was right, of course.
I don't think that Brokaw's hype attempted a justification for The Greatest title, but it's become reflexive, almost Pavlovian, in discussing the WW II generation. As a Boomer I've always thought that our grandparents remain vastly under-appreciated. They experienced The Depression as parents and sent their children to win The Next War.
Depending on how one reckons it, in WW II the Allies swamped the Axis, and it's remarkable that the issue ever appeared in doubt. At the end the Allies outnumbered the Axis c. 6 or 8-1, and America alone outproduced the enemy by something approaching infinity. Add in the UK, USSR and China, and the disparity becomes even greater. It's kind of amazing that Germany and Japan (temporarily with Italy) tied the rest of the world in knots for 6 years.
One thing that remains indisputable: TGG is THE greatest producer of Stuff. For instance, in writing Clash of the Carriers, I checked the 101 ships in Task Force 58. About 80 had been commissioned in the 2 ½ years since Pearl Harbor. When I started flying in 1965, many-most FBOs had 55-gal barrels full of AN nuts-bolts, fittings, hose claps, etc. Sometimes I wonder if that supply was ever exhausted!
And the WW II crop is a strong contender for The Greatest Aviation Generation. Regardless of service, those pilots went from 80-knot biplane trainers to Mach 2. I always think of the late-great Bob Dose' whose den had his first and last tailhook birds: a Martin-slash-Great Lakes T4M for CQ, and an F8U.
Here's the wiki link to the T4M! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_T4M
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Thanks to Interesting Facts
8 Captivating Facts About Crows
Depending on where you live, there's a good chance that you see a crow nearly every day. Fortunately, they're one of the most fascinating birds on the planet. Corvids, the bird family that includes ravens, crows, and magpies, are incredibly intelligent — and it seems like every time we learn something new about them, it raises even more interesting questions.
Do crows really recognize human friends? Why do thousands of birds swarm certain neighborhoods? And what's up with crow funerals? Read on for the answers to these and other questions about one of the most intriguing birds around.
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Crows Recognize Faces — and Keep Both Friendships and Generations-Long Grudges
Have crows ever acted weird around you? It's possible they remember your face, and that could be a good thing — or a very bad thing.
In 2008, a University of Washington research team led by John M. Marzluff published a study on crow behavior, risking their very eyeballs to do so. Wearing what they called "dangerous" masks (made of rubber and meant to resemble cavemen), the researchers captured and banded a group of crows — something the birds didn't like too much.
While the crows acted normally to maskless or differently-masked researchers, the crows would scold (with loud, harsh calls) anyone wearing the dangerous mask, even when it was worn upside-down. As time went on and word spread among the flock, more and more crows would join in with the behavior. Over the course of several years, researchers walked around the UW campus wearing the bad mask, and, to this day, still get scolded and dive-bombed by birds more than a decade later, even though the crows from the study have likely died. Research has shown that the crows reacted to these threats and stored them in their memories in bird versions of the amygdala, a process much like that of humans.
This research confirmed what crow pros had always suspected: That crows don't just recognize humans, but have deeply held opinions about individual people. Kevin McGowan, a researcher at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, says that crows he has captured and banded are often still mad at him, while birds that have gotten many snacks from him follow him around. Plenty of non-scientists have shared the stories of their own corvid friendships, too, both in modern times and throughout history.
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Crows Have Excellent Collaborative Communication Skills
As evidenced by the growing number of vengeful birds in the mask experiment, crows have excellent communication skills — and can go into far greater detail than just "this is bad."
In the 1980s, researcher Lawrence Kilham studied a group of crows living on a ranch in Florida. (The technical term for a group of crows is a "murder," by the way.) In one of his observations, five crows were helping a mother crow build a nest by bringing her sticks. After an excessive, messy pile of sticks accumulated, the mama crow was able to communicate that the deliveries were no longer helpful. She spent the next two weeks finishing up the nest with materials from the pile.
After decades of crow study, Cornell's Kevin McGowan has even learned to understand some of what they're saying through the timing, spacing, timbre, and energy of their calls — at least, some of the simpler stuff, such as "a hawk is approaching," "the hawk is getting closer," or "help me harass this owl." He says that music is a better comparison than spoken word.
In addition to caws, crows have noises such as rattling, clicks, and bell-like sounds in their vocabulary, plus non-vocal communication. Sometimes they even imitate other birds.
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Crows Have Funerals (Kind Of)
There are many ways you can make enemies with a crow, but one of the quickest is to be seen with a dead one. When faced with a dead member of their own species, many wild animals will avoid the area. Crows, on the other hand, will mob the body in large, loud gatherings — then silently depart.
While crows do have tight social bonds, the funerals may be more about information-sharing. What happened here? How can we avoid danger? Who are we ganging up on over this?
In 2015, University of Washington researchers found that when crows see a human in the proximity of a dead crow just once, they can continue associating that person with the death for up to six weeks. Humans, however, are not public enemy number No. 1. When researchers presented a hawk near a taxidermied crow, the mobbing intensified.
They also found that, while threat assessment is a key part of these gatherings, crows don't do the same thing for just any species of dead bird — this ritual is reserved for their own.
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Crows Might Be as Smart as Great Apes
Clearly, crows are very intelligent, but just how smart are they? In addition to their dynamite communication, threat assessment, and memory skills, crows demonstrate self-awareness, capacity for learning, and problem-solving abilities that may approach those of great apes.
New Caledonian crows — who live on the islands of New Caledonia in the South Pacific — are especially well-known for being adept with tools. In one experiment, a crow figured out how to use water displacement to get access to food. In another, the same species of crow fashioned a hook out of a piece of wire to dig out a treat — and in yet another, they used a small stick to push a long stick into the right position for reaching food.
