Mighty Thunder is honored to add to “Rolling Thunder Remembered” this post of “Jack Ensch’s Hanoi Trip” (28 April 2016)
I was one of a group of eleven former US military aviators from the Vietnam War era that traveled to Hanoi, VN for an arranged meeting with 16 Vietnam Air Force pilots – some of whom (in both groups) had actually flown against each other in aerial combat during the war. The US contingent consisted of 7 Navy, 2 Marine Corps and 2 Air Force aviators. I was in Hanoi from 11–16 April 2016. The other SD area Navy F-4 guys were Pete Pettigrew, John Ed Kerr, and Curt Dose’ – who can relate their own experiences from the trip. The other Navy guys on the trip were Clint Johnson (A-1s) (MiG kill off Midway in 1965), Kent Ewing (A-4s) and Doug Little (RF-8s). The Marines were Charlie Tutt (F-4 pilot) and Rich Hartnack (RIO).
We first met officially on Wednesday, 13 April (2016) at a banquet sponsored by Jetstar Pacific Airline based in Hanoi. At the banquet (covered extensively by the Vietnamese media) we had the opportunity to sit down as a group to discuss and compare the training, tactics and weapons employed by each side during the war, talk about differences in airplane capabilities and, in general, just talk about the things that aviators around the world discuss when getting together. All the discussions were done through interpreters because the VNAF pilots didn’t speak English – although a few understood and could converse minimally in English it wasn’t enough to carry on an in-depth conversation.
I had the opportunity to sit down with one of the four MiG-17 pilots (Sr. Colonel Nguyen Van Lam) from the dogfight we engaged in on 23 May, 1972 over Kep. I also met a 17 pilot who had the duty that day (SDO?) who watched our fight from the ground at Kep. Two of the other MiG pilots from that dogfight are now dead. I found out at this meeting that one of the pilots we shot down didn’t survive his ejection and the other one died later in the war. The other surviving MiG pilot lives in the south and was unable to attend the meeting. Both of the MiG-19 pilots have also passed on. Through an interpreter we discussed our dogfight and (remarkably) he and I remembered it almost exactly the same from both sides – including him shooting at us at one point in the fight and the missile we shot at him, which he successfully avoided.
He was the 1st MiG I spotted at 8 o’clock that caused Mugs to depart the plane. Col. Lam said he remembered the F-4 tumbling end over end as he flew past us. So, he was the MiG that we saw in front of us when Mugs recovered the plane. The first shot was at him which he said he saw the smoke from the missile and defeated it. Col. Lam also confirmed that the MiG-19s were sent in first as bait for a trap to get us to turn on them (which we did) and then the 17’s would be at our six o’clock. However, there wasn’t enough separation between their two elements, so we broke into the 17s formation and then the s**t hit the fan.
The other 17 pilots were Nguyen Cong Ngu, Vu Van Dang and Nguyen Van Dien. The first one we bagged was Dien, who I saw at 4 o’clock. He’s the one who pulled the nose up and Mugs knew he couldn’t see us, so Mugs went to idle and zero g and got in behind him. He ejected but didn’t live through it. The second was Ngu – the one we shot off Rookie and Kenn’s tail. He ejected Ok but was killed in an engagement later in the war. Lam said he and Dang chased us out but couldn’t catch us and turned back as we approached “feet wet.” We didn’t see them pursuing us.
We also met a MiG-17 pilot (Sr. Col. Tu De) who had ground duty at Kep (SDO?) the day of our engagement who watched it from the ground. And, as it turned out, he also had the duty the day of Dose’s engagement and he saw it from the ground that day as well. Duty on both days a fight broke out over his air base! Bad luck in getting on the flight schedule! Or, perhaps good luck – depending on perspective.
There was no feeling of hostility, animosity, ill will or any thing like that during our meeting. Forty four years ago we were just in different airplanes trying to shoot down the other one. We didn’t know the person in the other cockpit. And now we sat calmly, unemotionally and discussed our air-to-air engagement of almost a half century earlier – it was almost a bit surreal.
On the personal side, it turns out Col. was a guy just like me – serving his country to the best of his ability and trying to survive the war. He is six years younger than me; he retired as a Colonel; me as a Captain; he has 3 daughters and 7 grandkids; I have 3 daughters and 5 grandkids. So, I told him that while I beat him in the air, he beat me in the grandkids department and we had a good laugh. When he found out I had been a POW and I showed him my missing left thumb, he took my hand in both of his hands and very sincerely said how sorry he was that it had happened to me.
