Tuesday Oct 6th, 1970

…exactly 50 years ago tonight.

On October 6th, we flew a “Full Profile,” including a three-hour flight, launching at 8pm, flying around Lower Alabama, air refueling, followed by a full ground assault on the Mockup. Then we exfiltrated with a flight back to Aux Field #3 where we did a mission debriefing at 8am.

Story by Capt Jim McClam, Redwine

Memorable Moment #1:

I remember waking from a nap aboard our HH-53 while we were flying around Alabama late at night simulating the three-hour trip from Udorn RTAFB Thailand to Son Tay, at the end of which we would be landing and conducting our ground assault on the Mockup. I looked out the right front window where the minigun was and saw a C-130 next to us. I could not believe what I saw. It looked like our HH-53 was between the left wing and the tail of the C-130! I distinctly remember rubbing my eyes in disbelief that we were so close to the C-130. I could almost reach out and touch the C-130.

Later, I learned there was another HH-53 in the same position on the right side of the C-130! The Air Force Special Operations pilots were indeed practicing their TIGHT formation flying. This tight formation flying was used on the night of the Raid during our three hour flight from Udorn, Thailand, into North Vietnam as a tactic to reduce the radar signature so our aircraft would present less of a radar pattern to the North Vietnamese should it be detected.

Below are two photos of the exact same location.

Read Jim McClam’s full story in Who Will Go.

Click Here:  The book.