| Date: 29 December 1965 |
| Aircraft type: A-4E Skyhawk |
| Serial Number: 150019 |
| Military Unit: VMA-211, MAG-12 |
| Service: USMC |
| Home Base: Chu Lai |
| Name(s): |
| 1Lt Thomas Farrell Eldridge (KIA) |
| VMA-211 arrived at Chu Lai on 11 October bringing MAG-12 up to full strength as its fourth Skyhawk squadron. VMA-211’s first loss and the Marine’s first Skyhawk combat loss in Vietnam took place near Minh Long, 30 miles south of Chu Lai. A flight of Skyhawks was escorting a formation of Marine Corps helicopters in an attempt to resupply a besieged South Vietnamese district headquarters. As the helicopters approached their objective they came under fire from three heavy machine guns. 1Lt Eldridge rolled in on the target and dropped his napalm but his aircraft was hit by .50 calibre machine gun fire. Thomas Eldridge was wounded in the leg during the attack and although he managed to fly 20 miles north towards his airfield the Skyhawk crashed near An Cuong and Eldridge was killed. |
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