Post by oldhippy on Aug 24, 2019 15:58:29 GMT
"I'm blind! For God's sake, help me! I'm blind.”
In one of the most astonishing air rescues in US history, Ensign Kenneth E. Schechter, a 22-year-old pilot on his 27th combat mission over Korea, performed a feat so extraordinary that the Saturday Evening Post called it “a combat miracle."
On March 22, 1952, Ensign Schechter and fellow pilot Lieutenant Howard “Howie” Thayer, both members of Fighter Squadron 194 and roommates aboard the aircraft carrier USS Valley Forge, were on a bombing mission over North Korea when Schechter’s plane received a direct hit.
“An enemy anti-aircraft shell exploded in the cockpit,” Schechter later recalled in the book “Chicken Soup for the Veteran’s Soul.”
"Then I passed out. Sometime later when I came to, I couldn't see a thing. I was blind.”
With the plane’s canopy blown off, 200-mile-per-hour winds whipping through the cockpit, and blood pouring into his face, Schechter radioed, "I'm blind! For God's sake, help me! I'm blind.”
Lt. Thayer, flying nearby and seeing his buddy’s plane ascending uncontrollably, immediately went into action.
"This is Thayer, this is Thayer! Put your nose down quick!” the 26-year-old WWII veteran told Schechter in an attempt to get the plane stabilized so his friend could eject.
Ensign Schechter, however, occasionally losing consciousness and terrified about the prospect of bailing out into the ocean while blind, responded, "Get me down, Howie. Get me down."
"I knew that Howie would get me back to friendly territory,” Schechter recalled, “or I would die in the attempt.”
Over the next 40 minutes, Thayer calmly and confidently coached the wounded pilot towards friendly lines. "I continued to follow Thayer's directions,” Schechter remembered, "but he could see that my head kept flopping down from time to time . . ."
As the two planes approached a deserted, dirt-covered, 2000-foot airstrip called "Jersey Bounce,” Schechter, now fearing he might pass out for good, heard, "Ken, we're going down. Push your nose over. Drop your right wing. We'll make a 270 degree turn and set you down."
"Roger, Howie, let's go,” Schechter replied.
"Flaps down,” Thayer instructed. "Hundred yards to the runway. You're 50 feet off the ground. Pull back a little. Easy. Easy. That's good. You're level. You're OK. You're OK. Thirty feet off the ground. You're OK. You're over the runway. Twenty feet. Kill it a little. You're setting down. OK; OK; OK. Cut!"
Schechter, thanks in large part to Thayer's expert flying skills and leadership, landed almost perfectly. "No fire. No pain. No strain. The best landing I ever made,” the Ensign recalled.
Within minutes of touching down, a helicopter transported the wounded pilot to a nearby Marine Corps airfield, K-50, where he was treated and later taken to the USS Consolation, a Navy hospital ship.
After weeks of treatment, surgery, and recuperation in Yokosuka, Japan, Schechter, just before leaving for the US, told his squadron mates, “I’m lucky to be alive, and I know it. Anybody who moans about anything is nuts.”
Postscript:
Ken Schechter returned to the States and was retired from the Navy due to medical disabilities. He eventually regained sight in his left eye but never in his right. He married in 1955, had three children, and became a successful insurance agent. Schechter and Thayer remained friends for years, and their families remain friends to this day.
In 1995, Schechter was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions in Korea, and 18 years later, on December 11, 2013, passed away at the age of 83.
Howard Thayer completed his tour of duty in Korea, returned home, married, and also had three children. He stayed in the Navy and continued to fly jets.
On the night of January 7, 1961, while deployed to the Mediterranean aboard the aircraft carrier USS Independence, Schechter was again on hand to help a fellow pilot.
With his Squadron Commander’s plane experiencing electrical problems, Schechter volunteered to guide the officer back to the carrier. But for reasons still unknown, both planes plummeted into the sea. Neither pilot survived the horrific crashes and their bodies were never recovered.
In 2009, Thayer was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his heroic actions on March 22, 1952.
In a recent phone conversation with Thayer’s wife, Shirley, the sprightly 83-year-old told me, ”My husband was a wonderful man and father. I was so fortunate for the six years I had with him.”
