FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- In 2008, the National Defense Authorization Act authorized the Secretary of Defense to conduct a program to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War beginning on May 28, 2012, and continue for 13 years. Over two million Americans served in Southeast Asia and nearly 58,000 made the ultimate sacrifice in service of our country. Additionally, over 153,000 Americans were wounded.
While the official start and end dates of the United States' involvement in Vietnam are debatable, the 92nd Strategic Aerospace Wing's participation in Vietnam began on Sept. 25, 1964, with the deployment of a Fairchild KC-135 Stratotanker to the Philippines. As operations increased in 1965, the demand for air refueling also increased. Operation Young Tiger was developed to meet this demand. Operation Young Tiger referred to tactical air refueling operations throughout the nine year history of the conflict. The wing's participation was sporadic throughout most of 1965, but it greatly increased in the spring of 1966. From April through June, the wing provided seven tanker crews who accomplished 526 air refuelings. From then on, the wing had an average of four tankers and crews deployed to South West Asia. From March 1965 to March 1968, the 92nd SAW deployed 47 crews and 25 KC-135s. During that deployment, the tanker crews were credited for approximately 30 "saves." A "save" was defined as an unscheduled or emergency refueling, which meant the difference between the fighter going down or returning back to base.
In November 1965, the wing became involved in Operation Arc Light when two tankers and crews were tasked to fly in support of this operation. In October 1966, Fairchild B-52s entered the fray when two B-52s, three KC-135s and a small augmentation team deployed for 45 days to Anderson Air Force Base, Guam. Operation Arc Light is the code name and general term for the use of B-52 Stratofortresses as a close air support platform to support ground tactical operations. The mission of the bombers was to conduct aerial bombing against Viet Cong strongholds. For the first time since World War II, crews were required to provide close air support for the ground crews, requiring precision bombing. The bomber crews were extremely successful supporting ground troops in battles such as Khe Sanh, Vinh Binh, and the A Shau Valley. Approximately 11 B-52s and 17 crews deployed to Anderson AFB for 60-day intervals until March 1968. Also, 11 KC-135s and 12 crews also participated in the Arc Light Operations during that same period.
Through 1966 to early 1968, the 92nd provided a small force of crews and aircraft for Arc Light. On April 1, 1968, that all changed when the wing received a tasking to deploy the 325th Bomb Squadron, the 43rd Air Refueling Squadron and more than 1,400 support personnel deployed to Anderson AFB to support Operation Arc Light. In late June, the 92nd Air Refueling Squadron replaced the 43rd ARS. When the Fairchild crews returned home on Sept. 23, 1968, the KC-135 crews flew nearly 2,100 sorties and B-52 crews had flown nearly 2,050 sorties over enemy territory logging 14,000 hours and dropping 50,000 tons of bombs.
None of the wing's bombers supported any further Arc Light activity throughout the rest of 1968; however, there was little respite for tanker crews. The wing continued to provide individual crews and aircraft in support of Young Tiger operations as well as for several other activities relating to the deployment of tactical fighter aircraft to and from Southeast Asia. Fairchild KC-135s and crews supported both the Eielson and Spanish Tanker Task Forces.
Once again, in March 1969, 92nd SAW bomber crews, tanker crews and ground personnel returned to Anderson AFB, Guam, to fly in support of Operation Arc Light. By the time the crews returned home that September, each of the nearly three-quarters of the B-52 crews had flown more than 100 combat sorties. During the six-month tour, the B-52 crews flew nearly 1,700 combat sorties logging 11,700 hours of flying time and dropping approximately 63,000 tons of conventional explosives. In addition, the Fairchild bomber crews launched 24 missions in a row without deviation. This achievement was recognized as a record during the history of the Arc Light operation. In six months, the tanker squadrons flew more than 2,600 air refueling missions logging 12,900 flying hours and offloaded more than 129 million pounds of fuel into B-52s and fighters.
One of the saddest days of the 1969 deployment occurred on May 10, 1969. A Fairchild crew from the 325th Bomb Squadron took off from Anderson AFB at night and crashed several miles off the departure end of the runway. The crew members were: Capt. James Sipes, aircraft commander; 1st Lt. Larry I. Broadhead, copilot; Capt. Russell L. Platt, radar navigator; 1st Lt. Maurice E. Lundy, navigator; 1st Lt. Thomas R. McCormick, electronic warfare officer; and Master Sgt. Harold B. Deal, gunner. The accident investigation concluded that some type of malfunction of both pilot's flight instruments may have occurred.
In May 1972, Fairchild crews, aircraft and support personnel deployed to Anderson AFB as part of an Arc Light bombing surge nicknamed "Bullet Shot." During Operation Bullet Shot, Strategic Air Command dispatched 124 B-52s to Southeast Asia. The bombing campaigns continued throughout the summer and fall increasing in intensity after an abortive announcement of a peace settlement. After reaching an impasse in the peace talks, President Richard Nixon ordered the B-52s to target the military and industrial complexes in Haiphong and Hanoi as part of Operation Linebacker II.
On Dec. 21, 1972, the wing suffered its second loss of a B-52 and its only loss of a B-52 in combat. During a nighttime raid on Hanoi, a Fairchild B-52 was hit by enemy fire and exploded in flames. Eye-witnesses reported not seeing any parachutes. However, a short time later, the North Vietnamese released a Prisoner-of-War list which included the names of two of the aircrew. They were Lt. Col. James Y. Nagahiro, pilot, and Capt. Lynn R. Beens, navigator and they returned home in April 1973. The rest of the crew were listed as missing and included Maj. Edward H. Johnson, radar navigator; Capt. Donovan K. Walters, copilot; Capt. Robert R. Lynn, electronic warfare officers; and Airman 1st Class Charles J. Bebus, gunner.
Although the Paris Accords cease-fire was signed in Jan. 1973, combat operations and tanker support continued through August of that year flying Arc Light missions into Cambodia. The wing's nine-year involvement in Vietnam ended when the wing's bombers returned home on Oct. 25, 1973.
Overall, between June 1965 and Aug. 1973, B-52s flew more than 125,000 sorties and dropped over 3.5 million tons of bombs. Supporting Operations Young Tiger and Arc Light, KC-135s flew over 194,600 sorties and offloaded more than 1.4 billion gallons of fuel to 813,800 receivers. In the tradition of excellence, Fairchild aircrews and support personnel made significant contributions to those totals. It took a team effort to launch, execute and recover those sorties.