Master Sergeant, US Air Force, Retired SPECTRE GUNNER Bravery, honor, and heartbreak were nightly occurrences. These men were shot at nightly in six cases, they were shot down. It is a story of a select group of men who chose to fly very hazardous nightly combat missions over uncharted mountainous terrain deep in enemy territory called the Ho Chi Minh Trail. In 2012, I decided to tell the story of the most outstanding men I have ever had the privilege to know. After retiring in 1978, I wanted to write a book about my experiences in the squadron, but I kept putting it off. In 1969, I was assigned to the Sixteenth Special Operations Squadron as an aerial gunner. My last duty station was at the US Navy Recruit Training Command in San Diego, California, where I trained new recruits for three years. I spent sixteen years in the US Navy as an aviation ordnance man (airborne weapons). Prior to joining the US Air Force in 1967, I joined the US Navy when I was fifteen years old. Sparkle: firing tracers into the target so the F-4 can see where to bomb Palace Gun: special air force volunteer program, aerial gunner Jolly Green: air force rescue personnel flying HH-53 helicopters Gomer: NVA Vietcong, and communist troops GLOSSARYĪBCCC: Airborne Command and Control Centerįragged: assigned to a specific area of operations They actually lived the code: duty, honor, country. I love them and miss them all very much, and I look forward to seeing them again someday-but not too soon, I hope. Cook, a gunner who helped me with parts of this book and to all the Spectre men who have passed away since the end of the Vietnam War. Morrison, who took care of me in the worst of times and always kept his word to Chief Master Sergeant P. Special dedication to Senior Master Sergeant Brian P. And to the Spectre airmen who are now involved in another war. It is also dedicated to all the Spectre men-past, present, and future-who are still living up to the standards of duty, honor, and country in their everyday lives. Each and every one of them was a very special airman whom the nation can be very proud of. This book is dedicated to the Spectre crewmembers who lost their lives in defense of their country. Library of Congress Control Number: 2013900056 The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.Īny people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only. IUniverse books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:īecause of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. He was wounded twice and is credited with saving the lives of fourteen crewmembers.Ĭopyright © 2013 by Msgt. He served in both the United States Navy and Air Force, earning three Distinguished Flying Crosses for heroism, twenty-seven Air Medals, as well as a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Presidential Unit Citation, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Vietnam Service Medal with nine battle stars, and other decorations from the Korean War. He served one tour of duty in Phan Rang, South Vietnam, in 1967, and four tours of duty in the 16th Special Operations Squadron in Southeast Asia as an aerial gunner, lead gunner, and instructor gunner. Master Sergeant Burns has a distinguished military career that began in 1951 at the age of fifteen. Despite heavy and constant anti-aircraft and missile fire, the loss of six aircraft and the lives of fifty-two men, the crew never wavered in its dedication to the mission. His squadron destroyed more than fifteen thousand trucks loaded with war munitions destined for South Vietnam and Cambodia. Aboard the AC-130 Spectre gunship, he flew a total of 287 combat missions over Laos, South Vietnam, and Cambodia, in pursuit of the truck traffic coming down the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Burns, an aerial gunner assigned to the deadliest squadron in air force history. This is the true story of Master Sergeant David M.
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