| Date: 22 October 1965 |
| Aircraft type: F-105D Thunderchief |
| Serial Number: 62-4350 |
| Military Unit: 36 TFS, 6441 TFW on TDY |
| Service: USAF |
| Home Base: Takhli |
| Name(s): |
| Maj Fred Vann Cherry (POW) |
| The hunt for SAM sites in North Vietnam continued but still proved costly as the wily North Vietnamese surrounded their sites, both real and dummy, with rings of AAA positions which took a greater toll of US aircraft than did the missiles themselves. Maj Cherry was looking for a SAM site just south of Kep when his aircraft (call sign Pontiac) was hit by a barrage of ground fire. His F-105 burst into flames and although he managed to fly southeast for 15 miles in an attempt to make the coast he was forced to eject when the aircraft became uncontrollable. Maj Cherry was captured and joined the growing number of US aircrew in North Vietnamese prisons until his release on 12 February 1973. As one of the first black American airmen to be captured, the North Vietnamese attempted to exploit Fred Cherry and cause dissension among the POWs. In all instances these attempts at racial exploitation failed. |
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