Hey, that smiling pilot is me!

Transcription

file:///Users/edmarek/Documents/Talking Proud/Military111705...
Go!
In a story earlier this year about the USAF's "Pedro"
helicopter and crews in Vietnam, we used a photo of a young
pilot after he was rescued by a "Jolly Green" search and rescue
crew. To our delight, this month we heard from him after he
saw our article, surprised to see his happy face in a 35 year old
photo. He has shared his story with us, and we wanted to share
it with you. You'll get a feel for what it’s like to contend with a
battle damaged fighting machine like the F-4 Phantom II jet
during the course of a combat mission. And, you'll get a small
glimpse at what can really make a fighter pilot smile.
November 17, 2005
On February 1, 2005, we
published a multi-section
story entitled, “Our Pedros,
rotors of wood, men and
steel.” This story was about
the HH-43, the USAF
“Huskie,” callsign “Pedro,"
the first Air Force search and
rescue (SAR) birds and
crews put into the Vietnam
and Laos wars.
We honor service and
sacrifice. Please click the
"Donate" button and
contribute $20 or more to
help keep this station alive.
Thanks.
The very first photo
presented in that report, and
shown here again, was of a
young Vietnam-era fighter pilot just rescued by the 40th
Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron, Udorn Royal Thai
Air Force Base (RTAFB), Thailand. He was rescued by a
HH-53 "Jolly Green" and its SAR crew. We led the Pedro
story with his photo because his facial expression and that of
the pararescueman kneeling below him told the entire story of
the incalculable pride that accompanies flying and fighting and
rescuing those who run into trouble.
We did not know this pilot or the circumstances of his rescue
at the time we published this story. But we did say this about
1 of 22
7/12/11 2:32 PM
him:
“Stop a moment and stare at him. Look at his face. Look
at that smile. That's one fascinating smile, the
unforgettable smile of a guy who is tickled pink that his
Air Force spent what it had to spend to grab him and get
him back to safety.”
Much to our delight, we heard from that pilot on November 4,
2005. His name is George "Bob" Zesinger. He presently lives
in Virginia, having retired at the rank of lieutenant colonel. He
said his son had forwarded him our "Pedro" article and was
surprised to see that that “smiling pilot” was he. Since then,
we have had a chance to talk to Bob a few times by internet.
Right to left: George "Bob" Zesinger, his son, David, an USAF Academy
graduate, Class of 2005, now 2d Lt David Zesinger, USAF, and Mrs. Carol
Zesinger, all at David's graduation ceremony in June 2005. That jet behind
them is an F-4D Phantom II from Bob's old squadron, the 555th Tactical
Fighter Squadron (TFS), the famous "Triple Nickel." But it's more than just
any jet, and we'll tell that story later. Photo credit: Zesinger Family
Bob remembers the day of the rescue photo as though it were
yesterday. That's the case with most pilots who are rescued in
any kind of circumstance, most especially in war. Bob has
summarized the ordeal for us. He and his front-seater were
lucky, but they also demonstrated first-class airmanship and,
as you will see, a good part of the US Air Force came to their
aid.
Together, Bob and his front-seater, Capt. Ron Giliegham,
babied their severely battle damaged F-4D from central Laos
south to the Mekong River on the border with Thailand,
successfully ejected from what had turned into a flying ball of
flame, and, with the wind carrying them in the right direction
2 of 22
7/12/11 2:32 PM
across the river into Thailand, landed just inside a friendly
country. They were back flying and fighting a few days later.
Many in their boots were not so lucky.
But, as you will see, the air forces that responded to their
Mayday responded the same as they would to any call for
help. Once that Mayday blares across the airwaves, no one
knows for sure what is going to happen, no one knows where
anyone is going to end up, and the threats are not always clear,
so the response must always be methodically the same --launch to contend with the worst, and pray for the best. In
either event, the goal was the same: bring them back alive.
We want to use Bob Zesinger's story to convey what it was
like to contend with a battle damaged fighting machine like
the F-4 Phantom II during the course of a combat mission in
the Vietnam and Laos wars. We seen one report that indicated
we lost about 445 F-4 fighters and another 83 RF-4
reconnaissance variants in the war, to all causes. So plenty of
Americans have experienced the kind of battle damage
challenges we are about to describe.
We are going to try something new. We'll relate a portion of
Bob's story in our regular font size, and then provide some
