11bee Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 Whilst doing some Saturday AM net surfing, I stumbled upon a pretty cool tribute to Vietnam F-105 pilots. With Veterans Day fast approaching, figured I'd share it with you guys. http://cademartin.com/overwar/ These guys had some serious balls. I'm guessing that for a few years in the mid-late 60's, being an F-105 pilot in SEA was the most dangerous job in the US military. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
aircommando130 Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 I agree with you 100%...I met retired Lt.Col. John Piowaty a couple years ago. His daughter was coming through HC-130P pilot mission qual school. He had come out to visit her and we gave him a tour of the facility. He was enlisted...life support...got his commission and went to F-105 school. Survived 100 missions over North Vietnam in 1967 I think it was. Had an airplane shot up pretty good but managed to land it at Udorn, Thailand. The whole time I was talking to him I knew I was in the presence of a Legend. If you look up his name there's pictures of his shot up airplane. Thanks for sharing that link! Cheers....Ron Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Els Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 11Bee, as I was going through all the pictures of the pilots on the link you posted I noticed that while all those men had gotten older, there was still an intensity in their eyes that told me that they were still Bad A$$es. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Geoff M Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 Thanks for sharing. I salute them! Geoff M Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChesshireCat Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 5 hours ago, 11bee said: Whilst doing some Saturday AM net surfing, I stumbled upon a pretty cool tribute to Vietnam F-105 pilots. With Veterans Day fast approaching, figured I'd share it with you guys. http://cademartin.com/overwar/ These guys had some serious balls. I'm guessing that for a few years in the mid-late 60's, being an F-105 pilot in SEA was the most dangerous job in the US military. I'll tell you this from a personal experience. I was waiting in a line of about fifty people in Cam Rhone Bay AFB in 1968. Line moving alittle slow as the REMF's were aliite tired. All I wanted was a fast trip back to Chu Lai and a chopper ride out west. In comes two guys in flight suits, and an MP takes to the very front of the line. They had F105 patches on their flight suits, and that gained them all the respect in our world. Gary Quote Link to post Share on other sites
11bee Posted November 4, 2018 Author Share Posted November 4, 2018 6 hours ago, Els said: 11Bee, as I was going through all the pictures of the pilots on the link you posted I noticed that while all those men had gotten older, there was still an intensity in their eyes that told me that they were still Bad A$$es. Very true, I noted that as well. These guys are the real deal. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ikar Posted November 4, 2018 Share Posted November 4, 2018 Even though I was a lowly enlisted swine, I knew a couple of 105 Weasel guys. Quite a bunch. In bad weather days over the target they would have to do it again each day, same approach, altitude and usually time until it cleared and they could strike. What a system. You don't think the enemy wasn't waiting for them? Not meaning to crash the thread but there was another group that had a hard jpb too, the F.A.C. guys. Imagine going out each day and trying to get shot at. I worked for a F-15 pilit who had racked up 900 combat hours in a 0-1 Bird dog. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChesshireCat Posted November 4, 2018 Share Posted November 4, 2018 (edited) 3 hours ago, ikar said: Even though I was a lowly enlisted swine, I knew a couple of 105 Weasel guys. Quite a bunch. In bad weather days over the target they would have to do it again each day, same approach, altitude and usually time until it cleared and they could strike. What a system. You don't think the enemy wasn't waiting for them? Not meaning to crash the thread but there was another group that had a hard jpb too, the F.A.C. guys. Imagine going out each day and trying to get shot at. I worked for a F-15 pilit who had racked up 900 combat hours in a 0-1 Bird dog. Early spring or summer 1968, Giap himself put out a don't shoot at a FAC order! If you did order was to shoot the guy doing the shooting. I always thought it was kinda funny, as the FAC guy would have rounds out in less than five minutes every time. Guess some folks were slow learner's! A typical FAC guy would often have three or four Arty units close by, and green tracers meant your caught in the box with no way out. If he called for fast movers, he might have a twenty minute wait, unless they happened to be close by. Edited November 4, 2018 by ChesshireCat Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JackMan Posted November 4, 2018 Share Posted November 4, 2018 Great site! Thanks for posting it Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Whiskey Posted November 4, 2018 Share Posted November 4, 2018 Have you ever read Hunter Killers by Dan Hampton 11Bee? I just finished it for one my courses and the personal accounts of the Thud Wild Weasels are completely hair raising. Very recommended. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ikar Posted November 4, 2018 Share Posted November 4, 2018 One of the weasel guys I talked to said they almost got a mig. They picked up a mig on their tail and immediately dropped their tanks and started evasive manuvers. At one point the G.I.B. reported he lost the mig but did see a ball of fire behind them. The only thing they could figure is that when the drop tanks fell away they can adopt a strange flight path of their own. It must have be very shortly after falling away one of them must have ended up in front of the mig who was too occupied chasing them in their big aircraft and didn't notice their problem until impact. They did a few more manuvers just to make sure, but they there wasn't another aircraft up there with them. When they landed they tried to laim the kill but it was denied on the grounds of no other witnesses, no gun film, and they didn't see the impact. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChesshireCat Posted November 5, 2018 Share Posted November 5, 2018 23 hours ago, ikar said: One of the weasel guys I talked to said they almost got a mig. They picked up a mig on their tail and immediately dropped their tanks and started evasive manuvers. At one point the G.I.B. reported he lost the mig but did see a ball of fire behind them. The only thing they could figure is that when the drop tanks fell away they can adopt a strange flight path of their own. It must have be very shortly after falling away one of them must have ended up in front of the mig who was too occupied chasing them in their big aircraft and didn't notice their problem until impact. They did a few more manuvers just to make sure, but they there wasn't another aircraft up there with them. When they landed they tried to laim the kill but it was denied on the grounds of no other witnesses, no gun film, and they didn't see the impact. If you ever go to Dayton and watch the movies, there's one confirming a Mig17 deep in the canyon on RT Pac 6! Seemed like he chased the Mig forever. Bad mistake to have a Thud follow you to the deck, as there was nothing faster! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HOLMES Posted November 7, 2018 Share Posted November 7, 2018 (edited) They have MY SALUTE and MY utmost respect. Thank you Gentlemen for your SERVICES. And I liked this quote... loved it actually. If there is no heaven, then just being in the same room with these men for all time would be good enough for me.” JOHN MORRISSEYThunderchief Pilot Edited November 7, 2018 by HOLMES Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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