Lest We Forget . . . .
Forty-six years ago today – just before midnight EDT on 14 April 1969 – Deep Sea 129 was shot down by North Korea.
Burn in hell, Kim Il-Sung. Burn in hell.
Category: Historical, Navy, North Korea, We Remember
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Rest in peace my brothers…sadly I never knew of this incident.
I was with VQ1back in the early 90s. We remembered our squadron mates every 15 April. A Master Chief I served with was with VQ that day. Lost a lot of good friends. Years later the pain was still there sharp as ever.
Rest in peace, brothers.
And thanks, Hondo, for remembering.
VQ bubbas lost a lot of guys over the years, in both units. The Whales, especially, seemed to be responsinle for a number of losses.
Used to interact with the VQ-2 guys over in Rota on a regular basis. Nice guys and, like a lot of my P-3 community, did a ton of work that was very important, but never made the light of day, and rightly so.
What surprised me was how late the VQ units were flying the PB-4Y. There’s a pic dated 1968 with a Whale in the foreground, and a PB-4Y right behind it.
A mentioned below, the Cold War was a very real war, with more casualties amongst ou guys that most Americans realize. Hell, we lost 3 P-3’s with all onboard in an 18-month period up to NASB.
Ah well. Glad I got to be a part of it all. I’d still do it all over again, even knowing what I know now.
I never had the “honor” of flying in the Whale. From what I’ve heard, lucky for me.
I remember back in the 80s/90s, the VQ-1 XO took one out for some DFW IVO Guam and never came back. Plane never found.
Then the plane that was lost in the Gulf of Sidra area in the mid 80s. Pretty sure that what happened was that the pilot couldn’t get the aircraft on the carrier deck. The ship put up the barrier, but they missed it and the plane went right into the drink. They never had a chance.
Biggest thing I remember about the Whale was that it was the loudest MOFO on the flight deck. And for anyone who has heard USN carrier aircraft, that’s saying a LOT.
I am thrilled that I got to be one of Reagan’s Cold Warriors. The first ten years I was in the USN, I got to deploy on multiple ships and flew on recce birds chasing the Rooskies all over the world. I should have been paying the Navy it was so much fun.
Concur.
I was fortunate to get a flight back from Moffet to Andrews on the CNO’s Whale. Nice aircraft, and all tricked out inside with oversize seats, a galley, even a 1st Class MS to make meals, etc.
They were headed back east when I was checking in at Base Ops, heading back to NASB after being home on leave. They had only 2 other passengers, some Congress critter and a Navy Captain, so plenty of space aboard.
I saw the stills from that A-3 lost after missing the barrier. I still don’t understand why no one got out of it. It stayed afloat for several minutes, but no one exited. The SAR guys were ordered to NOT try and enter the bird. Bad day all around.
RIP Shipmates
CTIC(SS) (Ret)
The single deadliest incident in what came to be known as the “second Korean War.”
All Communists burn in Hell.
And it is important for people to understand that the Cold War was a real war, with real casualties.
Also tomorrow is the sesquicentennial of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theater.
Was bound for VQ1 at the end of 1968 and my orders changed. Ended up on the Bon Homme Richard in Subic Bay on April 14th, 1969. Tugboats were chasing us out the bay with crew as we headed for NK. Those were some wild times.
I’m with Hayabusa – all commies can burn in Hell. Especially the ones that now run our country.
May all commies burn in hell permanently chained to the likes of Jane Fonda, Helen Thomas, and my ex-wife!
May I add my ex husband Vietnam Vet Charles F. Morrison 2/29/49 to the list. Molested and raped our oldest daughter since two. She revealed her secret at 11. When I called the bastard and said put your key in the door I’m going to unload buddy (my 9mm service gun)through the door and blast you to hell. Stupid me was only concerned about my daughter. Two days later he cleaned out my account of $140K a work related settlement. He called me and said laughing “yeah I fucked her and now I fucked you”. Went into hiding until the statue of limitations passed. He has never seen my children since. So Chuckles go to hell and you’ll never know when I am coming to give you a well deserved payback. I SWEAR TO GOD….