Jay Hess was 14 years into his Air Force service.
The fighter pilot, in the cockpit of an F-105 Thunderchief, was dropping 600 pound bombs in the heavily defended area around Hanoi, in north Vietnam. Hess finished the steep dive, released his bombs and began to pull out when his aircraft was hit by enemy fire. With no way out, he pulled the ejection handle.
The date was Oct. 26, 1967. I was on my 23rd mission, flying right over the heart of Hanoi in a dive at about 4,500 feet, when a Russian missile the size of a telephone pole came up—the sky was full of them—and blew the right wing off my Skyhawk
Mr. and Mrs. Peter Drabic of Union Bridge received more good news Tuesday. Their son, Eddie, will be released from the Viet Cong and flown out of Hanoi Friday. Sgt. Eddie Drabic was listed as “missing in action” since 1968, being captured only four days after he arrived in Vietnam.
3 Pilots Freed by Hanoi Reported Leaving TodayHANOI, North Vietnam,Aug. 1 (Agence France-Presse) -The three United States pilots freed by North Vietnam July 3 will leave tomorrow for Vientiane, Laos, aboard the regular International Control Commission flight, a reliable source said tonight.The three – Maj. James F. Low, Maj. Fred
I heard a Special Forces soldier say recently that his greatest hero is the Vietnam veteran. In his words, he said the reason that today’s soldiers are treated so well is directly related to the disrespectful way the Vietnam veterans were treated upon returning home. I agree that today’s warriors have