- Radio message from Naval Aviator Ken Schechter seconds after an enemy anti-aircraft shell exploded in the cockpit of his A-1 Skyraider.
In one of the most astonishing air rescues in US history, Ensign Kenneth E. Schechter, a 22-year-old pilot on his 27th combat mission over Korea, performed a feat so extraordinary that the Saturday Evening Post called it “a combat miracle."
On March 22, 1952, Ensign Schechter and fellow pilot Lieutenant Howard “Howie” Thayer, both members of Fighter Squadron 194 and roommates aboard the aircraft carrier USS Valley Forge, were on a bombing mission over North Korea when Schechter’s plane received a direct hit.
“An enemy anti-aircraft shell exploded in the cockpit,” Schechter later recalled in the book “Chicken Soup for the Veteran’s Soul.”
"Then I passed out. Sometime later when I came to, I couldn't see a thing. I was blind.”
With the plane’s canopy blown off, 200-mile-per-hour winds whipping through the cockpit, and blood pouring into his face, Schechter radioed, "I'm blind! For God's sake, help me! I'm blind.”
Lt. Thayer, flying nearby and seeing his buddy’s plane ascending uncontrollably, immediately went into action.
"This is Thayer, this is Thayer! Put your nose down quick!” the 26-year-old WWII veteran told Schechter in an attempt to get the plane stabilized so his friend could eject.
Ensign Schechter, however, occasionally losing consciousness and terrified about the prospect of bailing out into the ocean while blind, responded, "Get me down, Howie. Get me down."
"I knew that Howie would get me back to friendly territory,” Schechter recalled, “or I would die in the attempt.”
Over the next 40 minutes, Thayer calmly and confidently coached the wounded pilot towards friendly lines. "I continued to follow Thayer's directions,” Schechter remembered, "but he could see that my head kept flopping down from time to time . . ."
As the two planes approached a deserted, dirt-covered, 2000-foot airstrip called "Jersey Bounce,” Schechter, now fearing he might pass out for good, heard, "Ken, we're going down. Push your nose over. Drop your right wing. We'll make a 270 degree turn and set you down."
"Roger, Howie, let's go,” Schechter replied.
"Flaps down,” Thayer instructed. "Hundred yards to the runway. You're 50 feet off the ground. Pull back a little. Easy. Easy. That's good. You're level. You're OK. You're OK. Thirty feet off the ground. You're OK. You're over the runway. Twenty feet. Kill it a little. You're setting down. OK; OK; OK. Cut!"
Schechter, thanks in large part to Thayer's expert flying skills and leadership, landed almost perfectly. "No fire. No pain. No strain. The best landing I ever made,” the Ensign recalled.
Within minutes of touching down, a helicopter transported the wounded pilot to a nearby Marine Corps airfield, K-50, where he was treated and later taken to the USS Consolation, a Navy hospital ship.
After weeks of treatment, surgery, and recuperation in Yokosuka, Japan, Schechter, just before leaving for the US, told his squadron mates, “I’m lucky to be alive, and I know it. Anybody who moans about anything is nuts.”
Postscript:
Ken Schechter returned to the States and was retired from the Navy due to medical disabilities. He eventually regained sight in his left eye but never in his right. He married in 1955, had three children, and became a successful insurance agent. Schechter and Thayer remained friends for years, and their families remain friends to this day.
Howard Thayer completed his tour of duty in Korea, returned home, married, and also had three children. He stayed in the Navy and continued to fly jets.
On the night of January 7, 1961, while deployed to the Mediterranean aboard the aircraft carrier USS Independence, Schechter was again on hand to help a fellow pilot.
With his Squadron Commander’s plane experiencing electrical problems, Schechter volunteered to guide the officer back to the carrier. But for reasons still unknown, both planes plummeted into the sea. Neither pilot survived the horrific crashes and their bodies were never recovered.
In 2009, Thayer was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his heroic actions on March 22, 1952.
In a recent phone conversation with Thayer’s wife, Shirley, the sprightly 83-year-old told me, ”My husband was a wonderful man and father. I was so fortunate for the six years I had with him.”
Today we pay tribute to Ken Schechter, Howard Thayer, their families, and all the brave men of the US Navy who served, sacrificed, and died during the Korean War.