USN ace/Congressman convicted of bribetaking
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West Coast,
Post on another board:
Post on another board:
And by the way his nickname or "call sign" of "Duke" had nothing to do with John Wayne. He greatly admired Diego "Duke" Hernandez, who was in VF-96 with him and a Naval Aviator that we all knew and admired. I went through the F-4 RAG with Hernandez at VF-101 Key West. Duke Hernandez was a great officer, Naval Aviator and example. Randy took on "Duke" Hernandez's nickname for his own. Sadly he did not pack the gear to also take-up his example.
Geek mode on
I've read that Cunningham's original nickname was "Yankee", which he allegedly hated. He subsequently managed to change it to "Duke", supposedly due to his penchant for John Wayne movies?
Also, I'm sure a further F4 WSO was credited with 5 kills in Vietnam, chap by the name of Roger Locher? Certainly got close.He too became a front seater if memory serves.
Geek off
I've read that Cunningham's original nickname was "Yankee", which he allegedly hated. He subsequently managed to change it to "Duke", supposedly due to his penchant for John Wayne movies?
Also, I'm sure a further F4 WSO was credited with 5 kills in Vietnam, chap by the name of Roger Locher? Certainly got close.He too became a front seater if memory serves.
Geek off
JG, IIRC, Roger Locher got 3. He's best known for surviving 23 days in the jungle before the CSAR chaps recovered him.
Jeff Feinstein was the other WSO to be credited with 5 victories.
Jeff Feinstein was the other WSO to be credited with 5 victories.
Ignoring the political crap: I've had 2 bottles of Medoc and am comin' out fightin':
1. It seems to me in all my reading if you weren't in the weedosphere in Vietnam you weren't in the game. Witness the much higher %ages either KIA or in the Hanoi Hilton- both muds and rotary.
2. Thus the whole "First Ace" scrap back then overshadowed the real flying being done -again by muds et al. And this reflected the subsequent heirachy in the US Forces thru the 70s to the 90s. [And don't even get me on neocons vs the only grunt in the White House...]
3. I've still got Cuntingham's book somewhere buried under Yankee Station, Thud Ridge and the grande dame- Chickenhawk and if ever there was a pointless waste of a tree "Fox 2" is it. Give me "Jarhead" any day over this self-serving crap. He got what his arrogance finally deserved him. That is all -carry on.
4. Markers.
...Oh and I forgot to say:
Have you ever noticed how blokes who give themselves their nickname are invariable tossers. And no one ever gives themselves a crap one.
1. It seems to me in all my reading if you weren't in the weedosphere in Vietnam you weren't in the game. Witness the much higher %ages either KIA or in the Hanoi Hilton- both muds and rotary.
2. Thus the whole "First Ace" scrap back then overshadowed the real flying being done -again by muds et al. And this reflected the subsequent heirachy in the US Forces thru the 70s to the 90s. [And don't even get me on neocons vs the only grunt in the White House...]
3. I've still got Cuntingham's book somewhere buried under Yankee Station, Thud Ridge and the grande dame- Chickenhawk and if ever there was a pointless waste of a tree "Fox 2" is it. Give me "Jarhead" any day over this self-serving crap. He got what his arrogance finally deserved him. That is all -carry on.
4. Markers.
...Oh and I forgot to say:
Have you ever noticed how blokes who give themselves their nickname are invariable tossers. And no one ever gives themselves a crap one.
Last edited by Dunhovrin; 30th Nov 2005 at 10:04.
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Whilst it's a shame to read about his fall from grace let's be honest there is nothing in his flying exploits of 30 odd years ago that would in any way necessarily prepare him to be a successful public sector servant. I somehow suspect that the skills required may differ somewhat. I'd heard that whilst he was a pretty good fighter pilot he was also as thick as mince.
I think perhaps my pprune name now seems in need of a change.
I think perhaps my pprune name now seems in need of a change.
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Indeed, most accounts I have seen and heard indicated that as an officer he was about as much use as a chocolate fireguard and a general waste of rations, evidenced by the fact that he was initially denied a regular commission (he was orginally commissioned into the USNR). His problem in getting a regular commission was, or course, exacerbated by his admin being so slack that he missed the application deadline.
Of course, one he became an ace, the Head Shed could exactly say no to their new golden boy- PR disaster etc.
Of course, one he became an ace, the Head Shed could exactly say no to their new golden boy- PR disaster etc.
"he was initially denied a regular commission (he was orginally commissioned into the USNR)"
When I was in that was the way it was done except for a small percentage, canoe U grads, etc.
When I was in that was the way it was done except for a small percentage, canoe U grads, etc.
