A moving video

Pat

Supporter
Wow, great video and story. If I'm not mistaken BG Steve Richie was one of the Aces of the Vietnam War.
 

Jim Craik

Lifetime Supporter
Not just one guy - but a pilot. Therein is the difference and the reason.

Actually he was not a pilot, at that time he was a Weapons System Operator, (rear seat F4) unfortunatly the pilot, Lt Lodge was killed. Later Mr Locher attended flight training and did became a well respected pilot.
 
Last edited:

David Morton

Lifetime Supporter
Aircrew - same thing = therefore NOT a mere mortal.
Al - sorry to split hairs but plenty of instances of foot soldiers
(mere mortals ) left to their own fate. Plenty more where they came from.
 

Pat

Supporter
Actually he was not a pilot, at that time he was a Weapons System Operator, (rear seat F4) unfortunatly the pilot, Lt Lodge was killed. Later Mr Locher attended flight training and did became a well respected pilot.

Jim, I did some reading on this and apparently Lt. Lodge had told others that due to the amount and type of classified technical data he knew, he would never risk ejecting over enemy territory. CPT Locher later said that after they were hit, "...the airplane slowed down and we went into a flat spin." Locher then told Lodge as the flames were breaching the rear cockpit wall, it was getting too hot and he'd better get out. Lodge looked over his right shoulder at Locher and said, "Well, you better eject then."
So it appears Lt. Lodge chose to go down with the plane.
 

Keith

Moderator
Actually he was not a pilot, at that time he was a Weapons System Operator, (rear seat F4) unfortunatly the pilot, Lt Lodge was killed. Later Mr Locher attended flight training and did became a well respected pilot.


I think you are all wrong. I have information that he was actually Sopheak Boutros Boutros Vichea, a Cambodian Yak herder that had snuck in to the back office of the F4 for a nap.

Which makes it even more amazing that he survived and went on to become a respected pilot. However, it was later discovered that he had abandoned his Yak Stephen on the runway in a dangerous position and he was subsequently stripped of his flying qualifications and transferred to the US Missing Yak Bureau.
 
Back
Top