August 25, 1972 dawned hot and muggy in Vietnam. Pilots of Fighter Squadron 161, stationed aboard USS Midway (CV 41), readied their aircraft and went over the day’s flight plan. Their mission was an early evening MiG combat air patrol over North Vietnam. Lt. John “Jack” Ensch would serve as a radar intercept officer in an F-4B Phantom.

Pieces of history: POWs return to Oceana (Robert Randall, Brady, McDaniel, McCuistion)
Homecomings at NAS Oceana, such as the return of Carrier Air Wing 7 on July 2, have always been a very special occasion. But perhaps the most emotional homecoming on the Oceana flightline took place on March 7, 1973 when a C-9 Nightingale touched down at about 10 minutes after