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Willie Driscoll (Cunningham's RIO) is likewise credited with the same five as Cunningham.
I've saw the wall at USNFWS once, and both names appear below the silhouettes.
Plus, wasn't Richie grounded as soon as he got his 5th because the headshed didn't want anything happening to their new hero?
"he was initially denied a regular commission (he was orginally commissioned into the USNR)"
Archimedes,
Yes, you're quite right, thank you
Should have that info off pat, I must have read just about every Phantom book written by now!!
JG
Yes, you're quite right, thank you
Should have that info off pat, I must have read just about every Phantom book written by now!!
JG
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Originally Posted by Zoom
But in aircraft such as the F-4, where most interception work (especially from BVR) required inputs from both crewmembers, both should be awarded the kills
Below the Glidepath - not correcting
Don't lose too much sleep worrying about Duke's pillow biting exploits down the Hershy highway while he is in the slammer. I bet his snake pit colleagues in the ever growing cesspool of of corrupt politicans will ensure that his life in "Club Fed" is not all that bad, after all, when "honest" Jack Abramoff has finished spilling his guts, there will be a few more joining him I hope.
The rescue of Roger Locher did more than set a couple of Vietnam War records.
On May 8, 1972, President Nixon authorized the mining of Haiphong and other North Vietnam ports, together with regular and frequent air strikes north of the 20th parallel. Operation Linebacker was on.
Two days later, the US Air Force launched 120 aircraft against targets in and around Hanoi. Oyster Flight, four F-4s from the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron flying MiG-CAP, was led by Maj. Bob Lodge, an outstanding young combat leader. He and his backseater, Capt. Roger Locher, were veterans of the air war, both with previous tours in Southeast Asia. Also in Oyster Flight were Capts. Richard S. "Steve" Ritchie and Chuck DeBellevue, who were to become the Air Force's only F-4 "ace" team with five victories.
As Oyster Flight neared the Red River at a point about 75 miles northwest of Hanoi, they were alerted to the approach of MiGs. In the ensuing battle, Lodge and Locher shot down a MiG-21 and were positioning themselves to fire on another when they were hammered by 30-mm shells from two MiG-19s. The F-4's hydraulic system was knocked out, making the aircraft uncontrollable. A fire in the rear of the fuselage forced Captain Locher to punch out while the plane was inverted. Major Lodge did not eject. Since no one in the vicinity saw parachutes, it was assumed that both men had perished.
Captain Locher had, in fact, landed in trees near a MiG base at Yen Bai, north of the Red River, shaken but uninjured. He could not retrieve his parachute, which was caught in the trees, or his survival pack. After a brief radio call, he sought to put distance between himself and the parachute, which inevitably would attract a search party. (His radio signal was received by friendly aircraft, but, since there was no voice transmission, the signal probably was thought to be sent by a North Vietnamese using a captured radio.)
Within minutes, Captain Locher heard sounds of a search party Taking cover in a brush pile, he took stock of his situation. It wasn't encouraging. He had the contents of his survival vest, including two pints of water and a couple of snacks. Rescue so deep in enemy territory--some 350 miles north of the DMZ--was unlikely.
His best chance of rescue was to cross the heavily cultivated Red River Valley, swim the river, and work his way to the sparsely inhabited mountains about 90 miles to the west. The river lay several miles away through forested, hilly terrain. He would travel only at first light and at dusk, living off the land.
The enemy's search resumed the next morning. At one point, searchers came within 30 feet of Captain Locher's hiding place. On the third day, there were no sounds of a search party, and Locher could move somewhat more freely, but living off the land proved to be a greater problem than he had anticipated. It was too early in the season for ripened fruit, nuts, or berries. He ate what he could find, gradually weakening as the days passed. Water was no problem. There were plenty of small streams. There were also plenty of mosquitoes and drenching rains as he inched along at less than a mile a day.
Captain Locher frequently tried for radio contact, with no success. Then, on June 1, three weeks after he was shot down, as he was contemplating leaving the forest for a dicey venture into the valley, a flight of F-4s passed directly over him on their way home from a strike and, he hoped, with radio frequencies open.
Locher's call was picked up. Within hours, a small search-and-rescue (SAR) force was on its way from Nakhon Phanom, Thailand. After the A-1 Sandys were satisfied that they were talking to Locher, an HH-53C SuperJolly helicopter, flown by Capt. Dale Stovall, started in for the pickup, but the SAR force was driven off by missiles and MiGs. Maybe rescue was not possible so far north of the DMZ, after all.
Seventh Air Force thought otherwise. On June 2, another SAR force, supported by fighters, bombers, Wild Weasels, tankers, and ECM aircraft, numbering more than 100 in all, fought its way in. Captain Stovall's HH-53 picked up Roger Locher and returned him to Ubon RTAFB.
