THE WALL OF FACES

Dear CMSgt Luther Rose, Thank you for your service as an Aerial Gunner. Saying thank you isn't enough, but it is from the heart. It is Agent Orange Awareness month. Time passes quickly. Please watch over America, it stills needs your strength, courage, guidance, and faithfulness, especially now. Rest in peace with the angels.

I was young when you left this world, but will always carry you in my heart. Your loving son, Sheridan Rose

CMS Luther L. Rose was awarded a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Second Award of the Distinguished Flying Cross with Combat "V" for heroism while participating in aerial flight in Southeast Asia on 3 June 1966.

CMS Luther L Rose was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight in Southeast Asia.

CAPT Theodore E. Kryszak was the pilot of an AC-47 gunship assigned to the 4th Air Commando Squadron at Ubon Airfield, Thailand. The aircraft, dubbed "Puff the Magic Dragon" had evolved from earlier versions of the Douglas C-47. Puff introduced a new principle to air attack in Vietnam. Troubled by difficulties in conducting nighttime defense, Capt. Ronald Terry of the U.S. Air Force Aeronautical Systems Division remembered reading about flying missionaries in Latin America who lowered baskets of supplies on a rope from a tightly circling airplane. Throughout the series of pylon turns, the basket remained suspended over a selected point on the ground. Could this principle be applied to fire from automatic weapons? Tests proved it could, and could be extremely successful. Puff's "flare kicker" illuminated the target, then the pilot used a mark on the window to his left as a gun sight and circled slowly as three multi-barrel 7.62mm machine guns fired 18,000 rounds per minute from the door and two windows in the port side of the passenger compartment. The aircraft was called "Puff" after a popular song of the day, and because it resembled a dragon overhead with flames billowing from its guns. Men on the ground welcomed the presence of Puff and the later Spooky version, which was essentially the same as the Puff, because of its ability to concentrate a heavy dose of defensive fire in a surgically determined area. CAPT Kryszak's Puff was assigned a mission which took it over Khammouane Province, Laos on June 3, 1966. His crew that day included 1LT Russell D. Martin, COL Harding E. Smith Jr., TSGT Harold E. Mullins, TSGT Luther L. Rose, and SSGT Ervin Warren. On such a crew, it was common for the officers to be the flight crew, while the sergeants acted as aerial gunners. On this crew, Mullins was the flight engineer. At a point about 10 miles east of Ban Pha Philang near the borders of Savannakhet and Khammouane Provinces, CAPT Kryszak's aircraft was shot down. The Puff was seen to crash by another aircraft in the area. No parachutes were seen and no emergency radio beeper signals were heard, yet at least one of the men onboard the aircraft was known to have survived (COL Harding E. Smith, according to a list compiled by the National League of Families of POW/MIA in Southeast Asia survived this incident). According to the Air Force, subsequent searches for the aircraft revealed the wreckage of the aircraft, but the crew could not be located. All personnel aboard were declared Missing in Action. [Taken from pownetwork.org]