In 2018, University of Auckland researchers decided to see if crows could remember templates and replicate them. First, the researchers fashioned a small, snack-dispensing mock vending machine that accepted a specific size of paper. The crows, presented with pre-cut paper, would learn which one operated the machine. Later, presented with one larger sheet of cardstock, the crows would tear the paper to roughly the same size from scratch.
Caledonian or not, crows have a sophisticated understanding of cause and effect. BBC Earth observed one crow in Japan who learned to open nuts by dropping them into traffic. When he discovered it was difficult to retrieve them, he started dropping them at pedestrian crossings so he could harvest the insides without getting run over.
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Crows Have Close-Knit Family Relationships
American and Northwestern crows are known for close family bonds. Pairs of birds mate for life, and older crow offspring will pitch in raising the younger ones. During the egg incubation period, the mama crow has food delivered a few times an hour by her mate and other family helpers. Cornell researcher Kevin McGowan has witnessed crow families of up to 15 birds at one time.
It gets sweeter: At hatching time, other crows start visiting just out of curiosity about the new baby. Researcher Lawrence Kilham observed mother crows greeting these visitors by moving slightly to the side to give them a peek. In crow families, adults can stick around their parents' territory for a while, sometimes for several years. Even once they do move out, they may come back every so often, sometimes to help with nest-building.
While mating and hatching season are both big deals in crow family life, learning-to-fly season is up there, too. Many young birds of other species don't see their parents again after getting pushed out of the nest for the first time, but crows keep a close eye on their juveniles while they're running around on the ground — and occasionally, an unsuspecting human will get a little too close and get dive-bombed.
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Tens of Thousands of Crows Roost Together
Crows have large families, but, in the fall and winter, they have even bigger roosting communities. This is why on chilly afternoons, you may see thousands of crows swarming around one place. Smaller groups of crows come to these giant roosts from miles around. Roosts even host international guests; some crows from Canadian forests will winter in Seattle for the warmer city environment. More than 15,000 crows sometimes roost in downtown Portland alone, and 16,000 crows roost on the University of Washington, Bothell, campus near Seattle. In the Fort Cobb area of Oklahoma, the roost population exceeded 2 million in 1970.
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Crows Love to Play
Crows and other corvids are incredibly playful. They've been caught on camera sledding down snowy roofs using plastic lids and playing fetch with dogs. Sometimes they provoke a fight between two cats, becoming enthusiastic spectators when the violence starts. A crow once locked a science writer in a cage. A pair of magpies, also in the crow family, repeatedly pranked a zookeeper's flock of chickens. Corvids also hide objects that are unrelated to food.
Researchers have documented several kinds of play, or activity without a clear goal, in crows, from doing cool flight tricks to spending extra time in the water. Researchers are still exploring why — some of it could be for learning or just good old-fashioned stress relief.
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Crows Might Live for Up to 60 Years
A crow named Tata was allegedly 59 years old when he died at his home in Bearsville, New York, in 2006. While his age is nearly impossible to verify, ornithologists haven't exactly cast doubt on it; the Cornell Ornithology Lab cites him as the longest-lived crow. Tata's longevity comes from being a pet, since crows in captivity aren't exposed to the same dangers as a crow in the wild would. Edgar, a crow in captivity at the Saginaw Children's Zoo in Saginaw, Michigan, died in 2020 at about age 26. The oldest observed crow in the wild was 17 years and 5 months old.
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Thanks to Brett
The Weekly Rundown: The Threat of Iranian Retaliation Against Israel, Polish Local Elections
What We're Tracking
The looming threat of Iranian retaliation against Israel. Iran has vowed revenge on Israel for its April 1 airstrike on the Iranian Consulate in the Syrian capital of Damascus that killed several high-ranking Iranian military officers, though Iranian officials have signaled privately they seek a limited and manageable response. Tehran's exact timeline for a response — which could manifest as a missile, rocket or drone attack on an Israeli-linked target, ranging from Israeli assets in third-party countries like Iraq or Azerbaijan to a direct strike on Israel itself — remains unclear. As Israel braces for potential retaliation and Tehran aims to keep its response limited, its response could still escalate regional tensions and result in a cycle of tit-for-tat attacks between Israel and Iran — a cycle that could pull the United States further into the region's turmoil.
Tusk's government tested in Polish local elections. Poland will hold a first round of local elections April 7, a vote that will represent a key electoral test for Prime Minister Donald Tusk's pro-EU coalition government three months after it took office in December 2023 and three months ahead of European Parliament elections in June. According to opinion polls, Tusk's Civic Coalition and its two coalition partners, the left-wing Lewica party and the center-right Third Way coalition, are set to perform well vis-a-vis the previous ruling party, Law and Justice. A convincing electoral success for the three parties would boost the government's ambitious reform agenda, which faces significant resistance from Law and Justice ally and Polish President Andrzej Duda's veto powers, opposition-led demonstrations, and legal challenges in courts dominated by Law and Justice-appointed judges. On the other hand, a PiS victory would complicate government efforts to dismantle the previous administration's influence on politics and economy, as the party would retain control of many local governments, while at the same time increasing pressure on three coalition parties ahead of EU elections in June.
South Korean legislative elections. South Korea's National Assembly will hold elections April 10 in which the conservative People Power Party aligned with President Yoon Suk Yeol aims to end the opposition Democratic Party's legislative majority. The race is expected to be close, as both parties are struggling with internal disunity. If the PPP gains a majority, the conservatives will push through their pro-business policies, including curbing the power of South Korea's restive unions and pursuing housing reforms, a key voter issue for South Korea's youth. Either way, South Korea's foreign policy — driven heavily by Yoon's Cabinet — is unlikely to change as Seoul pursues close relations with Washington and Tokyo, maximum military deterrence of North Korea, and ways to subtly counter Beijing's growing military brinkmanship around Taiwan and the South China Sea.
