Vietnam – October 2019

OCTOBER 2019 27

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winder missiles, which the MiG likewise evaded.

At that point Dudley, his fuel low, disengaged. Coinci-

dentally, Motlov noticed his MiG was down to 100 liters

(22 gallons)—not enough to return to Phuc Yen. He or-

dered Ton to eject. To prepare for the ejection, Motlov re-

versed direction and put his MiG into a steep climb, only

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Moments later Lasseter, with two AIM-9s still in his quiv-

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“The growl of the Sidewinder tone was loud enough to

drive you from the cockpit,” Cummings said later in an

interview, “and it really did a job on that MiG. Every-

thing aft of the cockpit was gone.” But Ton and Motlov

had escaped the blast. They ejected just be-

fore the missile struck and landed safely.

Lasseter then saw what appeared to be a

black MiG-21 going for Dudley’s Phantom.

Launching his last Sidewinder, he saw it guide

into the MiG, which dived away trailing

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around, Lasseter and Dudley still had to deal

with the two other weapons in the triad of

North Vietnam’s air defense system: surface-

to-air missiles and anti-aircraft artillery.

As they made a beeline for their carrier

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near Lassiter’s right wing. Although he re-

gained control, the best the squadron com-

mander could do was get his stricken plane as far out to

sea as possible before it died, at which point he and Cum-

mings ejected. Minutes later anti-aircraft guns hit Dud-

ley’s Phantom, causing the fuel to drain out. Like their

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James W. Brady, performed a “feet wet” ejection over the

Gulf of Tonkin.

Though the two Phantoms ended up in the drink, at

least they had cleared the enemy coast so that search

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in the sea. Safely aboard the America, they celebrated

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nam in the shootdown of Motlov’s MiG, as well as the

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ter was awarded the Silver Star for his actions that day.

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three shootdowns—by Baker (with Ryan of the Air Force)

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1972. One Marine, Cordova, died sometime after being
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After Vietnam, the Marines reverted to their usual

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tion arose during the 1991 Gulf War, when a Marine pilot

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squadron.

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the war against Iraqi leader Saddam Hus-

sein’s forces, Americans launched an air of-

fensive to clear the sky over Iraq. In that en-

gagement Air Force Capt. John J.B. Kelk,

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Fighter Squadron, 33rd Tactical Fighter

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victory of the war.

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Capt. Charles Magill, a graduate of the Topgun

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squadron that spotted two MiG-29s west of

Baghdad. After Air Force Capt. Rhory Drae-

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ing the second MiG.

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King Faisal Air Base in Saudi Arabia, Magill proudly ap-

plied a green star under the cockpit of his Eagle. Given

the paucity of aerial opposition during the decades since

that unequal clash over Iraq, Magill’s action may well

have marked the end of an era for Marine Air...pending

further notice, of course.... V

Jon Guttman is research director of Vietnam magazine.

The Marine duo of Capt. John D.

Cummings, left, and pilot Lt. Col. Lee T.

Lasseter, wearing the shoulder patch of

squadron 333, nabbed a MiG on Sept. 11,

1972, in F-4J Phantom 5526.

“The growl

of the Side-

winder tone

was loud

enough to

drive you

from the

cockpit, and

it really did

a job on that

MiG.”