Korean War – First Hand Story
It has been some time since a first hand story has been included here, therefore I planned one for #36. Obviously on the same wave length as I, fellow blogger/Korean War correspondent Rafe Steinberg at: http://nightowlsnotebook.wordpress.com sent me this story from the New York Times:
Kenneth A. Schechter, 83, Dies; With Help, He Flew Blind
by Bruce Weber (condensed by gpcox)
On 22 March 1952, Navy pilot, Ensign Schechter, 22, a member of Fighter Squadron 194 (“Yellow Devils”), while flying over Wongsang-ni, North Korea in what was his 27th mission was at the heart of one of the most electrifying air rescues in American history. An enemy antiaircraft shell exploded in the cockpit of his A-1 Skyraider. “Instinctively, I pulled back on the stick to gain altitude. Then I passed out. When I came to a short time later, I couldn’t see a thing. There was stinging agony in my face and throbbing in my head. I felt for my upper lip. It was almost severed from the rest of my face. I called out over the radio through my lip mike, ‘I’m blind! For God’s sake, help me! I’m blind!”
He was headed for a cloud bank at 10,000 feet that would obscure him from view of his squadron. By coincidence, his scream for help was heard by fellow pilot, Lt. Howard Thayer, Schechter’s roommate on the Valley Forge, “Put your nose down! Put your nose down! Push over. I’m coming up,” Thayer yelled back. Schechter, fading in and out of consciousness, refused to eject from the plane as Thayer flew alongside. They were headed for the Marine airfield K-18 about 30 miles away.
“I continued to follow Thayer’s directions, but he could see that my head kept flopping down from time to time and he doubted that I could make it to K-18, so he decided to get me down right away.” Thayer spotted a deserted airstrip not far beyond the battle line, but due to the ruggedness and brevity of the strip (or due to the blindness he was unable to locate the controls), he had to make a belly landing.
“From his plane, flying 25 feet away from mine and duplicating my maneuvers, Howard’s voice was cool and confident,” Schechter said.
“We’re heading straight. Flaps down. Hundred yards to the runway. You’re 50 feet off the ground. Pull back a little. Easy. Easy. That’s good. You’re level. You’re O.K. You’re O.K. Thirty feet off the ground. You’re O.K. You’re over the runway. Twenty feet. Kill it a little. You’re settling down. O.K., O.K., O.K. Cut!” A short while late, “You’re on the ground, Ken.”
“No fire. No pain. No strain. The best landing I ever made,” Schechter said.
Ken Schechter was taken to a Naval hospital and only regained sight in his left eye. He went on to graduate from Stanford and Harvard Business School.
Howard Thayer made the Navy his career and was later killed in 1961, when on a night mission, he flew into the water returning to a carrier in the Mediterranean Sea.
In 1995, Mr. Schechter was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and addressed Mr. Thayer’s 3 children, by then adults, “I hope you will see this ceremony as your ceremony, because that’s exactly the way I feel about it.” Fourteen years later, in 2009, Thayer received the same award, posthumously.
Click on images to enlarge.
****************************************************************************************
This event was reported in The Associated Press. Later, an article by Cmdr. Harry Burns, in the Saturday Evening Post & an article written by James Michener were used as the basis for the 1954 movie “Men of the Fighting Lady” which starred Van Johnson as Lt. Thayer and Dewey Martin as Ensign Schechter. Mr. Schechter recounted his story for the book “Chicken Soup for the Veteran’s Soul” and the Naval Aviation News nearly 50 years later.
#####################################################################
Thanks to the research of Kevin Brent, we have the legacy of the AK-47 for a WWII update; please follow the links –
http://jkbrent.wordpress.com/2014/01/04/kalaschnikov-russias-imprint-on-global-terror/
######################################################################
Farewell Salutes –
Desmond Andrewes – Mt. Eden, New Zealand; RNZAF, WWII Flight Lt. No. 427174
Raymond Beaulieu – Coral Springs, FL; US Navy, WWII
Albert “Bud” Campbell – Seattle, WA; US Army, WWII PTO, Capt. 33rd Infantry Div./Company H/123rd infantry Reg.
William Currier, Jr. – Delray Beach, FL; US Army Air Corps/Air Force, Lt. Colonel, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Cuban Missile Crisis
John Eddleman – Fairfax, VA & Missoula, Montana; US Air Force Colonel, (Ret.)
Vincent Faga – Warren, PA & W.Palm Beach, FL; US Air Force, Vietnam
Franklin Lewis – Rosebud, TX & WA; US Army, Sgt., WWII PTO,
Nick Soffos – Alexandria, VA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, 11th A/B Div.
Glen Stalker – Bethesda, MD; US Air Force, pilot, WWII & Korea
Elston VabSlyke – Seattle, WA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, Co. E/511th
#########################################################################
Posted on January 5, 2014, in Korean War and tagged aviation, correspondents, family history, History, Korean War, Military, Military History, nostalgia, veterans. Bookmark the permalink. 103 Comments.
