THE WALL OF FACES

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. May you rest in eternal peace.

I'm the youngest of Swede's four boys. I retired from the Army as a CW4 helicopter pilot. Thank you all for your kind words. Swede was a fantastic father who served and flew with a great crew.

Dear Major Brown,
Thank you for your service as a Tactical Aircraft Pilot (Various.) It is another summer, as time continues to pass since Vietnam. It is important for us all to acknowledge the sacrifices of those like you who answered our nation's call. Please watch over America, it stills needs your courage and faithfulness. Rest in peace with the angels

On July 8, 1967, a USAF Boeing B-52D Stratofortress (#56-0601), call sign "Corny 26" and cell call sign "Brown 2," from the 736th Bomb Squadron, 454th Bomb Wing (on temporary duty), 4133rd Bomb Wing (P), Strategic Air Command, was on an Arc Light mission from Anderson AFB, Guam to U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield. Arc Light was the code name and general term for the use of the B-52D/F/G Stratofortress as a close air support (CAS) platform to support ground tactical operations in Vietnam. During the mission the aircraft was diverted to Da Nang Airfield because of electrical problems. The pilot executed a go-around because the flaps could not be selected. He maneuvered for a no-flaps landing, forcing a faster landing speed. The airplane touched down within the first 1000 feet of runway 17L. The B-52 then skip-bounced back into the air. Witnesses estimate the airplane was nearly 6,000 feet down the runway before it touched down again. It overran the end of the runway at a speed of 100 knots. As it passed over a drainage ditch, the forward undercarriage wheels hit the ditch's bottom, causing ground impact of the lower chin radome and lower forward fuselage. The airplane broke up and caught fire, coming to rest in a mine field. A twin-rotor Kaman HH-43 "Huskie," a local base rescue helicopter, was already in the air when the B-52 touched down. It followed the bomber down the runway to its destruction point, hovered over the scene and reported to the tower that flames were so high it could not affect a rescue attempt. A witness recounted he heard explosions when the jet caught fire, but the plane was not carrying bombs. Officials said the blasts were the mines planted 100 yards off the southern end of the runway where the plane burned. Air Force and Marine firemen fought the blaze for three hours. All forward crewmembers perished. The lost crewmen included pilot MAJ Gene W. Brown, co-pilot CAPT James T. Davis, navigators CAPT Anthony K. Johnson, CAPT William H. Pritchard, and CAPT Donald J. Reynolds. The tail gunner, TSGT Albert J. Whatley, survived after he was pulled through a hole chopped in a Plexiglas window by rescue workers who heard him shouting inside. Despite the horrendous crash, the tail gunner's injuries consisted only of several abrasions and a scratch on his left arm. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org, ejection-history.org.uk, wateringhole3.proboards.com, and aviation-safety.net]

Dear Major Gene Wesley Brown, sir

As an American, I would like to thank you for your service and for your sacrifice made on behalf of our wonderful country. The youth of today could gain much by learning of heroes such as yourself, men and women whose courage and heart can never be questioned.

May God allow you to read this, and may He allow me to someday shake your hand when I get to Heaven to personally thank you. May he also allow my father to find you and shake your hand now to say thank you; for America, and for those who love you.

With respect, and the best salute a civilian can muster for you, Sir

Curt Carter