Bullhunter
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318th FIS Jet Shop 1975-78
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Post by Bullhunter on Jun 30, 2018 11:16:47 GMT 9
46 years ago today.
MEDAL OF HONOR
to
CAPTAIN
STEVEN LOGAN BENNETT
who served as a
FORWARD AIR CONTROLLER
with the
20th TACTICAL AIR SUPPORT SQUADRON
DA NANG AIR BASE
PACIFIC AIR FORCES
It was June 29, 1972, and near Quang Tri, a USAF OV10 ' BRONCO ' was in the thick of the action. CAPTAIN BENNETT, a FAC from Da Nang, was directing
American close air support fighters. He had been in Vietnam less than three
months. His backseater, USMC CAPTAIN MIKE BROWN, was calling the targets
for firepower from naval vessels in the Gulf of Tonkin.
At dusk, Bennett got an emergency call. A mile away several hundred North
Vietnamese were massing to strike a South Vietnamese platoon.
Could the BRONCO help because, if not, they would surely be overrun?
No other fighter aircraft were close by to get there fast enough, and with the platoon between the enemy and the sea, it was too risky to try the flat shooting naval guns.
That left only Steve Bennett and Mike Brown. He put the OV10 into a power dive and attacked with his four 7.62mm machine guns. He was going down into the SAM-7s prime shooting gallery, and he knew it. After making four
strafing passes, the North Vietnamese began to fall back. He attacked for a fifth time to keep them from regrouping, and on that pass, his luck ran out. The OV10 reeled as a SAM-7 came up from behind, hitting the left engine,
and exploded shrapnel tore holes in the canopy. The left landing gear was also damaged and the aircraft was now on fire.
He veered south toward an emergency landing field. The last thing he wanted to do was have to ditch in the Gulf of Tonkin. He knew that the cockpit area was likely to break up upon impact and that no pilot had ever survived an
OV10 ditching.
The fire continued to spread. The pilot of an escort aircraft warned them they had better punch out - now - and as they prepared to do so, Brown looked over his shoulder. His parachute had been shredded by fragments from the
explosion. Bennett had a good parachute but wouldn't go out on his own. The aircraft was in a "command ejection" mode. After a fatal ground accident with ejection seats, it had been decided that when MARINE spotters, who had
not had the same training as the FACs, were in the backseat, the OV10 would be configured for the pilot automatically to eject the backseater first, then himself. But now Brown had no parachute.
Even if the aircraft had been in a different mode, Bennett's ejecting alone would likely have been fatal for Brown. It would have left him in an aircraft without a pilot, and he would have been severely burned by the rocket motors on the pilot's ejection seat as it passed in front of him.
Momentarily, there was hope as the fire subsided and Da Nang was now only 25 miles away. North of Hue the fire flared up again, began spreading and there was now no choice but to crash-land in water - and soon.
The OV10 dug in hard, cartwheeled and flipped over on its top, nose down in the water. Submerged, Mike Brown struggled free of his straps, went out to the side of the canopy, and swam to the surface. He then tried to reach
Steve Bennett but the aircraft was now sinking fast.
Bennett, trapped in the smashed cockpit, sank with it and his body was recovered the next day.
On 8 August 1974
Mrs. Linda Bennett accepted the
UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR
posthumously awarded to her husband
CAPTAIN STEVEN LOGAN BENNETT
for his actions on that day, June 29, 1972
at
Blair House
from the
Vice President of the United States of America
Gerald R. Ford
  edit Pat P.: deleted URL for unknown website
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Post by pat perry on Jan 2, 2019 10:35:10 GMT 9
"Crashes" is the best thread for this story without starting a new one. Involves a C-130 from Mildenhall UK. Contains an audio clip read by actors from actual radio transmissions. "It's taken 10 years, but professional diver Grahame Knott has finally found a US Air Force plane that crashed into the Channel in 1969. The wreck may help resolve a mystery: did the homesick mechanic who made off with the aircraft from his base in Suffolk lose control - or was he shot down?" Found: The plane wreck that could solve a 50-year-old mystery www.bbc.com/news/stories-46624382Pat P. |
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Post by LBer1568 on Jan 3, 2019 0:50:11 GMT 9
Pat, I worked C-130 Simulators for many years. As you know crew chiefs have to be certified for engine run and taxi. One of the ways they trained was through the use of the Simulator. We were able to have training sessions as well as testing using simulator. One of the other things we did was let them "fly" if we had some free times after training/testing. Our sessions included both insertion of malfunctions as well as radio calls to tower, air traffic etc. So a C-130 crew chief could have received enough training to have known a lot of the tasks necessary to fly the beast.
Lorin |
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biendhoa
F-106 Expert
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Post by biendhoa on Jan 3, 2019 5:41:47 GMT 9
Lorin, don't mean to change the subject. How did you make out on your VA claim ? got mine today no change in rating But they increased my comp pay to 100%. said you are paid at 100% rate because I am unemployable due to service connected disabilities I am considered 100% to be totally and permanently due to my service connected disabilities.  VA.