Wonderful post, thank you for putting it out. It is well written, a great read. As I was reading this post, just like all of your other posts that I have read, they flow well and I am able to see the stories very plainly in minds eye.
LikeLike
Thank you very much. I appreciate you saying so.
LikeLike
Thanks for the fantastic story. It is a perfect example of what our men are made of.
LikeLike
You are quite right, Jim. Thank you for taking the time to read here.
LikeLike
Wow, that made every inch of the skin on my arms stand up in goosebumps! Such a story…told so well. Awesome.
LikeLike
Yes, it did the same to many of us. Just when you think you’ve been forgotten, eh?
LikeLike
Interesting read. Thanks for sharing!
LikeLike
More than welcome.
LikeLike
What an incredible story!
LikeLike
Isn’t it, though? I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to pass it along to everyone else; Night Owl came thru once again.
LikeLike
An absolutely amazing story. It’s like reading a book you can’t put down. No wonder the story was snatched up and repeated. You could have given me a kleenex alert, though!! 🙂
LikeLike
There’s been a few joining you in that , including Koji and myself!
LikeLike
An incredible story of bravery and camaraderie. Good to see that both pilots were honoured, eventually.
LikeLike
Don’t know what takes the government so long sometimes!
LikeLike
I can hardly even process this. Amazing! God sure lined up the right guy to help him at the right time.
LikeLike
Sure seems that way doesn’t it!
LikeLike
There is no end to the unbelievably brave things these men did.
LikeLike
Isn’t that the truth!! Your site does a great job at depicting that as well.
[off topic – hope Pierre finds the news you’re looking for]
LikeLike
That’s a hell of a way to land a plane. And, thanks again for the link inclusion!
LikeLike
No problem, you do a lot of work for your site, more people should see it.
LikeLike
Thanks! I need to do more. Other work has been taking up time though.
LikeLike
Priorities first – always.
LikeLike
True..lol Have a lot planned here though. 😉
LikeLike
I’ll be right here waiting; no problem.
LikeLike
Wow, what an amazing story!
LikeLike
I’ll say thank you, but Rafe Steinberg found the story for me.
LikeLike
Reblogged this on USNA or Bust! and commented:
Here’s what’s in your future when you graduate from USNA
LikeLike
I hope your readers smile when they see the two pilots survived that ordeal and the rest of the war!
LikeLike
That is an amazing story. The result of believing in the impossible. I’ve reblogged to my USNA candidate blog–let them see what they’re in for.
LikeLike
Thank you very much, Jacqui. I’ve been enjoying your site – I hope your readers enjoy mine.
LikeLike
What a heart-wrenching story… Somebody call me an eye plumber cuz something busted loose.
LikeLike
Cute, Koji, real cute – only you could put it that way and make me laugh!
LikeLike
Sorry, gpcox… It wasn’t meant to be amusing… 😦
LikeLike
I know you felt it deeply, but it was just the way you put it made me smile – nothing wrong with that – both men not only survived the ordeal, but also the war. I wouldn’t want you to feel any other way – our men deserve our concern.
LikeLike
What a great story. You have a wonderful site and I’m glad to have found it, we need to know how much had been done for us. Thanks for visiting my blog. I look forward to reading your posts!
LikeLike
Thanks stopping back to check this site and very happy you like it! Hope you enjoy the others.
LikeLike
Oh my, that is an amazing story!!!
LikeLike
Yes, and it seems a lot of people agree with you! This might be a record day for comments! Thanks for being one of them!
LikeLike
Also this was in our paper yesterday MILLIGAN, James William (Jim) Service Number 172486, Brigade Band (BCOF) 2NZEF (Japan) – 3/1/2014
at Christchurch Hospital, aged 92 years.
LikeLike
Thank you very much for your diligence, Gallivanta.
LikeLike
I have missed a few I am afraid.
LikeLike
And I also picked up a couple – team work!
LikeLike
Yes I saw that. You are amazing 🙂
LikeLike
Not me – they were!
LikeLike
Definitely, they were 🙂
LikeLike
Ye gods …
(A now horribly dated short novel that I rediscovered when having a tidy-out over Christmas, Frederick Forsyth’s ‘The Shepherd’. I still like it, one plane shepherding another in …)
LikeLike
Just watched the movie trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxhvK4ABoVU Amazing story. I wonder how many of your followers remember watching the movie. I used to love reading Michener.
LikeLike
Michener has been a favorite of mine since I was a kid; thanks for the link!
LikeLike
Now that is a great flying story of skill and courage. Never read this before so happy that you published this.
LikeLike
Thanks, Mike. I’m very glad you liked it – thanks for dropping in.
LikeLike
Oh what an emotional experience that was… Firstly I had shivers all over and then burst into tears as Mr Thayer was landing his buddy… : cry: A beautiful and heart warming story… Many thanks.
LikeLike
It does make many tear up, Catherine. Very happy you liked it.