modest technical background about what was happening in a
smaller font immediately thereafter.
We also want to highlight the SAR machinery that kicks into
high gear when our pilots get into a jam. That machinery is so
inspiring that one can never know too much about it.
The picture is after a successful pickup. The survivor is zipping his pocket.
He is 1Lt. George "Bob" Zesinger, 555th TFS. The officer standing to the left
of Zesinger is the Jolly Green HH-53 rescue aircraft commander, Capt. Holly
Bell. To the right of Zesinger is Capt. Bob Horne, the co-pilot, and to his
right is Sgt Hartman, the flight engineer (FE). Kneeling down in front, right
3 of 22
7/12/11 2:32 PM
to left, are the Pararescuemen (PJs) Tony McFarr and Sgt Lester. Photo
credit: Jim Corcoran, FE, 40th Airborne Rescue and Recovery Squadron
(ARRS), Udorn RTAFB, Thailand, July 1969- July 1970.
This photo of 1Lt. Bob Zesinger and his 40th ARRS rescue
crew was taken on October 1, 1969, after he was rescued in
northern Thailand, close to the border with Laos.
This is a F-4D of the 555th TFS, Udorn RTAFB, 432nd Tactical
Reconnaissance Wing (TRW). Presented by 5057 Phantoms.
Earlier that day, Lt. Zesinger was the “backseater” for a F-4D
Phantom II "Fast FAC" mission launched from Udorn Royal
Thai Air Force Base (RTAFB), northern Thailand, not far from
Vientiane, Laos. His front-seater was Capt. Ron Giliegham.
They were both assigned to the 555th Tactical Fighter
Squadron (TFS), the famous “Triple Nickel” squadron, of the
432nd TRW, a unique wing at the time that combined RF-4C
reconnaissance with F-4D fast forward air control in high
threat areas. This innovation led to what many of us see on TV
today, attack fighters with their own on-board capacity to see
the ground they are about to attack, and assess the damage
they did to their target after their strike.
The “Fast FAC” is a jet powered forward air controller, as
opposed to the other FAC aircraft used that were prop driven
and much slower, but also much smaller. Zesinger's squadron
used the callsign “Laredo.”
The 555th TFS was the first operational squadron in the USAF to get
the F-4D variant of the Phantom jet fighter. The F-4 Phantom II is a
two engine, two-seat (tandem) supersonic aircraft (Mach2) capable of
air-to-air combat, long-range ground attack, and close air support for
ground forces in the pitch of battle. FACs had two jobs: support
troops on the ground who need air support, and find targets to destroy
with air strikes. Fast FACs were used in very high threat areas. They
had the ability to locate a target, mark it for someone else to attack,
or attack it themselves if need be.
4 of 22
7/12/11 2:32 PM
This map displaying the location of Ban Ban, Laos was provided by
TravelPost.com
Following take-off from Udorn RTAFB, Laredo proceeded to
his operating area over northern Laos, found a target worthy of
attack just east of Ban Ban, and launched a smoke rocket to
mark the target.
This photo shows a target in the Vietnam War marked by smoke from
the air, from a FAC aircraft other than a F-4. But the smoke on the
target is representative. This photo was drawn from the cover of the
book, Hit my smoke!, Targeting the enemy in Vietnam, by Chris
Coulthard-Clark, and presented by Amazon.com. Shelby Spires has a
nice short article on Fast FACS, entitled, "A day in the life of a FAC,"
which we recommend. One story is of Lt. Larry D. Johnston, who
would eventually become a major general, flying a F-4 Fast FAC.
Johnston found a cave along a river and his gut said there was some
unusual action there. He came in and fired his first smoke rocket. It
went into the cave. No Smoke. So he looped around and came back
for a second pass, and, dammit, his second smoke rocket went into
the cave again, too far in for the smoke to bellow out. So, being the
determined American warfighter he was, he came around for a third
time, "threading his way between canyon walls and riverbeds," and
5 of 22
7/12/11 2:32 PM
fired a rocket which hit the side of the cave wall putting up enough
smoke for the world "upstairs" to see. Johnston brought in two Navy
A-6s, they laid down some 1,000 pounders inside the cave, and
Johnston reported the cave must have been filled with ammunition
because "the top of the cave was blown off, and the sides just
disintegrated. There was nothing left." As an aside, it was not
unusual for a Fast FAC to refuel as many as five times to get this kind
of job done.
Laredo had a couple of F-105 "Thunderchiefs" holding nearby
waiting for it to mark such a target.
US offensive fighter operations over Laos from bases in Thailand
began in the early 1960s, and increased over time. It was not until
1966 that the US government would acknowledge that such
operations were occurring from Thailand. It was not until August
