| Date: 7 May 1972 |
| Aircraft type: F-4J Phantom |
| Serial Number: 155576 |
| Military Unit: VMFA-212, MAG-15 |
| Service: USMC |
| Home Base: Da Nang |
| Name(s): |
| Capt John Wadsworth Consolvo, Jr. (KIA) |
| CWO3 James J Castonguay (Survived) |
| VMFA-212 was the third Marine Corps Phantom squadron to deploy to Southeast Asia in 1972, arriving from its base at Kaneohe Bay in Hawaii on 14 April to join MAG-15. A flight of Phantoms from VMFA-212 attacked a rarely seen target just north of the DMZ. On a road about eight miles northwest of the village of Thon Cam Son a small convoy of trucks carrying SA-2 missiles had been spotted. They were probably being taken to one of the several new SAM sites that had been built near the DMZ in recent months. Capt Consolvo (call sign Bootleg 51) was pulling up from his second pass when his aircraft was hit by AAA and caught fire. He flew south for as long as the aircraft remained controllable so as to reach a safer area to eject. About 10 miles to the east of Khe Sanh Capt Consolvo ordered his navigator to eject but it is not known if John Consolvo had been able to follow him. Only CWO3 Castonguay was found and rescued by a USAF HH-53C from the 37th ARRS. Capt Consolvo had served two tours at Da Nang and had flown more than 150 missions. |
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