Rescue of Bat 21 Bravo
The rescue of Bat 21 Bravo, the call sign for Iceal "Gene" Hambleton (a navigator aboard an EB-66 aircraft shot down behind North Vietnamese lines), was the "largest, longest, and most complex search-and-rescue" operation during the Vietnam War.
Bat 21 was destroyed by an SA-2 surface-to-air missile (SAM) and Hambleton was the only survivor, parachuting behind the front lines into a battlefield filled with thousands of People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) soldiers.
For their actions in rescuing the two men, Norris was awarded the Medal of Honor and RVNN Petty Officer Nguyễn Văn Kiệt was recognized with the Navy Cross.
To prevent friendly fire incidents, the Americans imposed a standard no-fire zone within a 27 kilometres (17 mi) radius of Hambleton and diverted aircraft to aid in his rescue.
In addition to the direct casualties caused by the rescue mission, it is likely that South Vietnamese soldiers indirectly died as a result of their inability to obtain fire support.
It was their largest attack of the war and was timed to take full advantage of the bad weather typical during monsoon season, offering low clouds and poor visibility.
[4] When Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) headquarters in Saigon learned of large PAVN movement south of the DMZ, a number of B-52s had been sent on Arc Light missions without escort, but were experiencing significantly increased SAM activity.
When those missed, the PAVN fired two more SAMs optically at Bat 21, only turning on the guidance and radar system after the missiles were launched, which delayed the targeted aircraft's ability to detect and avoid them.
John Ripley, adviser to the Vietnamese 3rd Marine Battalion, blew up the key Highway QL-1 bridge over the Cua Viet River, east of Hambleton's position, at Đông Hà.
[5] Hidden in a clump of trees in his hole, surrounded by North Vietnamese less than 100 metres (330 ft) away,[15]: 37 Hambleton decided that with only nine months to go until his retirement, he was going to survive and return home.
[citation needed] Morse called for emergency support, which was picked up by a UH-1H (Blue Ghost 39) near Huế, piloted by 1st Lt. Byron Kulland from F Troop, 8th Cavalry, 196th Brigade.
[7]: 35 As soon as Blue Ghost 39 and 28 crossed the Mieu Giang River they were met by an immediate curtain of North Vietnamese fire from every direction, hurled against them with a strong intensity.
[citation needed] Kulland flying Blue Ghost 39 tried to turn back south but only managed to crash-land his stricken aircraft, about 6.7 kilometres (4.2 mi) east of Hambleton[5] and 0.9 miles (1.4 km) north of the river in an area full of PAVN.
[21]: 61 The area was covered in a solid overcast, preventing visual control of air strikes by the on-scene OV-10A FAC, Nail 25 which nevertheless coordinated the work of several F-4s who were directed to drop CBU-42 anti-personnel cluster bombs around Hambleton to help protect his position.
Colonel Bill Harris followed, only to break through the low ceiling to face ten North Vietnamese tanks and a withering onslaught of ground fire.
[17] Forced to fly in and out of cloud cover at perilously low altitudes, FAC Nail 38,[notes 1] piloted by Henderson was hit by North Vietnamese fire and shot down.
[2]: 6 On the morning of 7 April, 1st Lt. Bruce C. Walker accompanied by naval artillery spotter Marine Lt. Larry F. Potts were flying OV-10A (Covey 282) from 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron.
[11] In January 1992, members of the Joint Task Force for Full Accounting examined war artifacts in the Hanoi military museum and found Potts' ID card.
He recruited five Vietnamese Sea Commando frogmen from the Lien Doan Nguoi Nhai (LDNN), Naval Advisory Detachment (NAD) in Da Nang.
[29] ARVN 3rd Division commander Brigadier General Vũ Văn Giai gave Anderson a Ranger platoon of about 20 men and three M-48 tanks that they used to set up a forward operating base along Highway 9 within observation range of the strategic Cam Lo Bridge.
Norris remained hidden, hoping they wouldn't notice Clark's breathing, and knowing that using their weapons would expose the team's position to the hundreds of enemy troops around them.
[21]: 69 Icke directed Sandy 01 to drop a Madden survival pack containing food, water, ammunition and extra radios[26] to Hambleton, but it fell 50 metres (160 ft) away, slightly above him, and he was too weak to climb up to it.
[29] They found him sitting in a clump of bushes, alive but partly delirious and extremely weakened, having eaten only four small ears of corn in 12 days and having lost 45 pounds (20 kg) since his plane was shot down.
Icke in Bilk 11 overhead called in air support and five U.S. Navy A-4 Skyhawks[37]: 95 from the carrier USS Hancock killed a number of North Vietnamese troops and provided cover for his final escape.
Walker managed to evade capture for almost 11 days when on the night of 18 April, without FAC coverage, he moved on his own accord and ran into a local villager who alerted the North Vietnamese.
[39] When he was picked up by a HH-53 from the 40th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron, he was within 5 miles (8.0 km) of the heavily defended Yên Bái Air Base and had eluded capture while covering 19 kilometres (12 mi) in North Vietnamese territory for 23 days.
[20]: 318 American response to the PAVN operation virtually ground to a halt[18]: 251 as air resources were diverted to support the recovery, and for a few days defense of the northern border area was second in priority to rescuing Hambleton.
For their heroic actions in rescuing Hambleton behind front lines, Thomas R. Norris was recommended for and received the Medal of Honor, although he initially declined to submit the paperwork.
He received it from President Gerald Ford in a White House ceremony on 6 March 1976 attended by Michael Thornton, another Navy SEAL who had saved Norris' life on 31 October 1972.
He told the families of the downed fliers that "Each of you played a distinct role and forming the character of these men who so willingly paid a very dear price to help me get out of the jungles of Vietnam.
