Aviation History - January 2016

january 2016 AH 21

LETTER FROM AVIATION HISTORY

AP PHOTO/NICK UT

W

hen is an aerial rescue not worth the

MٺWZ\'\)[WUMXWQV\\PM=;)QZ.WZKM

KWUUIVLMZ[LQZMK\QVO\PMZM[K]MWN

4\+WT1KMIT¹/MVMº0IUJTM\WV ̧KITT

[QOV*I\*ZI^W ̧U][\PI^MI[SML

\PMU[MT^M[\PI\Y]M[\QWV*]\\PMIQZ-

UMVQV^WT^MLQV\PMZM[K]MI\\MUX\XZWJIJTa

LQLV¼\I[\PMaPILIRWJ\WLWZMOIZLTM[[WN\PM

ZQ[S[QV^WT^ML.WZ\PM=;UQTQ\IZa¹VWUIVTMN\

JMPQVLºQ[IVIZ\QKTMWNNIQ\P]XWV_PQKPITT[MZ^QKM

XMZ[WVVMTZMTa

7V)XZQT!0IUJTM\WV_I[[MZ^QVOI[

VI^QOI\WZIJWIZLI,W]OTI[-*+M[KWZ\QVO

IKMTTWN\PZMM*[VMIZ\PMLMUQTQ\IZQbMLbWVM

JM\_MMV6WZ\PIVL;W]\P>QM\VIU<PM6WZ\P

>QM\VIUM[M)ZUaIL^IVKQVO[W]\PWV\PM\PQZL

LIaWNQ\[UI[[Q^M-I[\MZ7NNMV[Q^MTI]VKPML

\_W^WTTMa[WN;)[]ZNIKM\WIQZUQ[[QTM[I\\PM

IQZXTIVM[\PM[MKWVLWN_PQKPLIUIOML\PMV

LM[\ZWaML0IUJTM\WV¼[-*0M_I[\PMWVTa

UMUJMZWN\PM[Q`UIVKZM_\W[INMTaMRMK\

?PI\NWTTW_MLPI[JMMVKITTML\PMTIZOM[\

TWVOM[\IVLUW[\KWUXTM`[MIZKPIVLZM[K]M

;):WXMZI\QWVWN\PM>QM\VIU?IZ1\QV^WT^ML

IQZI[[M\[ZIVOQVONZWU);SaZIQLMZ[\W7>

*ZWVKW[=00¹0]Ma[º\W00¹2WTTa/ZMMV

/QIV\[ºWVMWN_PQKP\PM6>)[PW\LW_VSQTTQVO

Q\[[Q`KZM_UMV,M[XQ\M\PMIQZUMV¼[PMZWQKMٺWZ\[

W^MZ\PMKW]Z[MWNÅ^MTWVOLIa[\PM)UMZQKIV[

NIQTML\WZMKW^MZ0IUJTM\WVIVL[\4\5IZS

+TIZSINWZ_IZLIQZKWV\ZWTTMZ_PWPILJMMV

[PW\LW_VL]ZQVO\PMZM[K]MI\\MUX\*ZQMNML

WV\PMTW[[M[/MVMZIT+ZMQOP\WV)JZIU[KITTML

WٺIQZZM[K]MWXMZI\QWV[WV)XZQT IVLITIVL

_I\MZWXMZI\QWV_I[UW]V\MLJaI[UITT\MIUWN

;W]\P>QM\VIUM[MKWUUIVLW[TMLJa=;6I^a

;-)44QM]\MVIV\<PWUI[6WZZQ[1V\PMMVL

6WZZQ[IVL8M\\a7ٻKMZZL+TI[[6O]aMVIV

3QM\ZM[K]MLJW\PLW_VMLIQZUMVL]ZQVO\_W

LIVOMZW][VQOP\WXMZI\QWV[\PMNWZUMZMIZVQVO

\PM5MLITWN0WVWZIVL\PMTI\\MZ\PM6I^a+ZW[[

\PMWVTa;W]\P>QM\VIUM[MVI^a[MZ^QKMUIV\W

JM[WPWVWZMLL]ZQVO\PM_IZPMLIaMٺWZ\

PILKW[\UMVSQTTMLIVL\_WKIX\]ZML_Q\PÅ^M

IQZKZIN\TW[\IVLV]UMZW][W\PMZ[LIUIOML

1VI! !QV\MZ^QM_0IUJTM\WVX]\\PMUI[-

[Q^MZM[K]MWXMZI\QWVQVXMZ[XMK\Q^M"¹1N\PM\I`-

XIaMZ[IVLUaVMQOPJWZ[SVM__PI\Q\KW[\\PMU

\WX]TTUMW]\WN\PMZM\PMa¼LXZWJIJTa[PWW\UM

*]\Q\PI[\WUISMIV)UMZQKIVÅOP\QVOUIVZMIT

XZW]L\WSVW_\PI\W]ZOW^MZVUMV\IVLW]ZUQTQ

\IZa_QTTOW\WIVaTMVO\P\W[I^MIÅOP\QVOUIV¼[

TQNM1LWV¼\KIZMQNPM¼[IXZQ^I\MWZI\PZMM[\IZ

OMVMZIT ̧\PMa¼ZMOWQVO\WLWQ\1PI^MÆW_VITW\

WN\PM[M;):UQ[[QWV[\ZaQVO\WX]TTW\PMZXMWXTM

W]\WN\PMZMIVLQ\LWM[V¼\M^MVMV\MZaW]ZUQVL

<PQ[Q[WVMWNaW]ZJ]LLQM[#TM\¼[OWOM\PQUº

.WZ\PMN]TT[\WZaWN\PQ[_MTTLWK]UMV\MLWXMZI

\QWVZMIL,IZZMT,?PQ\KWUJ¼[M`KMTTMV\JWWS

The Rescue of Bat 21J]\I^WQL\PM! UW^QMBat

21 QNaW]¼ZMQV\MZM[\MLQVPQ[\WZQKITIKK]ZIKa)VL

\WTMIZVIJW]\UWZMOZMI\[I^M[[MM;\MXPIV

?QTSQV[WV¼[¹)VOMT[WN5MZKaºWV8 

Great Saves

BY CARL VON WODTKE

home free U.S. and

South Vietnamese

soldiers carry Lt. Col.

Iceal Hambleton on

a stretcher following

his rescue after 11

days of evading the

North Vietnamese.