Biden-Kishida and Biden-Kishida-Marcos summits. U.S. President Joe Biden will host Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for an official visit April 10. The two leaders will discuss integrating the two countries' defense industrial bases, particularly in shipbuilding, and negotiate a unified military command structure. These developments represent a significant upgrade and tightening of U.S.-Japan military collaboration, both in terms of defense industry and military operations. On April 11, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will join the two leaders for a summit in which the three countries will establish trilateral frameworks for defense cooperation and supply chain resilience. On the defense side, the three countries will form a cyberdefense pact and create a framework for joint maritime drills in the contested South China Sea. This means that Japanese forces will physically enter the South China Sea disputes for the first time in the near future; the scope, timing and location of these exercises will likely be determined at the summit. At the same time, the three countries will look to establish strategic supply chains in critical minerals, semiconductors and green technology to guard against sudden disruptions and reduce economic dependence on China.
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Another from the archives . I added my C-119 story at the end
Interesting landings !!
Thanks to Jim ... and Dr.Rich
I had the pleasure of flying with guys from every branch of the service at Horizon Air and heard many wonderful stories. Forgive me If I have mentioned this one before.
John Taylor and I were sword-fighting weather one nasty winter day in the Northwest. It was a typical Metroliner multi-leg day that frequently ended with a tired fog-bound approach to our Boise domicile.
The Metro handled weather as well as most turboprop aircraft. I recall how we "matter-of-fact" accepted and launched toward a station reporting "200 and a half" or less down a hand-flown (Horizon Metros had no autopilot) CATII ILS somewhere, often.
Capable airborne, the Metro didn't handle wet, icy, snow-covered, wind-swept runways very well. It experienced many runway excursions every winter. For its size, that plane could haul a lot in the trunk. Many times I hauled a spare, crated Metro engine to some out-station. How many airliners can haul their own spare engine? Of course that ability, the long fuselage, skinny, high pressure tires and a funky nose-wheel steering system could all be conspirators. Add a little cross wind and you had the perfect recipe for a runway excursion.
Many crews blamed the nose-wheel steering, of course. I believe they may not have taken into account possible aft CG, less nose wheel steering effectiveness and the large moment arm. Once the aircraft swerved on the runway from wind or too much steering or rudder input, a runway excursion may have been unrecoverable.
John Taylor already knew. Neither of us had experienced a Metroliner runway excursion, but he had his own tale to tell. John, a fellow Metro captain, was retired Air Force, a former B-47 guy. He recounted his own event, told to me many decades ago so please forgive my inaccuracies or embellishments.
John was returning to Elmendorf AFB. Reportedly, the weather was typical Anchorage winter. G3 - gloomy, grim and guess it's gonna stay like this. Apparently, the approach was uneventful, just a wee crosswind. Those early-bird B-47s were equipped with GE J-47s. Axial-flow, slow to spool up engines designed in the 50's. Apparently, approaches were made with a drag chute deployed and engines "pre-spooled". In case of an abort or go-round, the pilot would only need to punch the chute and call for "takeoff thrust" (a fubar term in a Jimmy Stewart film about the same plane).
Fat, dumb and happy; basking in the approach lights (my favorite). 'Call it your favorite tempest or siren name. Sailors and aviators, we all the same.'
John made a respectable landing. As he began to slow, that "wee crosswind" and his welcome home runway greeted him. The drag chute had no choice but to indicate the direction and force of the wind, centerline disappearing from his sight. Rudder effectiveness had died many knots ago. Tandem landing gear. No differential braking. John and crew were just along for the ride.
Many rapid heartbeats later, John and crew came to rest, feet still firmly locked on brakes, engines spooling down. Amazingly they were still on the runway centerline, but 90 degrees to it! Oddly, coincidentally, they are also abeam a taxiway. John popped the chute, powered up and exited the runway.
Ground, amused, "Eagle 21, cleared to taxi to the ramp. May I regard that landing as standard operating procedure from now on? Please report wind and runway condition."
My runway excursion was a bit less eventful. Actually, only my FO, Tower and I knew it had occurred. Billings. Winter. Clear blue, wind-swept.
"Metroliner. Horizon 2251, cleared for landing, wind 210/15."
Touchdown. Plant it, as taught. Rollout. Slowing. Rats! What was the reported runway condition? That damn Billings crosswind. Rudder, wing down, brake, ride it out. Crap! We, my ashen-faced FO and I fortunately, literally slid off the runway onto the cross-runway, powered up a bit, and taxi toward the ramp.
"Ground you may want to report your runway traction as poor." It was closed until our departure sometime later. I hoped Tower pinched their lofty control tower seat cushions, too.
Sent from Rich's iPhone - Please pardon any iSpell errors!
