| Date: 8 July 1966 |
| Aircraft type: F-105D Thunderchief |
| Serial Number: 61-0158 |
| Military Unit: 333 TFS, 355 TFW |
| Service: USAF |
| Home Base: Takhli |
| Name(s): |
| 1Lt Ralph Thomas Browning (POW) |
| The following day the Takhli Wing sent a raid to strike a truck park that had been discovered close to Thai Nguyen. One of the aircraft (call sign Mallard) was hit by a 85mm shell and immediately burst into flames. Within seconds the Thunderchief became uncontrollable and 1Lt Browning ejected. Ralph Browning spent nearly seven years in various prison camps until his release on 12 February 1973. This was an ironic case of history repeating itself as his father, an Eighth Air Force B-17 navigator/bombardier during the Second World War, had also been shot down and spent 19 months in a German POW camp. After release Ralph Browning resumed his Air Force career and became an instructor in an Aggressor Squadron. He later commanded an F-15 squadron and eventually rose to the rank of Brigadier General in 1988 when he took command of the 58th Wing at Luke AFB, Arizona. Ralph Browning retired from the USAF in September 1992. |
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