1964 that the US Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
authorizing the president to conduct military operations in Southeast
Asia. Zesinger flew this mission in late 1969. A major air campaign
known as "Rolling Thunder" against supply routes from North
Vietnam through Laos to South Vietnam ceased in 1968, but the war
against these routes continued on. As you can see on the map, Ban
Ban was located on an intersection of major roads from China to
North Vietnam, east of a major mountain range surrounding the
infamous Plaines des Jars. The area reconnoitered by Laredo flight
hosted a heavily traveled road that was heavily defended by enemy
forces. The notations you see beginning with "LS" stood for landing
sites, usually primitive, mostly occupied by friendly Laotian and
native Laotian forces along with US special operations forces. We
outlined LS 20 at Sam Thong. Here's a photo of it taken in 1972.
Photo courtesy of Byron Hukee, presented by Ravens.org.
6 of 22
7/12/11 2:32 PM
Shortly after marking the target, Laredo took some kind of hit
and immediately started losing fuel.
One of the major risks associated with marking a target with smoke
rockets was that the FAC made himself vulnerable to attack. Quite
often, the most lucrative targets were in heavily defended areas. The
enemy understood what the FAC was doing, and also knew attack
fighters would be coming in soon after a target were marked. In the
article referenced above by Shelby Spires, R.C. Gravlee, also a
Laredo Fast FAC, commented, "To counter those guys on the ground
you just kept pulling into a tight turn, and jinking, varying your
altitude. They couldn't get you. It would spoil their aim." Col. Billy
Diehl, a F-4 back-seater, said, "We had a rule of fives: 5-gs on the
aircraft, 5,000 feet altitude and keep about 500 knots speed."
Zesinger said he could see the fuel coming out from between
the leading edge flap and the wing. The fuel gauge said the
aircraft had 17,000 lbs of fuel, an impossibility since the
aircraft carried a maximum of 12,000 lbs. The crew therefore
knew it had a fuel problem.
Flaps give an aircraft extra lift during takeoff and reduce speed
7 of 22
7/12/11 2:32 PM
during landing. Most of us are used to seeing them on the trailing
edge of a commercial jet's wing. The F-4 also had them on the
leading edge, or, on the front portion of the wing. This is a photo of
an F-4C assigned to the 555th TFS waiting to hook up to a tanker.
You can plainly see his starboard leading flap deployed downward, to
add stability and slow airspeed for the refueling operation. So the
fuel Zesinger saw was coming out from an area between the wing
and the leading edge. As an aside, the Triple Nickels deployed to
Thailand from Okinawa in December 1964 and immediately went
into combat. This F-4C is one of those. Photo presented by Boeing.
Zesinger's aircraft also lost two of its three hydraulic systems.
The crew punched off its wing tanks and rocket pods to
lighten the load and immediately headed back to Udorn.
The Phantom to the average mechanic was a "tangle of plumbing and
wiring," often referred to by them as "dense." She has three hydraulic
systems. The utility system powers most of the normal extensions
and retractions, like flaps, landing gear etc. The PC-1 and PC-2
hydraulic systems are completely separate and duplicate each other to
provide the power for the flight controls.
F-105D RU 61-0100 aka "Hot Stuff" of the 357th TFS. What a beauty. The
three feet long poles sticking out of some of the bombs are fuse extenders or
"daisy cutters" which ensured detonation above the ground. Photo presented
by Thud Ridge Web
Two F-105 Thunderchiefs, known fondly as “Thuds,” were in
a holding pattern waiting for Laredo flight to mark the targets
and heard about Laredo’s problems on the radio. They
unloaded their bombs, and joined up with Laredo. They would
be among the first of a long line of pilots, crews and aircraft to
respond to Laredo flight.
The Laredo crew knew they had been hit hard, and thought the
fire might have come from an enemy 37mm anti-aircraft
artillery (AAA) gun. But the Thud pilots checked out Laredo
from the air, said she had two holes under the cockpit. The
Laredo crew surmised that the fire came from a ZPU AAA
gun. They also concluded that the enemy fire went through a
8 of 22
7/12/11 2:32 PM
fuel cell, either number one or number two, which had caused
the leak.
This is a schematic of a Navy F-4C. Phantom fighters initially had six
fuel cells, four in the fuselage and one in each wing. The F-4D had a
seventh fuel cell in the tail above the engine nozzles. Note that
fuselage fuel cells 2-6 are located on top the engines and therefore on
the top side of the fuselage. Fuel Cell 1 is located on the side of the
fuselage, just behind the backseater. The wing fuel tanks are located