A note from Skip
Reading this one brought back a memory. The C-119 was not a great aircraft and when we were up at Loring AFB in Maine where snow was a more than 6 month blanket we lost a couple and one had the father of a young lady I was going to school with on the base and of coursed they soon left. .My dad had nothing to do with those and said never fly in one Well fast forward to Christmas time and I was looking to catch a hop from where I was attending USC as a Midshipman to Conn. I called El Toro and they said they had a hop going that way early the next morning and I got a seat. I arrived in the dark and as it got light I realized the hop was in flying Boxcar C-119. I went. We had no heat in the back and we were pretty cold on the trip across. That evening we were landing at Scott AFB and it was bad weather and snowing and I was looking out a porthole window in the back as we touched down and I saw the side runway lights going by and then I saw the runway lights on both sides and then the other side as we slowly made a 360 on the runway and came to a stop facing down the runway again. The guys in the front were laughing and carrying on as it was no big deal. |A ground Crew came out and hooked up a tractor and pulled it in. They sent all of us up to stay in the barracks and told us to call in the morning early to check the status. I figured I was going to have a cold stay there for a while. We ran into the crew at breakfast and they were all ready to go and said they had checked the airplane and we were going to launch for Bradly field in Conn which would be perfect for me but I wondered about the airplane but they were not concerned after our landing and we were a go. On this leg I got to get in the cockpit with them and watched their laughing and scratching and finally they decided to cancel their IFR since the weather was much better as we headed east and they were going to drop down and do a low level all the way to Bradly. They also said the view from up front was great and I could go sit up there. Well yes they did a low level and it was like sitting in a fish bowl looking up and down and to the side. And we really did get pretty low. They popped up and landed at Bradly and I got out through a side door and they went back out and continued their flight. I was very glad to be still among the living. My dad just looked at me and shook his head. Skip
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This Day in U S Military History…….April 9
1865 – Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrenders his army to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia. For more than a week, Lee had tried to outrun Grant to the west of Richmond and Petersburg. After a ten-month siege of the two cities, the Union forces broke through the defenses and forced Lee to retreat. The Confederates moved along the Appomattox River, with Union General Phillip Sheridan shadowing them to the south. Lee's army had little food, and they began to desert in large numbers on the retreat. When Lee arrived at Appomattox, he found that his path was blocked. He had no choice but to request a meeting with Grant. They met at a house in Appomattox at 2:00 p.m. on the afternoon of April 9. Lee was resplendent in his dress uniform and a fine sword at his side. Grant arrived wearing a simple soldier's coat that was muddy from his long ride. The great generals spoke of their service in the Mexican War, and then set about the business at hand. Grant offered generous terms. Officers could keep their side arms, and all men would be immediately released to return home. Any officers and enlisted men who owned horses could take them home, Grant said, to help put crops in the field and carry their families through the next winter. These terms, said Lee, would have "the best possible effect upon the men," and "will do much toward conciliating our people." The papers were signed and Lee prepared to return to his men. In one of the great ironies of the war, the surrender took place in the parlor of Wilmer McClean's home. McClean had once lived along the banks of Bull Run, the site of the first major battle of the war in July 1861. Seeking refuge from the fighting, McClean decided to move out of the Washington-Richmond corridor to try to avoid the fighting that would surely take place there. He moved to Appomattox Court House only to see the war end in his home. Although there were still Confederate armies in the field, the war was officially over. Four years of bloodshed had left a devastating mark on the country: 360,000 Union and 260,000 Confederate soldiers had perished during the Civil War.
1941 – Commissioning of USS North Carolina, which carried 9 16-inch guns.
1942 – American General King surrenders 75,000 men (12,000 Americans) to the Japanese. A death march begins for the prisoners as they are taken to San Fernado, 100 miles away. Many thousands of them die on the march. Resistance continues in isolated areas of Luzon and other islands. General Wainwright and his troops continue to hold out on Corregidor Island. The prisoners were at once led 55 miles from Mariveles, on the southern end of the Bataan peninsula, to San Fernando, on what became known as the "Bataan Death March." At least 600 Americans and 5,000 Filipinos died because of the extreme brutality of their captors, who starved, beat, and kicked them on the way; those who became too weak to walk were bayoneted. Those who survived were taken by rail from San Fernando to POW camps, where another 16,000 Filipinos and at least 1,000 Americans died from disease, mistreatment, and starvation. After the war, the International Military Tribunal, established by MacArthur, tried Lieutenant General Homma Masaharu, commander of the Japanese invasion forces in the Philippines. He was held responsible for the death march, a war crime, and was executed by firing squad on April 3, 1946.
1965 – In the course of raids over North Vietnam, four US carrier based F4 Phantoms are engaged by Chinese MiG fighters based on the Chinese island of Hainan. One Phantom and its two pilots are lost to suspected fratricide.
1969 – Workers uncover another 65 bodies of Vietcong execution squads in hue during the Tet Offensive.
1997 – The CIA announced that its own errors may have led to demolition of an Iraqi ammunition bunker filled with chemical weapons at Kamisiyah in 1991. The CIA apologized to Gulf War veterans for failing to do a better job in supplying information to U.S. troops who blew up an Iraqi bunker later found to contain chemical weapons.
2003 – Baghdad falls, ending Saddam Hussein's 24-year rule. U.S. forces seized the deserted Baath Party ministries and helped tear down a huge iron statue of Saddam, photos and video of which became symbolic of the event. The abrupt fall of Baghdad was accompanied by massive civil disorder, including the looting of government buildings and drastically increased crime.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
TOBIE, EDWARD P.
Rank and organization: Sergeant Major, 1st Maine Cavalry. Place and date: At Appomattox Campaign, Va., 29 March to 9 April 1865. Entered service at: Lewiston, Maine. Birth: Lewiston, Maine. Date of issue: 1 April 1898. Citation: Though severely wounded at Sailors Creek, 6 April, and at Farmville, 7 April, refused to go to the hospital, but remained with his regiment, performed the full duties of adjutant upon the wounding of that officer, and was present for duty at Appomattox.
VIFQUAIN, VICTOR
Rank and organization: Lieutenant Colonel, 97th Illinois Infantry. Place and date: At Fort Blakely, Ala., 9 April 1865. Entered service at: Saline County, Nebr. Birth: Belgium. Date of issue: 8 June 1865. Citation: Capture of flag.
WHEATON, LOYD
Rank and organization: Lieutenant Colonel, 8th Illinois Infantry. Place and date: At Fort Blakely, Ala., 9 April 1865. Entered service at: Illinois. Born: 15 July 1838, Calhoun County, Mich. Date of issue: 16 January 1894. Citation: Led the right wing of his regiment, and, springing through an embrasure, was the first to enter the enemy's works, against a strong fire of artillery and infantry.
