Chilling tale by Dick Rutan

Greasy Rider @ invalid.com wrote in message
...
Vietnam Combat Story by Dick Rutan

The only USAF General Officer to die during the Vietnam conflict did
so not thirty feet from my cockpit. It was an absolutely horrific
experience.

While I still admire and respect Dick Rutan his opening paragraph in this
story always bothered me. It was not true at the time and still gets
repeated as absolute fact. Major General William Joseph Crumm was killed in
a mid-air collision on 7 July 1967. The incident Dick writes about occurred
a year later.

Regards,

Tex Houston

In message , Tex Houston
writes

Greasy Rider @ invalid.com wrote in message
.. .
Vietnam Combat Story by Dick Rutan

The only USAF General Officer to die during the Vietnam conflict did
so not thirty feet from my cockpit. It was an absolutely horrific
experience.

While I still admire and respect Dick Rutan his opening paragraph in this
story always bothered me. It was not true at the time and still gets
repeated as absolute fact. Major General William Joseph Crumm was killed in
a mid-air collision on 7 July 1967. The incident Dick writes about occurred
a year later.

Regards,

Tex Houston


AIUI it's not Rutan's personal story. It says at the beginning 'this
from an AF pilot who was a Misty 100 driver based at Phu Cat with
Rutan'.

--
Peter

Ying tong iddle-i po!

This is a direct quote from the Arlington National Cemetary website and the
link to the entire entry.

He was serving as commander of the 3rd Division of the Strategic Air Command
when he was killed on July 25, 1967 in the collision of two B-52 bombers
over the South China Sea. They were on their way to a bombing mission over
Vietnam at the time.

His body was not recovered and a memorial headstone is in Section G of
Arlington National Cemetery.

http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/wjcrumm.htm



DD






"Peter Twydell" wrote in message
...
In message , Tex Houston
writes

Greasy Rider @ invalid.com wrote in message
. ..
Vietnam Combat Story by Dick Rutan

The only USAF General Officer to die during the Vietnam conflict did
so not thirty feet from my cockpit. It was an absolutely horrific
experience.

While I still admire and respect Dick Rutan his opening paragraph in this
story always bothered me. It was not true at the time and still gets
repeated as absolute fact. Major General William Joseph Crumm was killed
in
a mid-air collision on 7 July 1967. The incident Dick writes about
occurred
a year later.

Regards,

Tex Houston


AIUI it's not Rutan's personal story. It says at the beginning 'this from
an AF pilot who was a Misty 100 driver based at Phu Cat with Rutan'.

--
Peter

Ying tong iddle-i po!

On Fri, 28 Jul 2006 16:25:05 +0100, "Dave Deep" wrote:

This is a direct quote from the Arlington National Cemetary website and the
link to the entire entry.

He was serving as commander of the 3rd Division of the Strategic Air Command
when he was killed on July 25, 1967 in the collision of two B-52 bombers
over the South China Sea. They were on their way to a bombing mission over
Vietnam at the time.

His body was not recovered and a memorial headstone is in Section G of
Arlington National Cemetery.

http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/wjcrumm.htm



DD

Well, maybe to count as a death in Vietnam combat you actually had to
get there first! I know that's a nit-pick, but it is certainly a
consideration.

I'm pretty sure that the account is a first-person perspective from
Dick. He was a Misty and was certainly there at the time. Will have to
ask him next year at River Rats--he's a regular attendee.

As is Don Hartnett who was on one of those BUFFs, survived the mid-air
and was rescued by an SA-16 from the S. China Sea, only to have the
Albatross crash on takeoff, requiring another rescue. Don survived
that one as well and then went on to become an F-105 Wild Weasel Bear.
Gotta say he's a glutton for punishment. He makes it to the reunion
every year.


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
www.thunderchief.org
www.thundertales.blogspot.com

On Fri, 28 Jul 2006 15:53:39 GMT, Ed Rasimus
wrote:


As is Don Hartnett who was on one of those BUFFs,

Harten. That was Don Harten. They say the memory is the second thing
to go...forgot what's first.

Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
www.thunderchief.org
www.thundertales.blogspot.com

"Ed Rasimus" wrote in message
...

Well, maybe to count as a death in Vietnam combat you actually had to
get there first! I know that's a nit-pick, but it is certainly a
consideration.

I'm pretty sure that the account is a first-person perspective from
Dick. He was a Misty and was certainly there at the time. Will have to
ask him next year at River Rats--he's a regular attendee.

As is Don Hartnett who was on one of those BUFFs, survived the mid-air
and was rescued by an SA-16 from the S. China Sea, only to have the
Albatross crash on takeoff, requiring another rescue. Don survived
that one as well and then went on to become an F-105 Wild Weasel Bear.
Gotta say he's a glutton for punishment. He makes it to the reunion
every year.


Ed Rasimus

Ed,

It's Don Harten (Kenneth D.) and I was at Takhli with him where he was an
F-105 strike pilot. Later he went back to Takhli as a pilot in F-111s.

I'm sure Dick, whom I met why he was planning the Voyager project, wrote the
account (It is also in "Misty") not knowing about the earlier death. It
just bothered me that it wasn't true. I admire both Dick and Don.

Regards,

Tex Houston