| Date: 29 September 1972 |
| Aircraft type: F-105G Thunderchief |
| Serial Number: 63-8302 |
| Military Unit: 17 WWS, 388 TFW |
| Service: USAF |
| Home Base: Korat |
| Name(s): |
| Lt Col James William O’Neil (POW) |
| Capt Michael Joseph Bosiljevac (KIA) |
| The second Wild Weasel to be shot down during September was lost during a raid on the 29th. The Iron Hand flight was locked onto by a Fan Song radar near Phuc Yen, 12 miles northwest of Hanoi, and before Lt Col O’Neil in Crow 01 could fire a Shrike his aircraft was hit by a SAM at 8,000 feet. The aircraft caught fire and a few minutes later the crew ejected about 25 miles west of Hanoi. Lt Col O’Neil saw his EWO in his parachute as he descended and was later told by a prison guard that Capt Bosiljevac was alive and well. A SAR attempt was foiled when MiGs appeared and chased the Sandies out of the area. Only James O’Neil was released on 29 March 1973 during Operation Homecoming. The fate of Michael Bosiljevac was unknown until remains claimed to be his were handed over by the Vietnamese on 24 September 1987. These remains were positively identified as such in January 1988 and Capt Bosiljevac was finally buried in Omaha, Nebraska on 10 February. It is still not known exactly how or when he died. 63-8302 was painted as ‘Half a Yard’, ‘Jefferson Airplane’ and ‘The Smith Brother’s Cough Drop Special’ at various times in Southeast Asia. |
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