Hosted by PJs in Vietnam
Last Update: Monday, July 20, 2009

Chapter 1.      That Others May Live – Medal of Honor SAR

                                    The Story of Pararescueman Bill Pitsenbarger........................... 1

Chapter 2.      Into the Quagmire................................................................................ 23

                                    Mid Tour Leave...................................................................... 23

                                    Why Vietnam.......................................................................... 26

                                    Truman Administration............................................................. 27

                                    Eisenhower Administration....................................................... 30

                                    Kennedy Administration........................................................... 36

                                    JRCC Activated...................................................................... 40

                                    Johnson Administration............................................................ 45

                                    Request for SAR Forces.......................................................... 46

                                    First PJ SAR........................................................................... 47

                                    Yankee Team.......................................................................... 49

                                    Air Rescue Arrives in SEA....................................................... 51

                                    Gulf of Tonkin Incident............................................................ 55

                                    ARS Deploys to Vietnam......................................................... 58

                                    PJs Deploy to Vietnam............................................................ 62

                                    Initial RESCORT..................................................................... 63

                                    HH-43 Training at Stead AFB, NV......................................... 63

                                    Attack on Bien Hoa Air Base................................................... 66

                                    First Large Scale SAR............................................................. 67

                                    An Unlikely Warbird................................................................ 69

                                    Tactics Development............................................................... 74

                                    Challenging Problems............................................................... 77

Chapter 3.      1965 Year of Optimism

                                    1965 Begins............................................................................ 85

                                    Rolling Thunder....................................................................... 88

                                    First Combat SAR in NVN..................................................... 90

                                    First Night SAR....................................................................... 96

                                    Post Strike Analysis and Reactions........................................... 99

                                    The Ho Chi Minh Trail............................................................. 101

                                    Mu Gia Pass Claims its First US Fighter Jet.............................. 102

                                    Steel Tiger............................................................................... 106

                                    SARs March thru June 1965.................................................... 107

                                    Air Rescue Suffers its First Downed Aircraft............................ 113

                                    B-52s Down........................................................................... 114

                                    Reorganization of Air Rescue in SEA....................................... 116

                                    Arrival of the Jolly Green Giant................................................ 118

                                    The SA-2 Surface-to-Air Missile............................................. 120

                                    First CH-3 Mission.................................................................. 122

                                    First Anniversary of Combat SAR in SEA................................ 129

                                    The Second Year Begins......................................................... 131

                                    Sandy...................................................................................... 131

                                    September thru November 1965.............................................. 134

                                    Dutchy 41............................................................................... 135

                                    Perseverance........................................................................... 137

                                    Arrival of the HH-3Cs............................................................. 139

                                    1965 ARS Tactics and Limitations........................................... 140

                                    TIC Medevac.......................................................................... 141

                                    Sampans versus HU-16........................................................... 145

                                    CH-3s in Action Again............................................................ 147

                                    Oak One SAR – Hard Lessons Learned.................................. 148

                                    Air Rescue Receives First HH-3Cs.......................................... 157

                                    November and December 1965............................................... 158

                                    Heyday of the HU-16.............................................................. 162

                                    Feet Dry in NVN.................................................................... 165

                                    Year’s End Political and Military Considerations....................... 168

                                    The Birth of Air Refueling......................................................... 169

                                    1965 Ends............................................................................... 171

Chapter 4.      America Takes Over

                                    1966 Begins............................................................................ 175

                                    First Presidential Unit Citation.................................................. 179

                                    Static Call Signs....................................................................... 180

                                    February 1966 SARs.............................................................. 180

                                    Healy 1 SAR........................................................................... 184

                                    A No Communication SAR..................................................... 187

                                    PJ’s Get Maroon Beret............................................................ 189

                                    March 1966............................................................................ 191

                                    Barracuda SAR....................................................................... 192

                                    Spooky 70 SAR...................................................................... 194

                                    Rescued by A-1 – Medal of Honor SAR................................. 197

                                    Valor in the Gulf – ARS Suffers First Men KIA........................ 201

                                    The Day After......................................................................... 207

                                    A Busy April........................................................................... 209

                                    A PJ Left Behind..................................................................... 213

                                    The Second Quarter of 1966................................................... 217

                                    Black Lion............................................................................... 218

                                    We Need Guns....................................................................... 221

                                    Fulton Recovery...................................................................... 223

                                    June 1966............................................................................... 226

                                    Pedro 74 is Downed................................................................ 226

                                    More Medevacs for Pedro...................................................... 228