inside the forward section of the wing. Since Zesinger reported
seeing fuel leak out from between the leading edge flap and the wing,
it would appear that a wing tank was hit. Schematic provided by
McDonnell Aircraft F-4H-1 (F-4B, F-4N) and F-4J (F-4S) Phantom
II main pilot cockpit instrument panels
So, Laredo was hit, was losing fuel, lost two of three hydraulic
systems, had unloaded unneeded weight, and was trying to
make it back home. The crew had sent out a “Mayday”
distress call and the SAR system in the air and on the ground
went into immediate action. Bob says:
“Sent out a Mayday, everybody responded just right, not
too much, just what we needed.”
Pilots, when in the kind of trouble Laredo was in, most surely want
help, which is why they transmit their "Maydays." But they also have
a lot on their plates and need to be left to tend to their emergency, in
this case, emergencies. They are over hostile territory, their aircraft is
in deep trouble, and they have a lot of decisions to make in a short
period of time. Zesinger's remark reflects his gratitude that the
Mayday call automatically kicked the SAR wheels into motion
without the need for a lot of communications chatter with the Laredo
crew thereafter. These were all professionals. They needed only the
minimum essential information. They knew what they had to do.
Then, one engine of two starting acting “rough.” This was the
engine associated with the bad hydraulics. The crew shut it
down, so Laredo was now flying on one engine only badly
hurting over hostile territory. They smelled smoke, so they
also shut down the generators. After flying single engine for
9 of 22
7/12/11 2:32 PM
about 100 miles, the second engine flamed out. Bob said that
as that engine flamed out, he saw a huge flame in his mirror
and the Thud, still escorting Laredo, moved away quickly.
The Thud pilot involved said that for about 5-10 seconds,
Laredo’s aircraft looked like a fireball from the intakes up
front all the way to the rear of the aircraft. Bob believes that
leaking fuel had probably been collecting in the belly and
caught fire and blew out the intakes.
So the fire extended roughly in the area marked by the red box on the
photo above, apparently mostly on the underside at this point.
Referring back to an earlier comment made by Zesinger that they had
"punched off" their wing tanks and rocket pods, on this photo, you
can see the wing fuel tanks hanging from the wings of this F-4. The
Laredo crew got rid of those to lighten the load. During the course of
their mission, the crew constantly transfers fuel from the wing tanks
to the fuel cells inside the aircraft, and also transfers fuel among the
multiple tanks inside the fuselage and wing. Given they had a fire and
fuel leak, discarding the wing fuel tanks would also lessen the risk of
those exploding.
Udorn RTAFB was located across the Mekong River from
Laos. Zesinger said they flew a fairly direct course from where
10 of 22
7/12/11 2:32 PM
they were hit to Udorn.
This is a photo taken on the Mekong River in Laos in 2000. This view is one
of the sun setting over Thailand, looking across the Mekong from the
outskirts of Vientiane, Laos. We present it only to give a feel for the
geography. This particular area of Laos and Thailand is generally a very
fertile alluvial plain with many farms and small villages. Photo credit:
Angus McIntyre, his gallery on Laos.
As Laredo approached the Mekong River dividing Laos and
Thailand, we think someplace not far from Vientiane, Laos,
the crew knew it was close to safe turf, so they bailed out. Air
crews flying out of Thailand to Laos fondly called the Mekong
River "The Fence." It was always a more comforting feeling to
be crossing the fence into Thailand than going the other way.
For technical reasons, the front seater blew his canopy, and
then the back seater ejected, followed by the front seater.
Zesinger estimates they were at from 15 to 20,000 feet
altitude, speed under 250 knots. Following ejection from the
aircraft, he remained in his seat until 11,000 feet when it
automatically separated.
A drogue chute came out automatically while he was above 11,000
feet to stabilize the pilot and the seat until the main chute opens and
the seat separates. Zesinger commented that he wanted to see what
the world looked like at 11,000 feet, but the deployment of his main
chute and the separation from his seat was a "big yank, actually more
violent than the ejection." He commented that he looked up to see
that wonderful chute wide open, so he might have missed the view
from 11,000 feet.
11 of 22
7/12/11 2:32 PM
This is the Mk H-7 ejection seat employed by most F-4s at the time,
presented by The Ejection Site. That web site describes the seat in
some detail. When you hear the TV newscaster report a fighter pilot
