Iceal Hambleton
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant Colonel
Iceal E. "Gene" Hambleton (November 16, 1918 – September 19, 2004) was an officer of the United States Air Force
, famous for being the subject of a long and costly search and rescue mission during the Vietnam War
. During the rescue, he used the callsign "Bat 21 Bravo". He received the Silver Star
, the Distinguished Flying Cross
, the Air Medal
, the Meritorious Service Medal
and a Purple Heart
for his actions during this mission.
during the last years of World War II
without seeing any combat. He was recalled to active duty by the USAF during the 1950s. During the Korean War
, he flew 43 sorties as navigator in a B-29 Superfortress
. He then worked during the 1960s on various USAF ballistic missile
projects such as the PGM-19 Jupiter
, Titan I ICBM
and Titan II ICBM. Prior to the Vietnam War, Hambleton commanded the 571st Strategic Missile Squadron
at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
from 1965 until 1971.
to the Tactical Air Command
and was assigned to the 42nd Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron
(42 TEWS) in Korat
, Thailand
. The 42 TEWS was equipped with EB-66C/E Destroyer
aircraft that flew radar and communications jamming missions to disrupt enemy defenses and early warning capabilities.
. While flying over the area north of Quang Tri
at about 30000 feet (9,144 m), the aircraft was destroyed by a Soviet-built SA-2 Guideline surface-to-air missile
. The only one of the six-man crew to eject, Hambleton parachuted in the middle of the Easter Offensive and thousands of North Vietnamese soldiers.
During the rescue operation, five aircraft were shot down, 11 air men were killed in action, and 2 were captured. Nine additional aircraft and helicopters were badly damaged during the rescue attempts. U.S. Army General Creighton Abrams
finally ordered that no further air rescue operations should be attempted, but ordered a ground rescue operation. Hambleton was a USAF ballistic missile
expert with a Top Secret clearance and his capture by the North Vietnamese
army would have been of tremendous benefit to them and the Soviet Union
.
Hambleton was finally rescued after 11½ days by U.S. Navy SEAL Lt. j.g Thomas R. Norris
and ARVN commando Nguyen Van Kiet
in a daring, covert, night-time infiltration 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) behind enemy lines. Norris was awarded the Medal of Honor
and Nguyen the Navy Cross
. Hambleton was awarded the Silver Star
, the Distinguished Flying Cross
, the Air Medal
, the Meritorious Service Medal
and a Purple Heart
for his effort.
The story of Hambleton's evasion and rescue was told in the 1980 book, Bat 21, written by Air Force Col. William Charles Anderson
. This was followed by the dramatic 1988 movie, "Bat*21", starring Gene Hackman
as Hambleton and Danny Glover
as a forward air controller. A second book, The Rescue of Bat 21, based on a large amount of declassified information, was written by Col. Darrel D. Whitcomb and published in 1998. Whitcomb was a decorated pilot and from 1972 to 1974 a forward air controller based in Southeast Asia.
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
Iceal E. "Gene" Hambleton (November 16, 1918 – September 19, 2004) was an officer of the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
, famous for being the subject of a long and costly search and rescue mission during the Vietnam War
Rescue of Bat 21 Bravo
The rescue of Bat 21 Bravo, the call sign for Iceal "Gene" Hambleton, from behind enemy lines was the "largest, longest, and most complex search-and-rescue" operation during the entire Vietnam War. On April 2, 1972, the third day of the Easter Offensive, Hambleton was a navigator aboard one of two...
. During the rescue, he used the callsign "Bat 21 Bravo". He received the Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
, the Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself in support of operations by "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight, subsequent to November 11, 1918." The...
, the Air Medal
Air Medal
The Air Medal is a military decoration of the United States. The award was created in 1942, and is awarded for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.-Criteria:...
, the Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal
The Meritorious Service Medal is a senior level military decoration presented to denote acts of meritorious service worthy of recognition. This medal can be awarded in a combat or non- combat theatre...
and a Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
for his actions during this mission.
Pre-Vietnam years
Hambleton served in the U.S. Army Air ForcesUnited States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
during the last years of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
without seeing any combat. He was recalled to active duty by the USAF during the 1950s. During the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, he flew 43 sorties as navigator in a B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
. He then worked during the 1960s on various USAF ballistic missile
Ballistic missile
A ballistic missile is a missile that follows a sub-orbital ballistic flightpath with the objective of delivering one or more warheads to a predetermined target. The missile is only guided during the relatively brief initial powered phase of flight and its course is subsequently governed by the...
projects such as the PGM-19 Jupiter
Jupiter (missile)
The PGM-19 Jupiter was the first medium-range ballistic missile of the United States Air Force . It was a liquid-fueled rocket using RP-1 fuel and LOX oxidizer, with a single Rocketdyne LR70-NA rocket engine producing 667 kN of thrust...
, Titan I ICBM
Titan I
The Martin Marietta SM-68A/HGM-25A Titan I was the United States' first multistage ICBM . Incorporating the latest design technology when designed and manufactured, the Titan I provided an additional nuclear deterrent to complement the U.S. Air Force's SM-65 Atlas missile...
and Titan II ICBM. Prior to the Vietnam War, Hambleton commanded the 571st Strategic Missile Squadron
571st Strategic Missile Squadron
The 571st Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 390th Strategic Missile Wing, stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. It was inactivated on 31 July 1984.-History:...
at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
Davis–Monthan Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located within the city limits, and approximately south-southeast of downtown, Tucson, Arizona....
from 1965 until 1971.
Vietnam years
Hambleton switched from the Strategic Air CommandStrategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
to the Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...
and was assigned to the 42nd Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron
42d Electronic Combat Squadron
The 42d Electronic Combat Squadron a United States Air Force unit. Its current assignment is with the 55th Electronic Combat Group, based at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona.-Mission:...