WHITMORE, JOHN
Rank and organization: Private, Company F, 119th Illinois Infantry. Place and date: At Ft. Blakely, Ala., 9 April 1865. Entered service at: Camden, Schuyler County, Ill. Birth: Brown County, Ill. Date of issue: 8 June 1865. Citation: Capture of flag.
*BOOKER, ROBERT D.
Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Army, 34th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Fondouk, Tunisia, 9 April 1943. Entered service at: Callaway, Nebr. Born: 11 July 1920, Callaway, Nebr. G.O. No.: 34, 25 April 1944. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty in action. On 9 April 1943 in the vicinity of Fondouk, Tunisia, Pvt. Booker, while engaged in action against the enemy, carried a light machinegun and a box of ammunition over 200 yards of open ground. He continued to advance despite the fact that 2 enemy machineguns and several mortars were using him as an individual target. Although enemy artillery also began to register on him, upon reaching his objective he immediately commenced firing. After being wounded he silenced 1 enemy machinegun and was beginning to fire at the other when he received a second mortal wound. With his last remaining strength he encouraged the members of his squad and directed their fire. Pvt. Booker acted without regard for his own safety. His initiative and courage against insurmountable odds are an example of the highest standard of self-sacrifice and fidelity to duty.
*MOSKALA, EDWARD J.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company C, 383d Infantry, 96th Infantry Division. Place and date: Kakazu Ridge, Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, 9 April 1945. Entered service at: Chicago, Ill. Born: 6 November 1921, Chicago, Ill. G.O. No.: 21, 26 February 1946. Citation: He was the leading element when grenade explosions and concentrated machinegun and mortar fire halted the unit's attack on Kakazu Ridge, Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands. With utter disregard for his personal safety, he charged 40 yards through withering, grazing fire and wiped out 2 machinegun nests with well-aimed grenades and deadly accurate fire from his automatic rifle. When strong counterattacks and fierce enemy resistance from other positions forced his company to withdraw, he voluntarily remained behind with 8 others to cover the maneuver. Fighting from a critically dangerous position for 3 hours, he killed more than 25 Japanese before following his surviving companions through screening smoke down the face of the ridge to a gorge where it was discovered that one of the group had been left behind, wounded. Unhesitatingly, Pvt. Moskala climbed the bullet-swept slope to assist in the rescue, and, returning to lower ground, volunteered to protect other wounded while the bulk of the troops quickly took up more favorable positions. He had saved another casualty and killed 4 enemy infiltrators when he was struck and mortally wounded himself while aiding still another disabled soldier. With gallant initiative, unfaltering courage, and heroic determination to destroy the enemy, Pvt. Moskala gave his life in his complete devotion to his company's mission and his comrades' well-being. His intrepid conduct provided a lasting inspiration for those with whom he served.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for April 9, 2021 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
9 April
1918: First American fighter unit, the 94th Pursuit Squadron, assigned to the front in World War I. (4)
1941: An American and Danish agreement gave the US the right to construct and operate airfields in Greenland. (24)
1944: Eighth Air Force sent 542 bombers with 719 fighter escorts from VIII and IX Fighter Commands, against German and Polish targets. The mission lost 32 bombers and 10 fighters, while three B-17s were interned in Sweden. (4)
1947: The CAA approved the Army's wartime GCA radar for commercial planes, for use by Pan American World Airways at Gander, Newfoundland, only. (24)
1953: Convair's XF2Y-1 Sea Dart, a seaplane jet fighter first flew.
1957: The KB-50J, jet-augmented tanker, made its first flight.
1964: Explorer IX reentered the atmosphere and disintegrated after some three years in space. This 12-foot balloon was NASA's most effective satellite for measuring atmospheric density and temperature. Orbited on 16 February 1959, it traveled more than 340 million miles and 14,000 orbits of earth. It was also the first satellite orbited by a solid-fuel launch vehicle, the Scout, and the first launched from Wallops Island. The last Titan II R&D launch from Cape Kennedy succeeded. (6)
1967: Through 14 April, the 315 AD began the largest tactical unit move in the Vietnam War. In 351 sorties, C-130s airlifted the entire 196th Light Infantry Brigade, with 3,500 people and 4,000 tons of equipment, 375 miles from Tay Ninh to Chu Lai. (16) (17)
1971: The DC-10 began its FAA certification tests. (3)
1974: Between 9 April and 11 May, the USAF conducted the flyoff between the A-10 and A-7 at Edwards AFB. (3)
1992: The General Dynamics NF-16, a new Variable Stability In-Flight Simulator Aircraft (VISTA), flew for the first time at Fort Worth. It would replace the Air Force's NT-33, a 40-plus year old aircraft. (20)
1996: Operation ASSURED RESPONSE. USAF MH-53 Pave Low helicopters, KC-135 Stratotankers, C-130 Hercules, MC-130 Combat Talons, and AC-130 Spectre gunships evacuated more that 2,000 noncombatants in 94 missions from Liberia during civil unrest there. (21)
1997: Lockheed-Martin and Boeing rolled out the F-22 air superiority fighter at its Marietta plant.
"This is not a business where you want to be second-best or equal," Gen. Ronald R. Fogleman, Air Force Chief of Staff, told reporters at the rollout. "You've got to dominate" in the air-toair arena to ensure the safety of US fighting men and women on the surface. The F-22 contributes to overall military power by making the job of the other military services "possible . . . with fewer losses, fewer casualties, less ground given up to an enemy," Fogleman asserted.