                                    Jolly Greens Arrive at Da Nang and the Dengler SAR.............. 229

                                    First HH-3 Water Landing Save.............................................. 233

                                    Last HU-16 Combat Save....................................................... 234

                                    Persistence Pays Off for Ed Garland........................................ 235

                                    Crown Bravo Disappears........................................................ 239

                                    Jolly 2 is Downed.................................................................... 240

                                    Pedro 42................................................................................. 243

                                    We Urgently Need M-60 Machineguns.................................... 249

                                    Rescue at Dien Bien Phu.......................................................... 254

                                    First Night HH-3 SAR............................................................. 257

                                    End of 1966 Military Situation.................................................. 259

Chapter 5.      Buildup of Forces

                                    1967 Begins............................................................................ 265

                                    Disagreements in Policy and Strategy....................................... 267

                                    HH-3 Down – But Not Out..................................................... 269

                                    January 1967........................................................................... 272

                                    Jolly 15 and Nail 65................................................................. 274

                                                Duane Hackney’s AFC............................................... 279

                                    HC-130 Enters the Vietnam War............................................. 283

                                    1967 Tet Truce....................................................................... 286

                                    Flare 105 SAR........................................................................ 289

                                    Ange Pullara............................................................................ 292

                                    Tobey’s Diary......................................................................... 297

                                    Rocket City............................................................................. 298

                                    Daniel Boone........................................................................... 298

                                    Second Presidential Unit Citation............................................. 301

                                    Ballistic Flight Helmets............................................................. 302

                                    Pacific Jungle Survival School – Learn and Return.................... 304

                                    Your Friend for Life................................................................. 307

                                    John Hamilton.......................................................................... 307

                                    Leo Thorsness’s Medal of Honor............................................. 308

                                    April 1967............................................................................... 310

                                    May 1967............................................................................... 312

                                    Pedro 96................................................................................. 313

                                    Ray Weddel............................................................................ 317

                                    Medtech in Action................................................................... 318

                                    Yankee Extraction System....................................................... 319

                                    4,270 Miles Nonstop by HH-3................................................ 320

                                    The HH-53B........................................................................... 320

                                    Sandy SAR............................................................................. 321

                                    July 1967................................................................................ 322

                                    Pintail 2 SAR........................................................................... 323

                                    Last HU-16 Mission in SEA.................................................... 331

                                    Attack on Da Nang................................................................. 332

                                    Magic Stone 6 SAR................................................................ 335

                                    ARRS  and USN Ship Operations........................................... 339

                                    HH-3 Water Landing............................................................... 341

                                    Evacuate the Area................................................................... 342

                                    A Veteran of a Different Type.................................................. 344

                                    Jolly 36                                                                                    346

                                    End of an Era – HU-16s Depart SEA...................................... 350

                                    Arrival of the HH-53 in SEA.................................................... 350

                                    Det 1 37 ARRS....................................................................... 351

                                    Pedro 99................................................................................. 352

                                    You Fall – We Haul................................................................. 354

                                    Name the HH-53.................................................................... 355

                                    First HH-53 SAR.................................................................... 356

                                    Navy PBR SAR...................................................................... 357

                                    Marlin SAR – Written by FE Russ O’Neal............................... 358

                                    Marlin SAR – Written by the Survivor Bill Sparks.................... 361

                                    Jolly Green Saves 2................................................................. 363

                                    Captain Gerald Young’s Medal of Honor Mission.................... 364

                                    Lance Sijan – The Rest of the Story......................................... 372

                                    First HH-53 Combat SAR....................................................... 375

                                    David 27................................................................................. 376

                                    1967 Ends............................................................................... 378

Chapter 6.      1968 Tet Offensive

                                    A Turning Point in the Struggle................................................. 386

                                    A New Year Begins................................................................ 387

                                    Preview 1................................................................................ 388

                                    The Giant Joins the Air Force................................................... 392

                                    Pre Tet Intelligence Estimates................................................... 394

                                    30 January 1968...................................................................... 397

                                    General Loan........................................................................... 400

                                    Pedro 56................................................................................. 400

                                    1000^th Save............................................................................. 403

                                    Sophomore 50........................................................................ 404

                                    Transition................................................................................ 407

 Appendixes:

1.              Rescuemen Killed in Action.................................................................. 411

2.              Southeast Asia SAR Data..................................................................... 419

3.              PJ’s that Served in Southeast Asia........................................................ 436

Glossary...................................................................................................................... 442

Index........................................................................................................................... 454