| Date: 28 November 1965 |
| Aircraft type: F-8E Crusader |
| Serial Number: 150327 |
| Military Unit: VF-191 |
| Service: USN |
| Home Base: USS Bon Homme Richard |
| Name(s): |
| Cdr Howard Elmer Rutledge (POW) |
| Aircraft type: F-8E Crusader |
| Serial Number: 150854 |
| Military Unit: VF-194 |
| Service: USN |
| Home Base: USS Bon Homme Richard |
| Name(s): |
| Lt Frank Henry Harrington (Survived) |
| A raid on the Phuong Dinh Bridge close to the Dragon’s Jaw at Thanh Hoa resulted in the loss of two aircraft and the making of another chapter in the saga of the Vietnam POW story. Cdr ‘Howie’ Rutledge, the CO of VF-191, was making his second run against the bridge and had just pulled up after releasing his ordnance when his Crusader (call sign Feed Bag 104) was hit by anti-aircraft fire. Still able to control his aircraft Cdr Rutledge attempted to egress from the target area but his aircraft was hit again, this time destroying the flying control systems. With the aircraft now totally out of control and losing altitude rapidly, Rutledge ejected just seconds before his Crusader exploded.
Later in the morning another raid struck the Phuong Dinh Bridge and another Crusader was lost. Lt Harrington (call sign Red Flash 411) was also making his second pass over the bridge when his aircraft was hit in the tail area by ground fire. The aircraft caught fire but Harrington managed to turn east and reach a position about 10 miles out to sea before the aircraft became uncontrollable and he was forced to eject. Several sampans started to approach the downed pilot but were damaged and turned back by strafing from Navy Skyraiders. Lt Harrington was rescued by a USAF HU-16 which had been standing by during the raid. ‘Howie’ Rutledge was a veteran of the Korean War having flown 200 missions with VF-52 from the USS Valley Forge. He was on his 75th mission over Vietnam when he was shot down. During his capture he shot and killed one of his assailants and was almost killed by a mob but was saved by the intercession of a village commissar. Rutledge was taken to Hanoi to begin seven years of hell in the North Vietnamese prison system. He wrote a fascinating and moving account of his experiences in his book In the Presence of Mine Enemies published in 1973 and which was illustrated with line drawings by a fellow POW, Gerald Coffee who was shot down on 3 February 1966. Rutledge was a deeply spiritual man and he became the unofficial prison chaplain, encouraging and supporting the other prisoners and holding religious ceremonies whenever it was possible. After release on 12 February 1973 he retired from the Navy as a Captain and made two unsuccessful bids to be elected to Congress. Sadly, ‘Howie’ Rutledge died of cancer at the age of 55 on 11 June 1983. |
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