had trouble but safely ejected and was rescued, you should know that
this seat is not the easy chair in the family room and the ejection is
hardly like falling out of bed. The green ball to the lower right
activates the oxygen supply for the crewmember should he eject at
high altitude. You can see the green oxygen bottle through the gap of
the back cushion. There is an initiator on the back of the seat which
12 of 22
7/12/11 2:32 PM
sends hot gas into the aircraft mounted jettison system. This system
electronically unlocks the canopies and uses compressed gas to
jettison them. We understand that Zesinger's front-seater manually
jettisoned his canopy because of concerns over problems with
uncontrolled ejections during some previous ejections by others. In
most instances, the back-seater goes out first, and the front-seater
(aircraft commander) follows. However, the F-4 did have a system
where the backseater could eject himself and the front seater. That
could be employed, for example, in a situation where the front-seater
might be incapacitated. The only other point we wish to make is that
once the ejection seat is put into its eject sequence, the seat is
catapulted by a gas charging device taking it upward and out to a
point where it clears the cockpit area, after which a rocket engine
ignites forcing the seat straight up until it clears the aircraft.
We'd like to interrupt Zesinger's story here yet again to convey
a little more detail about an F-4 bailout. The excerpt we have
is taken from a soon-to-be-published book being written by
Dick Rutan.
You might recall that Dick Rutan piloted the "Voyager" in
1986 on the first ever, non-stop, unrefueled flight around the
world. He was also an F-100 "Misty" Fast FAC in the Vietnam
War with a total of 325 combat missions under his belt.
While on one of his Fast FAC missions in the F-100, he
observed from very close quarters a bailout from "Strobe 01,"
an RF-4C flown by Major General Bob Worely, then vice
commander, 7th AF. Worley was on his last mission, just
before he was to be reassigned to Hawaii and promoted to
three stars.
This is F-100F serial number 56-3837, a 37th TFW "Misty FAC" assigned to
Phu Cat, Vietnam. Dick Rutan flew this aircraft. It is presently at the
National Museum of the USAF at Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio.
Rutan was sitting back seat in a F-100 Misty Fast FAC in the
summer of 1968, pulling off a tanker after refueling. Strobe
01, General Worely's RF-4C, called in a Mayday, saying he
was coming out of North Vietnam just above the DMZ
13 of 22
7/12/11 2:32 PM
(general officers were not supposed to fly in North Vietnam),
had been hit, and had smoke in the rear cockpit. He reported
losing hydraulic pressure (sound familiar?) and intended to
head out to the sea, going "feet wet," for bailout. The Misty
FAC was closing on Strobe 01 and was directed to join with
her. The story of what happened hereafter is most interesting,
and we recommend it to you. We will limit ourselves to the
bailout of the Strobe 1 backseater, as observed by Rutan. He
described it this way (the photo below is of a test ejection, but
you get the idea):
"The aft canopy of the
F-4 Phantom opened
and separated cleanly,
clearing the tail by a
good 20 feet, then the
seat started up the
rails. Just as the
bottom of the seat
cleared the canopy
seal, the rocket motor
ignited, burned for 1.2
seconds and the seat
went straight up, very stable. When the rocket stopped,
the drogue chute came out and the seat rotated back 90
degrees, eyeballs straight up, flat on his back, as he
cleared the tail. Now, looking back over my right
shoulder, the main C-9 canopy came out and as it started
to open/inflate, the seat separated and kept right on
going. Now, with the canopy fully open, the pilot swung
back underneath. The whole thing was neat as hell, I
thought."
You can imagine that this might have been roughly the way it
went for Lt. Zesinger. Bob has told us he had no problems
with his ejection, and neither did his front-seater. Bob also
reported:
"Thanks to God, the wind was blowing in the right
direction, carrying the pilots and their chutes toward
Thailand."
They both landed in Thailand.
Worley's backseater also had no problems, and was easily
rescued. However, General Worley decided he was going to
get his aircraft to Danang, but didn't make it. His aircraft was
engulfed in flames, and he was lost. As an aside, Worley's
backseater told the general he was going to activate the
ejection of both front and back, and the general ordered him to
disengage that feature and not use it.
14 of 22
7/12/11 2:32 PM
Back to Zesinger. One of the Thuds remained with each of the
Laredo pilots, flying around their chutes, having stuck with