The others who had dogfights during the war also got to meet the former adversaries that they had flown against in an air-to-air combat over 40 years ago. Dose’ met the sister of the pilot he killed in his shoot down of a MiG-21 that was just taking off from the runway at Kep when he bagged it.
On the evening of Thursday, 14 April the Vietnam pilots hosted the Americans at an informal dinner at a Hanoi restaurant – without media present. That meeting proved to be more like an old fashioned officers club happy hour or a dining in affair – plenty of food and drink, sea stories (translated of course) and toasts galore. There was a shot glass at every seat at every table – the purpose of which soon became apparent. All the VNAF pilots spent up to 3 years in Russia going through flight training. And while there they all developed a very discriminating palate for Russian vodka. So, each toast was followed by a cheer (”Prost!”) and the downing of a shot of vodka! It’s a good thing none of had to drive back to the hotel. The evening turned out to be just a general atmosphere of camaraderie, friendship and goodwill – without any media attention to stifle the mood or spontaneity of the event. Just former adversaries becoming future friends.
The time between the two meetings with the pilots was spent taking tours and visiting the Museum of Air Defense, Military Museum, the Noi Bai and Kep air bases, the VNAF deceased pilots’ memorial, other Hanoi landmarks, etc. and a one day side trip to the Than Hoa Bridge. On the way to Than Hoa we passed by the area (Ninh Binh) where I was shot down. So, I checked off several boxes on my trip.
I also paid a visit to the Hoa Lo prison – now a museum (what’s left of it). In one a room was a large table model of the prison as it was when we were prisoners and before it was torn down. As the only EX-POW in our group the guys asked me to point out on the model the cells where I was kept and explain how we lived, etc., etc.
The museum staff heard me talking – realized I had been there as a POW- and then asked to meet with the museum director before we left. The director was a very nice young lady who was much too young to have even been alive during the war. After our meeting she asked me to sign their “VIP” visitors log. Go figure! Forty four years ago I was a “Yankee Air Pirate” wearing stripped prisoner garb and living in a cell in this place. Now on this day I’m asked to sign the “VIP” visitors log! I guess the passage of time changes perspectives. I signed right under the signature of the current Commander of the US Pacific Fleet (Adm. Scott Swift) who apparently had just paid a visit to the museum.
Obviously none of the pictures or displays at the museum depict the harsh treatment and torture the POWs were subjected to during the war– only scenes taken of some cooperative POWs who collaborated during the war to avoid torture being allowed play volley ball, mingle openly in the courtyard, eating meals with substantial amounts of food, etc., etc. Just propaganda depicting the “kind and lenient treatment” they maintain the POWs were given. But, it’s their turf and their museum, so they get to project the image they want – but it’s not what really happened.
Hanoi is a vibrant, bustling city of 7 million with new construction going up everywhere and no evidence of a war ever having been waged there. I was told the same is true throughout the rest of the country as well. It really is a very beautiful country. And, while the government is communist, the economy is definitely capitalistic. The Vietnamese people were warm, friendly and outgoing to us everywhere we went. Which is understandable since close to 70-80% of the population (about 93 million nationwide – north and south) weren’t even born until after the war – or were too small at the time to remember much of it. They mostly know about it from history lessons. Only 5 % of the current population is over 65 years old. So, they like the Americans and don’t like the Chinese. There has been centuries of animosity and war between the two countries and they resent China’s current aggressiveness and bullying of them and other nations in the region – Spratly Islands, etc.
All in all it was an interesting and rewarding visit. I’m glad I decided to make the trip. I’ve included some photos of the SD area guys; a group shot of all at the meeting; of Col. Lam and me; LtGen Soat, Col. Tu De, Curt and me at the end of the runway at Kep (we couldn’t get official access to go on the base) and my visit to the Hoa Lo prison museum. Notice I’m wearing a TOPGUN shirt and the Tailhook 2016 (60th anniversary) shirt. I took them both to Hoa Lo so I could get a picture with both. However, I doubt any of the VN pilots will be coming to Tailhook. Also there’s a VN TV video clip coverage from the 1st pilot meeting.
I’m sure I’m forgetting some things, but I’ll jot them down as I remember them and relate them later.
Warm regards,
Fingers
Fingers,
Great write up. Looking forward to seeing you again in San Diego in Sept.
Farkle