Operation Homecoming Story

First Into Hanoi, 12 Feb 1973

An Aeromedical Evacuation of POWs Mission

Primary Aeromedical Evacuation Crew Members:

· Capt Linda Moore, Flight Nurse
· Capt Patricia Mayer, Flight Nurse
· 1Lt Joyce Fester, Flight Nurse
· MSgt William Horn, Med Tech
· SSgt Terry Cole, Med Tech
· SSgt William Rodgers, Med Tech
Additional Medical Crew Members:
· LtCol Robert L'Ecuyer, Flight Surgeon
· Maj Robert Williams, Flight Surgeon
Aircraft: C-141A, tail number 60177

(now a C-141B model based at the 445th Airlift Wing, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio)
See WPAFB news story, 4 October 1996.
 

Operation Homecoming started 12 Feb, 1973, with three C-141A aircraft heading to Hanoi, North Vietnam, and one C-9A aircraft to Saigon, South Vietnam. They all departed Clark Air Base, Philippines, early that morning, with the C-9A departing first. Later that day, the arrival of each aircraft was to be broadcasted live by satellite around the world (a telecast of this scale was a first ever).

All aircraft had an aeromedical team of two flight nurses and three aeromedical evacuation technicians with a couple of flight surgeons. The areomedical crew for the C-141 aircraft were composed primarily of 10th Aeromedical Evacuation Group (10th AEGp) personnel. Front end crews were from various bases of their aircraft. The C-9A aeromedical crews were from the 9th Aeromedical Evacuation Group (9th AEGp) based at Clark AB, Philippines. Their front end crews were from the 20th Aeromedical Operations Squadron and co-located with the 9th AEGp. The flight surgeons were from the Clark AB Hospital. Along with the medical and flight crews were two escorts for each POW and an AF News media team.


Each dedicated C-141A aircraft (all were 'A' models back then) was especially painted white and marked with a red cross on their tail to clearly mark its peaceful intention to all. All C-9A aircraft had those markings, already. Back then, aircraft 60177 was assigned to the 63rd Military Airlift Wing at Norton AFB, California.

The mission was for three C-141As to fly towards the North Vietnam border as a group, then enter North Vietnam, one at a time. While aircraft 60177 and its medical crew (above) flew into Hanoi to pick up our American POWs, the other two C-141s circled to distanced themselves by 30 minutes each. This was a precaution before preceeding across 'enemy territory' to minimize potential loss.

Aircraft 60177 and its crew, like the others, brought back 40 POWs. These POWs had been imprisoned the longest. During the early part of Operation Homecoming, groups of POWs released were selected on the basis of longest length of time in prison.

This first mission crew also brought back the first litter-carried POW patient. He was placed on a crudely made Vietnamese litter that gave very poor support. It had two very rigid support struts that went straight across from pole to pole, positioned directly under where a normal size person would place their neck and mid thighs. I'm told that this POW rode that litter for hours over rough roads the morning of his release, very much in discomfort. Even with the discomfort showing, the Vietcong would not allow time (nor the publicity) for the crew to transfer him onto an American made litter. The medical crew had to wait until he was placed onto the aircraft, well out of sight, before they could transfer him. The litter was brought back by the medical crew and is now part of the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB.

Written by Wayne Everingham, USAF Retired

(Wayne was a crewmember aboard the second C-141 that followed aircraft #60177. He is very interested in contacting other members and POWs of those first missions. )