On This Day in 1968: A Daring Rescue

Some of us just don’t listen.  America has many examples of those who ignore orders to cease and desist—despite the odds—and return to home base.  We disregard pleas and advice or “guidance” to discontinue, to pull off and pull out, to terminate our mission and save ourselves.  We press on despite the odds and, the likely retribution from “the brass” for disobeying orders if we happen to make it out alive. We ignore the odds. We persist.

Well, I’m grateful for and thank God there are those who don’t listen. According to History.com, “On November 26, 1968, while returning to base from another mission, Air Force 1st Lt. James P. Fleming and four other Bell UH-1F helicopter pilots get an urgent message from an Army Special Forces team pinned down by enemy fire. The helicopter rescue mission remains one of the most daring of the Vietnam War.

Although several of the other helicopters had to leave the area because of low fuel, Lieutenant Fleming and another pilot pressed on with the rescue effort. The first attempt failed because of intense ground fire, but refusing to abandon the Army Green Berets, Fleming managed to land and pick up the team.

Captain James Fleming, USAF. Courtesy USAF.

When he safely arrived at his base near Duc Co, it was discovered that his aircraft was nearly out of fuel. Lieutenant Fleming was later awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.

From https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/today-in-military-history-usaf-pilot-rescues-green-berets/ “Born into a military family at the end of World War II, James Fleming joined ROTC at Washington State University and commissioned into the U.S. Air Force to become a military pilot like his father. Half-way through his fixed-wing pilot training, a call went out for men to fly helicopters in Vietnam. Fleming volunteered.

“A few months into his tour, Fleming was the aircraft commander of a UH-1F Iroquois transport helicopter that was part of the 20th Special Operations Squadron based out of Nha Trang Air Base. Their mission: to support troops sent into volatile areas of Vietnam along the Cambodian border.

“On Nov. 26, 1968, Fleming and four other UH-1F pilots were returning to base for refueling when they received a distress call from a team of Army Green Berets on a reconnaissance patrol. They changed course and found the seven-man team pinned down by hostile forces.

Two U.S. Air Force UH-1P Hueys of the 20th Special Operations Squadron. Courtesy USAF.

“One gun-ship was shot down and three others, low on fuel, were forced to return to base, leaving Fleming’s helo as the team’s only hope.

“The foliage was too dense for a landing, so Fleming strafed the enemy while hovering low to attempt an evacuation. Unable to reach the team, he was advised to withdraw — but instead, he made the decision to circle back for one last rescue attempt.

“He dropped back to the river, where the team managed to move close enough to jump aboard as the helicopter took a barrage of fire. Fleming pulled up and flew out, miraculously returning back to base with nearly empty fuel tanks — and all six members of the Special Forces Team intact.”

Onward and upward!

Sources:  History.com, United States Air Force, wearethemighty.com