My Most Memorable Mission
submitted by: Alva Leon Matheson
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This was my most memorable mission, flown on November 7, 1966. We always flew missions with two aircraft; one high to watch out for ground fire and one low to get a closer observation of enemy areas. A lot of our missions were in support of SOG (U.S. Special Forces Studies and Observations Group) on “Golden Ear Ring” missions, during which we had SOG observers fly with us.
Captain Donald L. ‘Jake’ Jacobson and his SOG observer were returning from a mission along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Jake must have seen something and turned around to get a closer look without notifying Captain Ray Gigler, flying in the second airplane. Since he had lost sight of the other airplane, couldn’t make contact radio contact, and was low on fuel Captain Gigler notified the airborne command post and returned to base. Our base radio operator continued trying to make radio contact.
I decided that we would retrace the mission from Jake’s last known position. Ray and I took off as soon as possible and returned to the area where he last remembered seeing Jake. We continued to search in the valleys between mountains and in some dead-end passes where we had to be careful about being able to turn around. After approximately one hour in the area we still had no contact and had found no trace of Jake. Since it was almost dark we decided to return to base. Ray and I lost visual contact with each other because of fog and low clouds. He was able to get back to base by going east through the valleys while I became engulfed in low clouds and fog. I climbed up to 8,000 feet to make sure I had enough altitude to clear the mountain peaks.
Since we had no navigation facilities on the ground, or in the O-1 airplane, I directed our base radio operator to give a long count and used my ADF to assure passage of the mountains before letting down. I continued a slow descent while requesting the long-counts about every minute. The crew chief put some flare pots out along the runway and turned on all the camp lights so I could locate the base and see where to land.
I broke through the clouds about 500 feet above the ground. What a relief to see the glare of lights through the fog, out of my left window!
I turned toward the base and arriving directly overhead, turned to the runway heading. Then I made a 360 degree timed turn. I was in and out of the clouds and fog, but made a successful landing. The 23rd Psalm I said each day was answered that night, for truly the Lord’s rod and His staff not only comforted me but also directed me home.
The next day we found the aircraft wreckage. It was not as far away as we expected. The Green Beret SOG observer, with a broken leg, had crawled into the bushes to hide and remain silent until the enemy left the scene. Jake had been shot in the head and the aircraft crashed. The Pathet Lao had killed Jake and then speared him several times, even though he was already dead. All this was observed by the SOG troop while he was hiding in the bush. A helicopter came to rescue the SOG troop and retrieve Jake’s body.
The requirement to identify Jake’s body and write to his wife was the most difficult moment of my tour in Vietnam.
I was privileged to serve with a fine group of officers and airmen. We all cared about each other. Jake was a big part of it.