Laredo all the way, and still sticking with them to be sure their
time on the ground was spent safely.
Zesinger landed on an island of a rice paddy, about 2-300
meters from a village. Since he landed on this small island in
the middle of a rice paddy, he laughingly said, “I didn’t get
wet.”
While the Laredo crew landed in Thailand, it turned out that in
those days one could not always be sure he was with friend or
foe in this kind of situation. There was plenty of infiltration
from Laos into Thailand, and there were Thai insurgents and
gangs throughout northern and northeastern Thailand all along
the Mekong River. So Zesinger had to be careful. This was not
time to let his guard down.
He landed close to a village, and he could see people pointing
at him as he was coming down. Once he landed, he got out of
his chute, got his survival radio out, and immediately
contacted the “King” bird, the HC-130 Rescue Coordinator.
The C-130 Airborne Battlefield Command and Control Center
(ABCCC) aircraft was also on top of the situation. There was
always a King HC-130 and an ABCCC airborne over northern
and southern Laos, 24-7. Zesinger told King that people were
coming out to him and he did not know whether they were
friendly or not. King opined that they were probably friendly,
Zesinger replied, “Thanks,” and then started to beat feet
through the brush. Zesinger, commenting on this part of his
day, said:
“My path through the brush probably looked like it was
made by a water buffalo.”
He then looked closely at the approaching people, saw women
and children, and decided in his mind that they were Thais, at
which point he started to feel a bit more secure. Nonetheless,
he hid in some brush. He could hear the people approaching
his chute and could tell that they were beating down the brush.
Finally, one of the people stuck his head through the brush
where Zesinger was, so Zesinger knew he had little to lose by
saying, “Sawadi,” the Thai word for hello, and the man
responded the same. As Zesinger emerged from the brush,
another said hello in English.
At the Air Force's Jungle Survival School that was at Clark AB,
Philippines during this time, air crew were trained how to hide. They
were taken to remote areas in the jungles of the Philippines, dropped
off, and handed over to USAF instructors and local villagers to learn
how to escape, evade, and survive in a jungle setting. Once taught,
15 of 22
7/12/11 2:32 PM
they were tested. They were given an hour to go any place they
wanted to hide. Then the local villagers went out to look for them.
Every air crew the villagers found resulted in an award of a bag of
rice. Most air crew were found in a matter of minutes. The locals had
plenty of rice! Much of the time the air crews were hidden well, but
their body odor was unique and easy to pick up for the locals, largely
because of the differences in diet. Eating a steak dinner and sipping a
few brewskis at the Officer's Club the night before a mission smells a
lot different than sitting in a small village in the jungle eating rice
and fish.
The people gathered together Zesinger’s chute from a small
tree and brought over the rest of his gear to him. He motioned
to them to keep it. Then one of the kids handed him a glove,
which had apparently slipped out of his G-suit. All in all,
things were going well, though there was one guy there with a
rifle who did not seem very friendly.
The G- suit is a set of nylon
trousers that wrap around
the legs and abdomen (noted
by the red arrow on Lt.
Zesinger's photo here). It is
worn by aviators and
astronauts who are subject
to high levels of
acceleration. Filled
automatically with
compressed air in high-G
maneuvers, the G-suit helps
prevent the pooling of blood
in the lower extremities,
thus retarding the tendency
to lose consciousness. Also
known as “speedjeans.”
As all this was going on,
Zesinger was listening to his radio and could hear that a
KC-135 tanker had arrived over the region where he bailed out
and was offering fuel to any aircraft responding to the
Mayday. Another KC-135 was also in the area and was fueling
four F-4s that had responded and were in a holding area
above. The two Thuds that had accompanied Laredo were
zooming back and forth overhead in what Bob describes as an
“air show,” along with a RF-4C that was partnered with
Laredo but was refueling on a tanker when Laredo was hit.
16 of 22
7/12/11 2:32 PM
HH-53 "Super Jolly Green Giant"
Then in came a Jolly Green Giant HH-53 SAR helicopter and
she set down in the paddy. Zesinger said that now he got wet,
racing to the Jolly Green, “fast.” Just before climbing in, he
turned and waved to the Thais and they waved back. He
commented that the Jolly Green flight engineer took his name
down and entered it into the flight records. Next time he
received a printout of his flying time, it included that he
