ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 148090
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| Date: | Monday 15 May 1967 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Republic F-105F Thunderchief |
| Owner/operator: | 388th TFWg /17th WWSqn USAF |
| Registration: | 62-4429 |
| MSN: | F18 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | 12 miles south of Kep Railroad Yards, North Vietnam -
 Vietnam
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Korat RTAFB (VTUN), Thailand |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Crashed and destroyed May 15 1967 when shot down 12 miles south of Kep Railroad Yards, North Vietnam. Both crew ejected safely and were taken as PoW. Crew were:
Pilot: Capt. Donald Lester Heiliger
EWO: Maj. Ben M Pollard EWO
Per eyewitness report from Donald Hellget: "I was serving a TDY tour in Southeast Asia when I was shot down on May 15, 1967. On that date Lt. Col. Ben Pollard and I were flying a night low level
bombing run on railroad marshalling yards 30 miles northeast of Hanoi. Either small arms or light AAA set our plane afire. We ejected safely. I received minimum rib and leg injuries when my parachute caught in a tree. We were both taken prisoner separately, but met on the way to Hanoi."
After spending 2,120 days in captivity, he was released during Operation Homecoming on March 4, 1973. Col Pollard was briefly hospitalized to recover from his injuries at Sheppard AFB, Texas, and then returned to the Air Force Academy as an instructor in August 1973, later becoming the Deputy Commandant of Military Instruction and the Commander of the Air Force Academy Preparatory School before retiring from the Air Force on July 16, 1981.
Sources:
http://web.archive.org/web/20171102103253/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk:80/PROJECT/YEAR_Pages/1967.htm#may
https://www.militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient.php?recipientid=24383
http://www.burrusspta.org/833_all.pdf
[LINK NOT WORKING ANYMORE:http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1962.htm]l
http://www.nampows.org/nampowslist.html
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 30-Aug-2012 12:31 | Uli Elch | Added |
| 22-Feb-2013 17:37 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 11-Feb-2021 11:49 | Pink | Updated [Operator, Location, Operator] |
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