(42 TEWS) in Korat
Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base
Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base is a base of the Royal Thai Air Force. It is located in northeast Thailand, located approximately 157 miles northeast of Bangkok and about 5 miles south of Nakhon Ratchasima , the second largest city in Thailand.During the Vietnam War, Korat RTAFB was the...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. The 42 TEWS was equipped with EB-66C/E Destroyer
B-66 Destroyer
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Baugher, Joe. USAAC/USAAF/USAF Bomber Aircraft: Third Series of USAAC/USAAF/USAF Bombers, 2001. Retrieved: 27 July 2006....
aircraft that flew radar and communications jamming missions to disrupt enemy defenses and early warning capabilities.
The Bat 21 rescue
On his 63rd mission, on April 2, 1972, Hambleton was aboard an EB-66C escorting a cell of three B-52 attacking entrance passes to the Ho Chi Minh trailHo Chi Minh trail
The Ho Chi Minh trail was a logistical system that ran from the Democratic Republic of Vietnam to the Republic of Vietnam through the neighboring kingdoms of Laos and Cambodia...
. While flying over the area north of Quang Tri
Quang Tri Province
Quảng Trị is a province on the North Central Coast of Vietnam, north of the former imperial capital of Huế.-Geography:Located in North Central Vietnam, Quang Tri Province is surrounded by Quang Binh Province on the north, Thua Thien-Hue Province on the south, Savannakhet Province of Laos on the...
at about 30000 feet (9,144 m), the aircraft was destroyed by a Soviet-built SA-2 Guideline surface-to-air missile
Surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...
. The only one of the six-man crew to eject, Hambleton parachuted in the middle of the Easter Offensive and thousands of North Vietnamese soldiers.
During the rescue operation, five aircraft were shot down, 11 air men were killed in action, and 2 were captured. Nine additional aircraft and helicopters were badly damaged during the rescue attempts. U.S. Army General Creighton Abrams
Creighton Abrams
Creighton Williams Abrams Jr. was a general in the United States Army who commanded military operations in the Vietnam War from 1968–72 which saw U.S. troop strength in Vietnam fall from a peak of 543,000 to 49,000. He served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1972 until shortly...
finally ordered that no further air rescue operations should be attempted, but ordered a ground rescue operation. Hambleton was a USAF ballistic missile
Ballistic missile
A ballistic missile is a missile that follows a sub-orbital ballistic flightpath with the objective of delivering one or more warheads to a predetermined target. The missile is only guided during the relatively brief initial powered phase of flight and its course is subsequently governed by the...
expert with a Top Secret clearance and his capture by the North Vietnamese
Vietnam People's Army
The Vietnam People's Army is the armed forces of Vietnam. The VPA includes: the Vietnamese People's Ground Forces , the Vietnam People's Navy , the Vietnam People's Air Force, and the Vietnam Marine Police.During the French Indochina War , the VPA was often referred to as the Việt...
army would have been of tremendous benefit to them and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
Hambleton was finally rescued after 11½ days by U.S. Navy SEAL Lt. j.g Thomas R. Norris
Thomas R. Norris
Thomas Rolland Norris is a retired United States Navy SEAL who received the Medal of Honor for his ground rescue with the assistance of Petty Officer Third Class Nguyen Van Kiet of two downed pilots in Quang Tri Province, Vietnam on April 10, 1972 – April 13, 1972...
and ARVN commando Nguyen Van Kiet
Nguyen Van Kiet
Nguyen Van Kiet was a Petty Officer Third Class in the Republic of Vietnam Navy and is one of only two South Vietnamese, and the only South Vietnamese Navy member, to receive the Navy Cross for actions during the Vietnam War. The other recipient was ARVN PFC Tran Van Bay).In April 1972, United...
in a daring, covert, night-time infiltration 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) behind enemy lines. Norris was awarded the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
and Nguyen the Navy Cross
Navy Cross
The Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all...
. Hambleton was awarded the Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
, the Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself in support of operations by "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight, subsequent to November 11, 1918." The...
, the Air Medal
Air Medal
The Air Medal is a military decoration of the United States. The award was created in 1942, and is awarded for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.-Criteria:...
, the Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal (United States)
The Meritorious Service Medal is a military decoration presented to members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguished themselves by outstanding meritorious achievement or service to the United States subsequent to January 16, 1969...
and a Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
for his effort.
The story of Hambleton's evasion and rescue was told in the 1980 book, Bat 21, written by Air Force Col. William Charles Anderson
William Charles Anderson
William Charles Anderson was the author of several novels, historical and true life stories, and author or coauthor of several screenplays for film and television, including the adaptation of his own Bat*21, which was made into a film, starring Gene...
. This was followed by the dramatic 1988 movie, "Bat*21", starring Gene Hackman
Gene Hackman
Eugene Allen "Gene" Hackman is an American actor and novelist.Nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two, Hackman has also won three Golden Globes and two BAFTAs in a career that spanned five decades. He first came to fame in 1967 with his performance as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde...
as Hambleton and Danny Glover
Danny Glover
Danny Lebern Glover is an American actor, film director, and political activist. Glover is perhaps best known for his role as Detective Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film franchise.-Early life:...
as a forward air controller. A second book, The Rescue of Bat 21, based on a large amount of declassified information, was written by Col. Darrel D. Whitcomb and published in 1998. Whitcomb was a decorated pilot and from 1972 to 1974 a forward air controller based in Southeast Asia.
Famous quotes
- "It was the most terrible day I had ever lived, I had to stand by and watch six young men die trying to save my life. Heroes, you bet they were."