logged some HH-53 co-pilot time!
The picture we presented at the opening of this report was
taken just after they landed back at Udorn. His front seater
was picked up by another helicopter. They were both taken to
the base hospital for a check up, which included a "good sip of
champagne" from the friendly and happy "Doc." Both were
flying combat again a few days later.
These kinds of things
normally work out well, but
not always. Zesinger’s Jolly
Green pilot was named Holly
Bell, shown here. These SAR
crews flew a lot, often over
North Vietnam. Regrettably,
Major Bell and his entire
crew were shot down and
killed by a MiG fighter over
North Vietnam a few months
later.
On January 28, 1970, Major
Holly Gene Bell and his
HH-53 Jolly Green
helicopter crew were
launched from Udorn
RTAFB in response to an
17 of 22
7/12/11 2:32 PM
F-105G “Wild Weasel” flown by Capts. Richard Mallon and
Robert Panek, callsign Seabird 02. Seabird 02 was shot down
by a MiG-21 over North Vietnam. Bell’s callsign was Jolly
Green 71. Both F-105 crew successfully bailed out and landed
safely, but in the middle of an enemy controlled area near the
Mu Gia Pass in the mountainous region of the North
Vietnam-Laos border. A FAC was the on scene commander
and put “71” into a holding area about 23 miles from where
the “02” crew was located.
While in his holding position, Bell’s aircraft was shot down by
a MiG and the entire crew of six was lost. It was later learned
that both Mallon and Panek from Seabird 02 had been
captured, though the North Vietnamese enemy never identified
them as being held in any POW camp. In 1988, the
Vietnamese returned the remains of a number of Americans.
The remains of Mallon, Panek and Bell were positively
identified among these remains. Cause of death for Mallon and
Panek is unknown, but one can safely assume their demise
was not pleasant.
When his tour of duty was over in the war, Zesinger became
an instructor pilot for new pilot trainees, he then flew B-52
strategic bombers, ended up in the Pentagon on the Air Staff
and retired after 21 years service. He is now working with a
corporation contracted to the government to help dismantle
WMD systems of the former Soviet Union and prevent WMD
proliferation. His youngest son just graduated from the Air
Force Academy and will be in pilot training in April 2006.
This is the Zesinger clan, and a dapper looking group it is.
Left to right, they are: 2nd Lt. David Zesinger, Mrs. Carol
Zesinger, Bob, daughter Betsy Ingraham, and sons Greg and
18 of 22
7/12/11 2:32 PM
Mark. We don't want to get too corny, but when you think
back to the Vietnam War, think about the men who fought it,
think about the enormous sacrifices made and the great losses
incurred, and you know that communism collapsed, the Berlin
Wall came down, the Soviet Union and eastern Soviet block
disintegrated, with multiple democracies emerging as a result
that are now allied with us, with America more powerful and
prosperous than ever, and then you see a family portrait like
this knowing that the "old man" did his duty and responded to
the call, well, it just makes ya proud, damn proud. And, one is
reminded that freedom is not free, that men and women like
Holly Gene Bell and his crew made the ultimate sacrifice, but
they did not do so in vain. Here's one of many millions of
American families to prove it.
Everyone exposed to a SAR incident echoes what stays with
Bob Zesinger to this day. He said:
“The big thing to me was how everybody focused on
helping us out and getting us back.”
He said that as soon as he sent out the Mayday distress call, a
ground radar controller advised that he had Laredo on his
radar and told Laredo to steer 180 degrees for Udorn. The
controller then went quiet so the Laredo crew could
concentrate on the emergency. Sandy A-1E fighters were
scrambled to respond out of nearby Nakhon Phanom RTAFB
and helicopter crews were on the airwaves discussing who
should do what. And, as you've learned, two F-105 Thuds
stuck with Laredo all the way, Laredo's partner RF-4C came
off his tanker and responded as well, as did the King rescue
coordinator, the ABCCC, multiple F-4 fighters, and at least
two KC-135s giving away free gas up above to those who
needed it. And then, of course, in came Major Holly Bell, his
crew, and his "Jolly Green" to make the pickup and get
everyone back to the bar where they belong.
Zesinger commented:
“A whole list of team players who independently and by
direction stopped what they were doing to focus on the
SAR. Luckily didn't need them. We were lucky, the
results were great and all because of everybody playing
their role in a very professional manner.”
Jeff Rhodes, writing “Bring them back alive” published in the
Fourth Quarter 2004 edition of Code One, an airpower