Jay.
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Bullhunter
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318th FIS Jet Shop 1975-78
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Post by Bullhunter on Jan 3, 2019 7:30:07 GMT 9
Jay, I have the same rating from the VA because my injuries and illnesses prevent me from working. After I lost my job no employer would hire me. Worried I would have a heart attack on the job and way too many medical restrictions.
Lorin, Hang in there as it took me several years to go from 40% to 100% Unemployable. It was a battle.
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Post by Jim on Jan 3, 2019 8:47:55 GMT 9
Jay, I have the same rating from the VA because my injuries and illnesses prevent me from working. After I lost my job no employer would hire me. Worried I would have a heart attack on the job and way too many medical restrictions.
Lorin, Hang in there as it took me several years to go from 40% to 100% Unemployable. It was a battle.
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Post by pat perry on Jan 3, 2019 9:37:36 GMT 9
Jay, I have the same rating from the VA because my injuries and illnesses prevent me from working. After I lost my job no employer would hire me. Worried I would have a heart attack on the job and way too many medical restrictions.
Lorin, Hang in there as it took me several years to go from 40% to 100% Unemployable. It was a battle.
Jim, Good catch. I deleted the unknown URL on Gary's earlier post in this "Crashes" thread with the pictures. I'm not sure how these URLs get attached to a picture posting website but they must be easy to hack by people looking to cause havoc. Pat P. |
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Bullhunter
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318th FIS Jet Shop 1975-78
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Post by Bullhunter on Jan 3, 2019 10:46:45 GMT 9
GARY!!!!!!!! PLEASE review your posting after adding image(s) to your posting as you frequently have a link added below your image and because the forum is no longer a secure site this could be hazardous to some one thinking you want them to look at something else. This will show up just as soon as the image links show up in your draft. I tried to delete it from your post above Lorin's post, but I couldn't do it. So, double check before you click "create post".... Sorry for posting this in this thread, but it is in this thread that this showed up... There have been other times in your postings, but I was able to get them out. Jim, Good catch. I deleted the unknown URL on Gary's earlier post in this "Crashes" thread with the pictures. I'm not sure how these URLs get attached to a picture posting website but they must be easy to hack by people looking to cause havoc. Pat P. I have discovered them and have been watching for that 2nd link when I post a picture. I have deleted two of the past 2 weeks. I have no idea what or how they show up. |
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Post by LBer1568 on Jan 3, 2019 11:15:21 GMT 9
My VA Claim is still in review. I switched from a Normal Appeal and did not concur with their ratings. The new system treats the appeal as a new claim with new evidence and still keeps original claim date...So they say. The new process is supposed to be completed in 120 days. Mine is over 100 days so I should be getting close to being seen again. We will see. I am currently at 70% after being temp 100% for a year. Lorin |
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Bullhunter
Global Moderator
318th FIS Jet Shop 1975-78
Currently: Offline
Posts: 7,445
Location:
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Crashes
Sept 20, 2021 10:29:23 GMT 9
Post by Bullhunter on Sept 20, 2021 10:29:23 GMT 9
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Bullhunter
Global Moderator
318th FIS Jet Shop 1975-78
Currently: Offline
Posts: 7,445
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Post by Bullhunter on Oct 18, 2024 8:18:13 GMT 9
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Post by LBer1568 on Oct 18, 2024 22:22:59 GMT 9
Prayers for the crew and their families and friends.
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Post by pat perry on Oct 22, 2024 8:14:48 GMT 9
Prayers for the crew and their families and friends. The crew of an EA-18G Growler that crashed near Mount Rainier in Washington last week had flown dozens of combat missions in the Red Sea earlier this year as part of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Carrier Strike Group that faced drones and missiles fired by Houthi rebels in Yemen. www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/naval-aviators-killed-in-mount-rainier-crash-flew-dozens-of-combat-missions-over-red-sea/ar-AA1sFo36?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=088ba453cf5240fcbbfb7782b0b3478c&ei=51The Navy confirmed Monday that Lt. Cmdr. Lyndsay “Miley” Evans and Lt. Serena “Dug” Wileman, both 31, were killed in the Oct. 15 crash on Mount Rainier, about 180 miles from their home base of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. Rescuers battled bad weather and steep terrain to reach the crash site over the weekend, where they confirmed the aviators had died. The Navy said the Growler was on a “routine training flight” when it went down. No other details about the crash have been released. The Eisenhower’s commander, Capt. Chris “Chowdah” Hill, tweeted that both women had served “heroically” on the ship’s combat deployment. “My heart truly goes out to the families, friends, and shipmates of these two fallen Naval Aviators who were confirmed killed in an EA-18G crash last week in Washington. These warriors of VAQ-130 will forever be part of the Ike family, having served with us heroically on our recent deployment. I loved working with them both — just incredible energy and beautiful souls,” Hill wrote. May our Navy Sisters Rest in Peace. Pat P. |
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VA.