. (26)
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Skip, here's an updated version of the Proceedings original, in the A4Ever quarterly Fall 2018. I cannot get the pdf or the text file to attach so I did a rough cut & paste. Maybe I can retrieve the text file...would take some doing tho.
From the CNA database I found that LtJG Cain was shot down within a few minutes of Estocin, with Steve Millikin's much-deserved Silver Star rescue ensuing.
Pirate departed the pattern with cancer in 2004.
Barrett
On Your Wing
By CDR John B. Nichols III, USN (Ret) and Barrett Tillman
I flew an "Iron Hand" mission from USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14) on 26 April 1967, escorting an A-4E Skyhawk on a defense-suppression sortie near Haiphong, North Vietnam. I was a LCDR flying F-8E Crusaders in VF-191. My section leader on the mission was LCDR Michael Estocin, an attack pilot in VA-192. He was a smart, aggressive aviator—one of only a half-dozen Iron Hands in Air Wing 19 qualified to counter enemy surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) with AGM-45 Shrike anti-radiation missiles.
Mike was one of the few who enjoyed dueling with SAMs. He was not content merely to suppress the enemy batteries—he wanted to shoot them with Shrikes— to go for the "hard kill" instead of a "mission kill." Only six days before, he had stretched his luck almost to the breaking point. He had attacked three sites, took severe damage to his jet, and returned to the task force only by flying hooked up to a KA-3B tanker. Even when he disconnected, he landed with his A-4 afire and streaming fuel through holes in the wings.
continued...
Ed. Note: This article first appeared in the September 1994 issue of the Naval Institute Proceedings and was later reprinted in The Hook, Spring 1995. Used with permissio
Ticonderoga with CVW-19 embarked, 10 Dec '67, immediately prior to Tico's departure for WestPac on 28 December. On deck are VA-192 A-d VA-195 A-4Cs, VF-191 and VF-194 F-8Es and a VAH-4 KA-3B. A VRC-30 C-1A is spotted alongside the island. All images via Tailhook Association.
On Your Wing cont...
Objective—Haiphong
Our section was to launch ahead of an Alpha strike—a deck load of attack, fighter, and support aircraft. The strike's objective was to destroy a priority target: the Haiphong thermal power plant. I briefed with the other pilots in the strike group, then huddled with Mike to determine our par- ticular tactics. His mission was to destroy or suppress spe- cific SAM sites that might threaten the strike group. My job was three-fold: to augment Mike's eyes, looking for SAMs; to protect him against attacks from enemy MiG fighter aircraft; and to attack any site he hit with a Shrike, using my four 20mm canon. I also carried two AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles for aerial combat.
Our intelligence officers reported a well-known site north-northwest of Haiphong to be active, having fired SA-2 missiles at previous sorties. As I recall it was called VN-109, the 109th SAM site identified in North Vietnam. Knowing the location of the site, Mike and I determined
our approach course, altitude, and run-in headings. I would fly in a 30-degree cone, aft about 600 feet and stepped down about 100 feet from his A-4 Skyhawk, Jury 208. This formation was called "the SAM box." We had been told that a radar beam guided a missile to the electronic center of a
target blip, so a 600- to 700-ft. separation theoretically al- lowed a SAM to pass between two planes without striking either one. If two planes moved much beyond that spread, however, the aircraft "painted" individually on a radar scope. In previous months Air Wing 19 had found that the SAM box worked well; it became standard procedure.
In the event we were intercepted by MiGs, I would take the lead, move out to "loose deuce" (line abreast) forma- tion and engage the bandits. Depending on the tactical situation, either I would tackle the MiGs alone or direct Mike in the fight until we either had the bandits, they disengaged, or help arrived. An air-to-air engagement was a distinct possibility as we would be operating within sight of two enemy airfields.
A Tough Pilot Takes Tough Missions
The major threat, however, was antiaircraft artillery and SAMs. Since November, Air Wing 19 had lost 12 aircraft and 4 pilots in combat, with 3 more planes and 2 pilots killed in accidents. In two days, we would complete our final line period, and most pilots were apprehensive. But Mike Estocin, the pure warrior, still volunteered for the tough missions.
Enemy SAMs Become Active
We were heading almost due north at 21,000 ft., indicat- ing about 350 knots. At that point Mike called excitedly, "Site 109 is up!"
I was on his starboard side, looking through his aircraft toward the SAM site. He lowered his nose and accelerated while calling, "Liftoff!"
I answered, "Roger." I clearly saw this one. It was beau- tiful, about 20 miles almost dead ahead. After booster sepa- ration, the SAM shot above us, then began slanting down. The smoke of its sustainer motor was a fine line, ordinarily hard to spot, but we were in bright sunlight. I never saw an SA-2 so clearly.
At that moment I expected us to turn right to the east to offset the missile and give us a better closing perspective. That was standard procedure, as timing was crucial in de- feating a SAM. Viewed head-on, both perspective and range were extremely difficult to judge.
I believe Mike was starting a right-hand break turn, but he was too late. The SAM was near the end of its range go- ing "warp five." It exploded off the A-4's port nose, about even with the jet intake.
The blast threw the Skyhawk into a half-right barrel roll, inverted almost 90 degrees of turn from its original head- ing, and nose down. Smoke, fire, and debris clogged the air. I followed, closing on Mike. He rolled upright, reaching wings level in about a 30-degree dive, heading off to the east.
Fire burned under the belly and from the wingroots, but the A-4 remained intact. Mike was slowing, however, in a descent below 5,000 feet. I called him but received no an- swer. Therefore, I passed all relevant information to the ship and asked for a helicopter and Rescue Combat Air Patrol (ResCAP) circling offshore. I knew A-1H Skyraiders would be ready to "get it on" with the defenses while covering the rescue attempt.
