The
McDonnell F4 Phantom
used by Air Force,
Marine and Navy air
wings served a
multitude of functions
including
fighter/bomber,
interceptor,
photo/electronic
surveillance, and
reconnaissance. The
two man aircraft was
extremely fast (Mach
2) and had a long
range, 900 - 2300
miles depending on
stores and mission
type. The F4 was also
extremely maneuverable
and handled well at
low and high
altitudes. It was
selected for a number
of state-of-the-art
electronics
conversions, which
improved radar
intercept and computer
bombing capabilities
enormously. Most
pilots considered it
one of the
"hottest"
planes around.
On
06 August 1967,
Captain Albert L.
Page, Jr., pilot, and
then Captain Donald R.
Kemmerer, co-pilot,
comprised the crew of
an F4C that departed
DaNang Airbase on a
morning strike mission
over the southern
portion of North
Vietnam codenamed
"Tally Ho."
Their aircraft was the
lead in a flight of
two.
Upon
arriving in the target
area, Capt. Page
established radio
contact with the
Airborne Battlefield
Command and Control
Center (ABCCC)
directing all air
operations in the
region. After
providing the flight
with currant mission
information, the ABCCC
handed the flight over
to the on-site Forward
Air Controller (FAC)
who was responsible
for directing their
strike mission.
Shortly thereafter,
the FAC cleared the
Phantoms to attack a
specific target.
At
0955 hours, the flight
made a pass on the
enemy target when the
lead aircraft was
struck by
anti-aircraft
artillery (AAA) fire.
The wingman observed
one engine on fire as
lead pulled off
target. As Capt. Page
turned the crippled
Phantom toward the sea
where the crew would
have a greater
opportunity for
rescue, he transmitted
they were ejecting. At
the time that
transmission was made,
Lead's position was
still near the target
area and over land.
By
the time the ejection
sequence had been
completed, the
aircraft was over
water and it was seen
to crash into the Gulf
of Tonkin
approximately 4 miles
northeast of the
shoreline, 10 miles
north of the city of
Vinh Linh, 12 miles
north of the
demilitarized zone
(DMZ) that separated
North and South
Vietnam and 30 miles
southeast of Dong Hoi,
Quang Binh Province,
North Vietnam.
In
the chaos of battle,
no parachutes were
seen and no emergency
beeper signals heard.
Because the location
of loss was in close
proximity to a heavy
concentration of enemy
troops on land and
sampans in the water,
no search and recovery
(SAR) operation was
possible. At the time
the wingman's initial
search was terminated,
Albert Page and Donald
Kemmerer were
immediately declared
Missing in Action.
If
Donald Kemmerer and
Albert Page died in
the loss of their
aircraft, each man has
the right to have his
remains returned to
his family, friends
and country if at all
humanly possible.
However, if they
successfully ejected,
they most certainly
could have been pickup
up by enemy fishing
boats operating along
the coastline, and
their fate, like that
of other Americans who
remain unaccounted for
in Southeast Asia,
could be quite
different.
Since
the end of the Vietnam
War well over 21,000
reports of American
prisoners, missing and
otherwise unaccounted
for have been received
by our government.
Many of these reports
document LIVE
Prisoners of War
remaining captive
throughout Southeast
Asia TODAY.
Fighter
pilots in Vietnam were
called upon to fly in
may dangerous
circumstances, and
they were prepared to
be wounded, killed or
captured. It probably
never occurred to them
that they could be
abandoned by the
country they so
proudly served.
Incidental Information