projection magazine, provides a good overview of what's
involved in a SAR operation. In this article, he quotes Lt.
Colonel Kevin Reilly, the commander of the 102nd Rescue
Squadron saying the following in 2004:
19 of 22
7/12/11 2:32 PM
“The rescue of allied pilots or crew behind enemy lines
is a highly dynamic mission involving three main sets of
players. The pararescue jumpers, or PJs, are the boots
on the ground — or the scuba fins in the water — who
find and recover those in trouble. The helicopter crews,
who sometimes have to fight their way in and out of a
landing zone, pick up the PJs and the survivors. The
primary mission of the third element, the HC-130 crew,
is to extend the range of the rescue helicopters. We need
to ingress fast, rendezvous, and egress fast. Everybody
has to move quickly. Time is critical. Combat search
and rescue is fast and complex. Every crew position
functions at a full head of steam. The radio traffic is
intense as we coordinate with the helicopters and
combat aircraft flying top cover.”
Bob Zesinger’s story mentions a bunch of things we would
love to spend time discussing, but we'll have to save for
another day. We would especially like to highlight the lineage
of the 555th TFS, the "Triple Nickel," one of the most famous
fighter squadrons of the Vietnam War. It's too fascinating and
filled with the stuff of great war stories to treat with short
shrift here. We will simply take you back to that photo of Bob,
his wife and Air Force Academy son standing in front of what
is a F-4D fighter once assigned to the Triple Nickel Here's a
clasp of her tail.
This fighter was one flown by Capt. Steve Ritchie when he
became a MiG Ace in that war. The "OY" tail code tells you
this is a Triple Nickel fighter. The 555th arrived at Udorn
RTAFB in February 1966. In February 1966 the squadron
relocated to Udorn RTAFB and was reassigned from the 8th
TFW to the 432nd. In April 1966, just a few months after
20 of 22
7/12/11 2:32 PM
arriving, Capt. Max Cameron and 1Lt. Bob Evans got the
squadron’s first MiG kill, taking down a MiG-17 with an
AIM-9 air-to-air missile; that same day, Capt. Bob Blake and
1Lt. S.W. George did the same, using an AIM-7. By May 12,
the squadron became the first “Ace” fighter squadron in the
war with five MiG-17 kills. Why hell, the lads had not had a
chance to unpack yet!
In June, the 555th moved to Ubon RTAFB, in southeast
Thailand. While at Ubon, the squadron shot down another 13
enemy MiGs including eight of the advanced and challenging
MiG-21s, four of them on one day, January 2, 1967.
Colonel Robin Olds, the Wolfpack’s wing commander, one of
the great fighter pilot figures of the war, shot down two
MiG-21s while flying with the Triple Nickel. Capt., and then
Major. Everett Raspberry, also shot down two, one MiG21 and
one MiG-17.
In 1968, the squadron returned to Udorn and re-joined the
432nd TRW. Its aircrews fought the interdiction campaign
against the Ho Chi Minh trail and the Linebacker Campaign
against North Vietnam’s heartland. During Linebacker I and II
its crews scored another 20 MiG kills, bringing its total score
to 40.
The Triple Nickel produced the first and second USAF aces of
the war, Capt. Chuck DeBellevue with six, and Capt. Steve
Ritchie with five. Of their kills, the two flew together four
times. The Triple Nickel became known as “the largest
distributor of MiG parts on Southeast Asia.”
Capt. Bart “Face” Wilbanks, a pilot with the 555th Expeditionary Fighter
Squadron, and Senior Airmen Gaylon Hardman, a crew chief with the 332rd
21 of 22
7/12/11 2:32 PM
Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron , exchange salutes as Capt.
Wilbanks prepares to take off on mission in support of Operation Iraqi
Freedom. Both Airmen are deployed here from the 31st Fighter Wing,
Aviano Air Base, Italy, in support of F-16C Fighting Falcon operations.
Photo credit: Maj Robert Couse-Baker, USAF, presented by Red Tail Flyer 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
The 555th TFS lives on, and is presently a F-16 “Fighting
Falcon” squadron, home-based at Aviano, Italy, and, as of
September 2005, stationed at Balad AB, Iraq, known as the
555th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, where it continues its
long tradition of flying, fighting and destroying targets.
22 of 22
7/12/11 2:32 PM

Hey, that smiling pilot is me!

Transcription

Similar documents

Wherever you are. Whenever you need it.

Presentation - Laredo Development Foundation

69th Doolittle Raider`s Reunion Flyer

Just cut, fold and tape this stuff to create your very own Cla

A MessAgefroMfredButtrell

Training

KING AIR C90GTx - Beechcraft

Boy-Cott Magazine #13

1965 American Champion – 7ECA Citabria

airmens fbx poster.indd - Alaska Air Show Association

CoC 2013 Jam Class PDF`s