I flew close alongside Jury 208 and saw Mike's head lowered slightly, facing forward. He neither turned or seemed to move. I switched to guard channel but again received no reply. Then I crossed over to the port side. The damage was total—I saw large holes all along the nose and cockpit, and the port engine intake was nearly gone.
Still decelerating, I swerved back and up, my eyes locked on the other cockpit. I could discern no movement at all inside.
Slowing past 160 knots, I raised the wing to stay in formation, but we continued descending toward the cloud deck. I could see the water a few miles ahead. Then we were in the crud.
As we passed 1,000 feet an electronic warbling indicated my radar-warning gear had detected a SAM lock-on. I actu- ally felt the missile as it rocketed beneath me and exploded nearby.
continued...
A division of VA-192 World-Famous Golden Dragon A-4E Skyhawks, with CDR A.E. "Boot" Hill in the lead, fly tight parade LCDR Michael J. Estocin, USN, took on the tough jobs during the Air Wing 19 1966 –'67 WestPac cruise. He was particularly adept at Iron Hand mis- sions, using the Shrike anti-radiation missile to at- tack SAM sites in North Vietnam, and was on such a mission when downed by a SA-2 near Haiphong, 26 April 1967. All images via Tailhook Association.
The role that Tonkin Gulf weather played in the conduct of the air war would be difficult to overstate. That April day was clear, with unlimited visibility from just west of the coast- line— "CAVU (ceiling and visibility unlimited) to the moon," we said. An overcast extended the length of Vietnam, howev- er, from just inland and out to sea. The cloud deck was about 1,000 feet thick with tops about 1,500 and the base at 500 or so. Visibility below the deck was almost zero—a murky, milk- bowl atmosphere obscuring both sea and sky. Intelligent avia- tors flew instruments below the deck if they had any choice.
Taking position west-northwest of Haiphong, Mike and
I awaited the attack group's progress. We monitored strike frequency, following the progress of the attack on the power plant, and listened as the strikers egressed. During all that time—perhaps no more than ten minutes—enemy air defenses were quiet. They fired no SAMs, and Mike gave no indication that his electronics showed search or track radar.
We had plenty of fuel, so I was not unduly concerned until the Ticonderoga's strike control called: "Jury 208, the strike is all feet wet. Are you feet wet yet?" I could hear the concern in the controller's voice.
12 Fall 2018 • Skyhawk Association
Skyhawk Association • Fall 2018 13
On Your Wing cont...
Visibility was bad as we passed beneath the overcast. The change from bright sunlight to afternoon gloom was dramatic— all the more so against the contrast of small flames growing along Mike's wing root. Finally, about 600 feet above the ground and still slowing, the A-4 started a slow left roll. Instinctively, I followed to almost the 90-degree position before realizing that Mike would not recover. I leveled my wings as his aircraft hung inverted for a second. Then, as the wiring burned through, both of his Shrikes fired and his centerline fuel tank punched off.
The A-4 was dying.
Mike's nose dropped through to the vertical, and the plane crashed into the earth. I pulled up, started a hard-left turn and went to full military power. I made one 360-degree orbit and looked for a parachute. At that moment I knew the real meaning of frustration—I was alone, within five miles of two MiG fields, overlapped by several missile batteries. With profound sadness I keyed my microphone and sternly told the ResCAP: "No chance. Do not come in."
Reconstructing the Loss of Jury 2018
Back on board the Tico, still wearing my sweaty flight suit,
I joined in a debrief held in the flag quarters. Participating were ship and air wing intelligence officers, the other flight leaders, our air wing commander and most squadron commanders. Also present were representatives of "Red Crown"—callsign of the radar picket ship that had tracked the entire mission—as well as the North SAR destroyer.
Though sick over Mike's loss, I was confident of the data we'd developed. Everything was plotted—the SAM site, our track outbound, even the spot of Mike's crash. But, I knew there was no point in going back into that high-threat area to conduct a search. Mike Estocin—a cheerful, determined, crewcut young man from Beaver Falls, Pa., and graduate of Slippery Rock State College—was gone.
Is Estocin Alive?
During Air Wing 19's next combat deployment, in early 1968, I was walking down a passageway when our new air wing commander—a good friend named Phil Craven, who had gone out of his way to help me as a junior officer—stopped me in the aisle. "John, good news," he said. "Mike Estocin is confirmed as a POW."
All the wind went out of me. I could almost feel a huge weight fall upon my shoulders, as I contemplated the meaning of this thunderbolt. If Mike were alive in Hanoi, obviously I had missed something. Somehow I had neither seen him eject from his doomed aircraft nor noted his parachute on the enemy's turf.
When I waved off the rescue helicopter, apparently
I had committed Mike Estocin to an unfathomable fate as a prisoner of the North Vietnamese. I told myself that I had done everything one man could have done. I had stayed low and slow, looking for some sign of Mike. In the most agonizing decision I would ever make, I had weighed the near certainty of one man's death against the prospect of losing several other lives looking for him.
And because aviators are imbued with greater egos than other humans, I began to wonder what Mike's other friends—to say nothing of his relatives—would think of John B. Nichols. I began to doubt that I could ever com- pensate for my decisions south of Haiphong that day.
When the POWs came home in 1973, Mike Estocin was not among them. Presumably he had died in prison camp, and I felt that I was at least partially responsible. The burden on my conscience grew proportionately—I thought of Mike every day for the next quarter-century.
Confusion and Frustration
In the summer of 1993 I received the first of many calls from representa- tives of the Joint Casualty Resolution Committee in Washington, D.C., Hawaii, and Vietnam. I was stunned. The investigators had by then concluded that I was right—Mike had never gotten out of his airplane. Task Force Full Accounting wanted me to help locate the wreckage of the downed A-4.
