My Most Memorable Mission

All of us have many memorable missions, but I'm sure all have one particular mission that is the most memorable.

This was my most memorable mission, because of what and who was involved. The mission was on November 7, 1966. We always flew missions with two aircraft; one high to watch out for ground fire and one low to get a closer observation of enemy areas. A lot of our missions were in support of SOG (USSF Studies and Observations Group) on "Golden Ear Ring" missions, on which we had SOG observers fly with us.

Captain Donald L. 'Jake' Jacobson and his SOG observer were returning from a mission along the Ho Chi Mihn Trail. Jake must have seen something and turned around to get a closer look without notifying Captain Ray Gigler, flying in the second airplane. Since he had lost sight of the other airplane, couldn't make contact radio contact, and was low on fuel Captain Gigler notified the airborne command post and returned to base. Our base radio operator continued trying to make radio contact.

Meanwhile I decided that we would retrace the mission from Jake's last known position. Ray and I took off as soon as possible and returned to the area that he last remembered seeing Jake. We continued to search in the valleys between mountains and some dead-end passes that you had to be careful about being able to turn around. After about approximately one hour in the area we still had no contact and had found no trace of Jake. Since it was almost dark we decided to return to base. Ray and I lost visual contact with each other because of fog and low clouds. He was able to the back to base by going east through the valleys while I became engulfed in low clouds and fog. I climbed up to 8,000 feet to make sure I had enough altitude to clear the mountain peaks.

Since we had no navigation facilities on the ground, or in the O-1 airplane, I had our base radio operator give a long count and used my ADF to assure passage of the mountains before letting down. I continued a slow descent while having the radio operator continue to give me long-counts about every minute. The crew chief put some flare posts out along the runway and turned on all the camp lights so I could locate the base and see where to land.

I broke through the clouds about 500 feet above the ground and what a relief to see the glare of lights through the fog out of my left window. I turned toward the base and when over it I turned to the runway heading and then made a 360 degree descending timed turn. I was in and out of the clouds and fog and made a successful landing. That was a time the 23rd Psalm I said each day was answered for truly the Lord's Rod and his Staff not only comforted me but also directed me.

The next day we found the aircraft wreckage, not as far away as we suspected. The Green Beret, SOG observer, with a broken leg had crawled into the bushes to hide and remain silent until the enemy left the scene. Jake had been shot in the head and the aircraft crashed. It was the Pathet Lao who had killed Jake and then speared him several times, even though he was dead. All this was observed by the SOG troop while he was hiding in the bush. A helicopter came to rescue the SOG troop and retrieve Jake. Having to identify the body and write his wife was the most difficult time of my tour in Viet Nam.

I was privileged to serve with a fine group of officers and airmen who cared about each other. Jake was a big part of it.