| Date: 14 February 1968 |
| Aircraft type: F-105D Thunderchief |
| Serial Number: 60-0418 |
| Military Unit: 34 TFS, 388 TFW |
| Service: USAF |
| Home Base: Korat |
| Name(s): |
| Capt Robert Malcolm Elliot (KIA) |
| The Paul Doumer Bridge came in for another pounding on St Valentine’s Day. Capt Elliot was part of an Iron Hand flight that was keeping the SAM batteries busy while the strike force hit the bridge. As the flight was retiring at the conclusion of the raid, Capt Elliot’s aircraft (call sign Pancho) was hit by a SAM at 8,000 feet and burst into flames. Capt Elliot radioed that he had been hit and was ejecting but none of his flight saw a parachute. The aircraft crashed near the Red River, about 15 miles south of Hanoi. A number of reports indicate that Robert Elliot did eject and was captured but he did not return in 1973. In 1988 the Vietnamese handed over remains that they claimed to be those of Capt Elliot along with his military ID card. However, it was not until December 1999 that the remains were positively identified as those of Robert Elliot. Apparently he had been buried by local villagers at the time of his death and subsequently disinterred and handed over to the government for repatriation. 60-0418 wore the name ‘Sugar Bugger’ with a cartoon character during its time at Korat. |
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