Eventually, I learned most of the story. A member of the task force had read my book, On Yankee Station (Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Md. 1987), which described the 26 April mission. The diligent young man phoned repeat- edly, asking for more and more details. Gradually it dawned on me— neither the Navy nor the U.S. Government knew who had flown with Mike that day.
Finally, I asked outright: "What happened to all the debriefing data we had on the ship in '67?"
Nobody knew then, and apparently nobody knows about it today.
Therefore, I began trying to dredge up geographic checkpoints from one
day in 1967. At first, I was optimistic, stating that I could pinpoint the crash
site within two miles. But, the more I scanned maps of the general area, the less certain I became. Originally, I felt that Mike had gone down about three miles inland, five miles north of Cat Bai airfield. But as I spoke with more of the casu- alty committee personnel, I became aware of several decades-old fallacies.
For instance, I assumed that we had been heading roughly 090 true while headed outbound, because the coast was straight ahead. Looking at the maps,
I saw again that the North Vietnamese coast ran northeast to southwest. Con- sequently, we were headed more like 120 or 130 on the egress. Thus, I revised my estimate about four and a half miles farther west—closer to Kien An airfield than Cat Bi. The causeway in that area was prominent in my memory, and, eventually the committee people and I decided that the most likely spot was near a place call Ben Thon. And that, I was told, was where the U.S. – Vietnamese search teams began digging.
Many More Questions Than Answers
The deeper I got into the project, the more questions arose. Many simply had no answers. Had the debriefing data not been preserved? Nobody knew. Where might it be stored? Nobody knew. Why have the air wing reports not been declassified after a quarter-century? Too few declassification officers. Why not a blanket declassification? It takes an ex- ecutive order. The list went on and on.
But more immediate questions also cropped up. I had to wonder how Mike was reported alive, when it became apparent during the war that he was a "no-show" in the Hanoi Hilton. I failed to understand how anyone could have made so fundamental a mistake.
At that point I confronted the final horror. In 1968, through covert sources in Hanoi, Mike was reported "alive in the camps." Word had come from a POW who was able to pass information to members of his family and from them on to the Navy.
When Mike failed to reappear in 1973, my gut ached. I learned 20 years later, as the pilot who made the report was freed with other prisoners of war in Operation Homecoming, he explained his seeming reference to Mike Esto- cin. (Evidently the report referred to another Mike.) I then wondered why the Navy neglected to inform me of that development. After all, I was a squadron commander with a Top Secret clearance, flying from the USS Hancock (CVA-19) in the Tonkin Gulf. But I was never told.
While researching On Yankee Sta- tion, I finally got to read Mike's Medal of Honor citation. I had not known that he was the only carrier aviator awarded the decoration for direct combat in the Vietnam War, until a ship was named for him in 1978 (USS Estocin, FFG-15). The award citation contained errors, which was not unusual. I also learned, however, that the VA-192 history stated—and members of the squadron still thought—that Mike had gone down in the Tonkin Gulf. I simply could not believe it. continued...
VA-192 A-4E, April 1967. All images via Tailhook Association.
On Your Wing cont...
If members of the Estocin family were also frustrated or confused, I understood why. Original reports indicated Mike missing in action far at sea. Next we heard he was a prisoner in Hanoi. Then he failed to return from prison camp. And finally—as we had known from the first day—he was reported shot down over land.
In retrospect, I wonder if the error over Mike's crashing at sea was the result of confusion. His
squadron lost another Skyhawk that same day—the Golden Dragons' eighth aircraft loss of the cruise—but the pilot, LTJG John W. Cain of Somerset, Mass., was snatched by a search and rescue helicopter crew from under enemy guns as he floated just off the beach, virtually in Haiphong Harbor.
Following original publication of this article, I received about 150 phone calls, some of which answered lingering questions. For instance, it turned out that the Air Force had Blackbird photos of Mike's crash site before Tico left the Gulf—material which today would be most invaluable to searchers in Vietnam. Even more maddening, however, was confirmation that in 1970 the Navy knew that Mike was not alive in Hanoi. Yet his shipmates and family were never, at any time, granted the courtesy of being informed.
Most dramatic of all was Marie Estocin's explanation of the mysterious 1968 report that her husband was a prisoner. The case officers had jumped to the conclusion that the covert letter from the Hanoi Hilton indicated that Mike was being held in or near a school. In fact, the message referred to the POW's young son, also named Michael, who would shortly be starting school in the States. Apparently, it was bureaucratic logic—two and two equals three.
On the other hand, I was pleased to learn from Barrett Tillman that the pilot of the heroic chopper crew that rescued VA-192's LTJG Cain that day is none other than CAPT Steve Millikin, USN (Ret)—currently editor of The Hook.
If nothing else, Mike Estocin's case highlights the urgent reason for the Navy and the government to improve their records policies. There is no valid reason for tactical information to remain classified 20-plus years after the end of the Vietnam War.
There is also no excuse for the way POW-MIA files have been held and organized. When field researchers are unable to find the documents they need to locate crash sites, something is woefully wrong with the system.
For a quarter-century I wondered if I had consigned Mike Estocin to a lingering death in some Southeast Asian pest hole. I visualized him dying alone in a filthy cell, beyond succor or sympathy of any of his countrymen.
Now, thankfully, I know that he died a hero's death, in the air, doing his duty above and beyond. He did not die alone on that day in 1967.
For me at least, the Vietnam War finally is over. 16 Fall 2018 • Skyhawk Association
May 2016 update from the MIA Office via author Barrett Tillman:
We have conducted an investigation at the site of the aircraft. During the investigation we didn't find any evidence to sup- port that his (Mike Estocin) remains were at that location. As of right now, we are trying to find leads as to the whereabouts of his remains. Please let me know if I can help you with anything else.
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