RIPPLE SALVO… #875… ON 28 JULY 1967, FIRST LIEUTENANT KARL W. RICHTER, USAF, WAS KILLED IN ACTION ON HIS 200TH ROLLING THUNDER MISSION. Humble Host pauses in the usual RTR posting to once again honor a young fallen warrior who was “the bravest of the brave” and truly represents the “Spirit of Rolling Thunder.”
“VALOR: ‘HERE AM I. SEND ME.'”…
…by John L. Frisbee, Contributing Editor, AIR FORCE MAGAZINE (December 1992)… I quote…
“Karl Richter’s heroism and commitment are as much an inspiration to his successors as they were a quarter-century ago to his comrades who flew Downtown.
(Webmaster note: The original Air Force Magazine article is not available online. You can view Karl Richter’s wikpedia entry here. There is also an article on The Aviationist webpage)
“A nation that does not honor its heroes, it has been said, loses its soul. The soul of a military organization is its esprit de corps, arising from the memory of heroic deeds in the past. When Montgomery, Alabama, offered to donate a static display aircraft to Air University as a memorial. Air University Commander Lt. Gen Charles G. Boyd had a better idea. A statue of a distinctive hero would have greater inspirational impact on rising generations of blue-suiters. Montgomery city officials joined enthusiastically in raising funds for the statue. General Boyd, a former F-105 pilot, recipient of the Air Force Cross, and for nearly seven years a POW in North Vietnam, could have elected to memorialize one of the many distinguished generals whose careers are associated with Maxwell Air Force Base. Instead he chose twenty-four-year old 1st Lieutenant Karl W. Richter, whose extraordinary courage, commitment, and determination to excel would be an inspiration to the thousands of young Air Force people who pass through Air University every year.
“Why Lieutenant Richter?
“During his years at the Air Force Academy, Karl Richter’s overarching goal was to become a fighter pilot in Southeast Asia. After graduating in 1964, he completed pilot school and operational training in the F-105 ‘Thud.’ Declining leave, he flew his fighter-bomber directly to Thailand to join the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing and then-Captain Boyd at Korat RTAFB in April 1966.
“F-105 pilots who flew ‘Downtown’ into North Vietnam’s Route Package Six to attack the most heavily defended targets in the history of air warfare were judged by their contemporaries against four standards: courage, skill, aggressiveness, and eagerness for combat. Lieutenant Richter entered this deadly game with enthusiasm and disregard for his own safety. He soon became a flight leader, volunteering for the most hazardous missions. He believed his most important contribution, next to destroying enemy targets, was to pass along his growing knowledge of tactics to newly assigned pilots.
“The F-105 was designed in the 1950s for low-level delivery of nuclear weapons, not for air-to-air combat with an enemy’s maneuverable MiGs. Nevertheless, Thud pilots often had to defend themselves against attacking fighters. On September 21, 1966, Lieutenant Richter used the tremendous firepower and speed of his F-105 to become one of the first Thud pilots–and the youngest–to shoot down a MiG-17.
“At the time his tour with the 388th, 43 percent of F-105 pilots were either killed or declared missing in action before completing 100 missions in the North. As he approached the 100-mission mark, Lieutenant Richter asked permission to fly a second 100 missions. He believed his combat experience should be used to advance the war effort.
“The experience paid off handsomely on April 20, 1067, Richter led a defense-suppression flight of F-105s through weather that obscured navigation reference and into intense enemy fire. His flight destroyed or pinned down enemy AAA and SAM crews, enabling the strike force to eliminate an important railroad target. Lieutenant Richter, who had already won the Silver Star, was awarded the Air Force Cross for his skill and heroism that day.
“Karl Richter’s total commitment was reflected in the goals he set. After completing his second F-105 tour in the North, he hoped to fly F-100s on in-country missions, then serve as a forward air controller, covering the spectrum of tactical air combat. He doubtless would have fulfilled his plan if fate had not intervened.
“On July 28, 1967, after completing his second 100 missions, Lieutenant Richter was checking out a newly assigned pilot. He took his aircraft down on a bridge, instructing the new wingman to stay aloft and observe. His aircraft, disabled by flak, he had to punch out over very rough country studded with sharp pinnacles of karst (uneven limestone). The wingman saw a good chute, and an Air Rescue Service force heard Richter’s beeper, but when they located him, he was near death from multiple injuries probably caused by striking karst formation. He died aboard the rescue helicopter.
“A history of the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing notes that among those who did not come back from the North was the wings’s commander, Colonel Edward Burdett. Significantly, his name is followed by that of 1st Lieutenant Karl W. Richter, ‘a name that has become an inspiration to those who fly ‘Downtown.'”
“The statue of Karl Richter was unveiled at Maxwell AFB on June 13, 1992. An inscription from the prophet Isaiah at its base reads: ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Here am I. Send me.’ These words epitomize Karl Richter’s spirit of commitment–a spirit that underlies the Air Force tradition of valor in the service of this nation. It will inspire those who follow him, as it did his comrades who flew Downtown.”
THE BRAVEST OF THE BRAVE… EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM… 1LT KARL W. RICHTER, USAF…
the AIR FORCE CROSS (Posthumous)… NORTH VIETNAM… 20 APRIL 1967…
“…extraordinary heroism as the leader of a flight of F-105s on a mission over North Vietnam on 20 April 1967. The target, a very important ralroad facility, was defended by several hundred antiaircraft artillery emplacements and SA-2 missiles. Lieutenant Richter’s mission was to destroy or limit fire from these defenses immediately before a strike on the facility by fighter-bombers. Arriving over the approach to the target, he found clouds obscuring navigational references and increasing danger from unobserved SAM launches. Despite weather conditions, Lieutenant Richter, with great professional skill and undaunted determination, led his flight through a barrage of missiles to the target. Braving the heavy concentrated fire of the antiaircraft artillery, he positioned his flight and attacked the defenses, causing heavy damage. As a result of his efforts, the fighter-bombers of the main strike force encountered only limited defensive fire and destroyed this vital railroad facility.“…
Lieutenant Richter’s combat awards also include the SILVER STAR; four awards of the DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS; the BRONZE STAR, twenty-two AIR MEDALS; and the PURPLE HEART.
LIEUTENANT RICHTER rests in peace in the Unites States Air Force Academy Cemetery– glory gained, duty done. He is remembered on this 51st anniversary of his last flight with highest respect and admiration… oohrah…
RTR quote for 28 July: LORD HAWKE: “The bravery of his soul was equal to the dangers he encountered.”…
Lest we forget…. Bear