| Date: 12 August 1967 |
| Aircraft type: RF-4C Phantom |
| Serial Number: 65-0882 |
| Military Unit: 11 TRS, 432 TRW |
| Service: USAF |
| Home Base: Udorn |
| Name(s): |
| Capt Edwin Lee Atterberry (POW (died)) |
| Capt Thomas Vance Parrot (POW) |
| Minutes after the last of the bombers had struck the bridge at Hanoi, an RF-4C prepared to make a run over the target to obtain BDA photographs. While flying at 18,000 feet about seven miles northeast of Hanoi the pilot received a SAM warning and started to jink the aircraft in the hope of evading the incoming SA-2. Unfortunately, the manoeuvre failed to break the missile’s radar lock on the Phantom and it struck the aircraft (call sign Neptune), blowing its tail off. The crew ejected and were quickly captured. On 10 May 1969 Capt Atterberry and Capt John Dramesi made a dramatic escape attempt by squeezing through the roof of their cell. They were on the loose for 12 hours but were eventually recaptured and returned to the Zoo POW camp. Both men were severely beaten and tortured for days after the attempt and Edwin Atterberry apparently died of his mistreatment at the hands of the North Vietnamese guards. Almost the entire POW population suffered from beatings after this escape attempt and as a result senior POWs banned future attempts unless outside help was available, which in effect meant that there would be no more attempts to escape from North Vietnam. On 13 March 1974 the remains of Edwin Atterberry, who had been pomoted to the rank of Maj during his imprisonment, were returned to the USA for burial. Capt Parrot was released on 14 March 1973. |
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