| Date: 1 August 1966 |
| Aircraft type: F-105D Thunderchief |
| Serial Number: 62-4380 |
| Military Unit: 13 TFS, 388 TFW |
| Service: USAF |
| Home Base: Korat |
| Name(s): |
| Capt Kenneth Walter North (POW) |
| Nearly two hours after Capt Kwortnik’s Starfighter had been shot down a flight of Thunderchiefs from the Korat Wing was en route to attack the Thai Nguyen railway yard. About 7 miles north of Yen Bai and some 55 miles west of his target, Capt North’s aircraft (call sign Flintstone 3) was hit by AAA and caught fire. The pilot ejected at 10,000 feet and was quickly captured, spending the rest of the war as a POW until his release on 4 March 1973. A 38th ARRS HH-3 SAR helicopter operating from Lima Site 36 attempted a rescue but was just 20 minutes too late. Capt North was on his 33rd combat mission over North Vietnam when he was shot down. He resumed his career after release and eventually rejoined the 388th TFW becoming the Wing’s vice commander. He later commanded the 401st TFW at Torrejon in Spain and retired from the USAF as a Brigadier General on 1 October 1985 after commanding NORAD’s 24th Air Division |
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