It had been a record-setting show. Captain Locher had eluded capture in enemy territory for 23 days, setting a record for successful evasion in the Vietnam War. Captain Stovall had twice flown his rescue helicopter further into North Vietnam than had been done before, earning him the Air Force Cross. All the principals emerged as heroes, but there is more to the story. Combat crews who would be flying Linebacker strikes north of the Red River now knew that eluding capture in that inhospitable land and rescue from Hanoi's backyard were indeed possible. That was a good thought to sleep on.
On May 8, 1972, President Nixon authorized the mining of Haiphong and other North Vietnam ports, together with regular and frequent air strikes north of the 20th parallel. Operation Linebacker was on.
Two days later, the US Air Force launched 120 aircraft against targets in and around Hanoi. Oyster Flight, four F-4s from the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron flying MiG-CAP, was led by Maj. Bob Lodge, an outstanding young combat leader. He and his backseater, Capt. Roger Locher, were veterans of the air war, both with previous tours in Southeast Asia. Also in Oyster Flight were Capts. Richard S. "Steve" Ritchie and Chuck DeBellevue, who were to become the Air Force's only F-4 "ace" team with five victories.
As Oyster Flight neared the Red River at a point about 75 miles northwest of Hanoi, they were alerted to the approach of MiGs. In the ensuing battle, Lodge and Locher shot down a MiG-21 and were positioning themselves to fire on another when they were hammered by 30-mm shells from two MiG-19s. The F-4's hydraulic system was knocked out, making the aircraft uncontrollable. A fire in the rear of the fuselage forced Captain Locher to punch out while the plane was inverted. Major Lodge did not eject. Since no one in the vicinity saw parachutes, it was assumed that both men had perished.
Captain Locher had, in fact, landed in trees near a MiG base at Yen Bai, north of the Red River, shaken but uninjured. He could not retrieve his parachute, which was caught in the trees, or his survival pack. After a brief radio call, he sought to put distance between himself and the parachute, which inevitably would attract a search party. (His radio signal was received by friendly aircraft, but, since there was no voice transmission, the signal probably was thought to be sent by a North Vietnamese using a captured radio.)
Within minutes, Captain Locher heard sounds of a search party Taking cover in a brush pile, he took stock of his situation. It wasn't encouraging. He had the contents of his survival vest, including two pints of water and a couple of snacks. Rescue so deep in enemy territory--some 350 miles north of the DMZ--was unlikely.
His best chance of rescue was to cross the heavily cultivated Red River Valley, swim the river, and work his way to the sparsely inhabited mountains about 90 miles to the west. The river lay several miles away through forested, hilly terrain. He would travel only at first light and at dusk, living off the land.
The enemy's search resumed the next morning. At one point, searchers came within 30 feet of Captain Locher's hiding place. On the third day, there were no sounds of a search party, and Locher could move somewhat more freely, but living off the land proved to be a greater problem than he had anticipated. It was too early in the season for ripened fruit, nuts, or berries. He ate what he could find, gradually weakening as the days passed. Water was no problem. There were plenty of small streams. There were also plenty of mosquitoes and drenching rains as he inched along at less than a mile a day.
Captain Locher frequently tried for radio contact, with no success. Then, on June 1, three weeks after he was shot down, as he was contemplating leaving the forest for a dicey venture into the valley, a flight of F-4s passed directly over him on their way home from a strike and, he hoped, with radio frequencies open.
Locher's call was picked up. Within hours, a small search-and-rescue (SAR) force was on its way from Nakhon Phanom, Thailand. After the A-1 Sandys were satisfied that they were talking to Locher, an HH-53C SuperJolly helicopter, flown by Capt. Dale Stovall, started in for the pickup, but the SAR force was driven off by missiles and MiGs. Maybe rescue was not possible so far north of the DMZ, after all.
Seventh Air Force thought otherwise. On June 2, another SAR force, supported by fighters, bombers, Wild Weasels, tankers, and ECM aircraft, numbering more than 100 in all, fought its way in. Captain Stovall's HH-53 picked up Roger Locher and returned him to Ubon RTAFB.
It had been a record-setting show. Captain Locher had eluded capture in enemy territory for 23 days, setting a record for successful evasion in the Vietnam War. Captain Stovall had twice flown his rescue helicopter further into North Vietnam than had been done before, earning him the Air Force Cross. All the principals emerged as heroes, but there is more to the story. Combat crews who would be flying Linebacker strikes north of the Red River now knew that eluding capture in that inhospitable land and rescue from Hanoi's backyard were indeed possible. That was a good thought to sleep on.