LikeLike
Not every blogger likes to fool with awards, but I’m giving you the ABC AWARD. You already have a bunch of followers, I know you don’t need it, but I want to encourage my new followers to come read your blog and see what a great job you do. If you are an award free blog, just know I think you and your blog are top notch.
LikeLike
Yes, I am award free because I feel this site is owned by the veterans for the veterans, and dedicated to my father. I am simply supplying facts – they supplied the courage, blood and guts! I thank you very much for the honor and sincerely hope you do NOT take my refusal personally. Tell your followers to come see if there is anything they like here, your interests should be their interests, don’t you think?
LikeLike
I love your blog, this was such a compelling read. Well written, always so informative. Keep up the fantastic work, you do a great job.
LikeLike
Thank you very much.
LikeLike
Wonderful story. Inbcredible skill on the part of both pilots – the one giving directions as well as the one receiving them. Talk about coolness in a crisis! A special breed of men.
LikeLike
I completely agree, Colonist! Glad you enjoyed the story.
LikeLike
I don’t think I could ever be that brave! I’d never make it as a soldier, which is why I so admire the men and women who do!
LikeLike
Military service isn’t for everyone, but sometimes we never know just how much we can become unless we try. I don’t think everyone in the service during these Pacific Wars really thought of themselves as soldier material – but look what they accomplished!!
LikeLike
Incredible story!!
LikeLike
Yes it is, thanks for reading it!
LikeLike
What a heroic tale! Just shows how much can be accomplished by working together.
LikeLike
Doesn’t it?! Mountains can be moved with determination.
LikeLike
I read about these guys recently . The escort pilot told the blinded pilot to lower his landing gear . The blinded guy told him , no , he’d have a better chance landing on his belly . Amazing story of optimism and good luck , loyalty and courage .
LikeLike
Amazing story, and think of how many we don’t know, and we’ll never know.
It’s a little sad to contemplate we lost a lot of first person account, but we take some consolation in the fact the people to whom these acts intimately mattered knew and remembered.
LikeLike
I love picking up on these stories, they bring the entire era into personal perspective. Fellow blogger, http://donmooreswartales.com has quite a few, I’ll have to start tapping his resources!
LikeLike
Wow.
LikeLike
That’s what I thought – had to use the story!
LikeLike
Great story and the kind that makes me cry!
LikeLike
But happy tears are good ones. Thanks for stopping by.
LikeLike
It doesn’t appear that the video is available anymore. It was apparently available on VHS at one point.
LikeLike
Let’s call the History Channel!?
LikeLike
Now you’ve done it. I’m going to have to find out if that movie is still available and watch it!
LikeLike
Oops, sorry about that. I’m always opening up my fat mouth!
LikeLike
That’s amazing. You would think a blinded pilot was done for!
LikeLike
I would have presumed so! But here we find out otherwise.
LikeLike
Inspirational and what a classy comment when Schechter received his medal and wonder what the politics were behind Thayer’s family not receiving his for another 14 years…
LikeLike
That does seem odd to me too, but we still have men receiving their due medals now that earned them in WWII! So, maybe his case just fell thru the cracks (like they say).
LikeLike
What a grand account of terror, mate-ship, camaraderie, strength – not a single war movie I see from now on will make me say “It’s just acting, pretend…” – unbelievable this actually do happen, have happened.
LikeLike
Yes it does. The thing is, Hollywood often can NOT depict events realistically, so we get used to thinking – Oh it’s just acting.
LikeLike
I agree. Hollywood should use consultants with first hand experiences or their recounts whenever possible – there is so much more to life of war than what’s been presented so far.
LikeLike
Agreed.
LikeLike
😀
LikeLike
Fact can be so strange – if Hollywood scripted this, who would believe. Both men were heroes – keeping so calm throughout. That takes steel nerves, absolute confidence in their airmanship and so much more.
Thank you for sharing this inspiring tale.
LikeLike
I felt the same way about it!
LikeLike
A great story. Thanks for blogging it.
LikeLike
Any time! Thanks for reading.
LikeLike
A great story and tribute to both pilots, thanks of sharing this.
LikeLike
You’re very welcome, while I thank Rafe for bringing it to my attention.
LikeLike
Yay it let me like something at last! Fascunating story, I love how you are educating me 🙂
LikeLike
Great. (er..I think)
LikeLike
An amazing story – thank you for sharing.
Lillian
LikeLike
Thanks for dropping by, Lillian.
LikeLike
Wonderful story!
LikeLike
Funny, I am on your page as I noticed the notification light go on!! Happy New Year!
LikeLike
That is funny indeed! Happy New Year to you as well. Look forward to have more time to catch up on blogs and writing more for mine as well this year. I retired last week!
LikeLike
Congrats! I love it!
LikeLike
Thanks!
LikeLike
Great story.
LikeLike
Thanks.
LikeLike
Where is that exactly??
LikeLike
Where is what?
LikeLike