ALL FOR ONE The Rescue of Boxer 22 Ban Phanop Laos 5 thru 7 December 1969
by Randy Green
Title
ALL FOR ONE The Rescue of Boxer 22 Ban Phanop Laos 5 thru 7 December 1969
Artist
Randy Green
Medium
Painting - Oils On Portrait Canvas
Description
At 0900 hours on 5 December 1969, Capt. Benjamin Danielson and Lt. Woodrow Bergeron departed Cam Ranh Bay in South Vietnam for a mission in Central Laos. Their McDonnell/Douglas F-4C Phantom fighter, serial number 63-7444, call-sign Boxer-22, was the number two aircraft in the flight. The lead aircraft, another F-4C with the call sign Boxer-21, was piloted by Maj. Joseph Young. Their mission, to drop MK-36 anti-personnel mines along the Ho-Chi-Minh Trail, was altered after failed contact with the Forward Air Controller (FAC). They were then diverted northward to a supply trail target near Ban Phanop, 20 miles south of the Mu-Gia Pass in Laos, a notorious entry point to the Ho-Chi-Minh Trail from Northern Vietnam.
Their mission progressed as briefed and the two Phantoms arrived in the assigned target area without incident. The flight then came under the control of a FAC, call-sign Nail, orbiting in an OV-10 Bronco. Boxer-21 was cleared in first and dropped his mines successfully on the trail. After observing Boxer-21's strike, Nail cleared in Boxer-22. Capt. Danielson initiated a steep dive on his target and released his ordinance. Immediately after his drop the aircraft was hit hard by AAA fire and pitched into an uncontrollable state. Within seconds the crew ejected from the Phantom directly over the target area. The aircraft continued earthward until it impacted the karst valley in a fireball 2,600 feet away.
The crew ejected approximately 4,000 feet southwest of Ban Phanop village in Khammouane Province, Laos. Previously the area had undergone extensive bombing and little vegetation was left for cover except for the steep elevated karst areas and along the Nam Ngo River valley. The two survivors elected to remain near their chutes as it was the only area with foliage, affording protective concealment. Both men established radio contact after landing 35 meters apart from each other on opposite sides of the river.
Capt. Danielson contacted Boxer-21 and informed them that he and Lt. Bergeron were both in good shape. Search and Recovery (SAR) efforts were immediately initiated. About 35 minutes later SAR aircraft arrived and began a full-scale recovery effort. Capt. Danielson's position was revealed to the North Vietnamese after he had deployed a smoke marker for the first rescue helicopter. The Communists opened a withering fire, driving the severely damaged helicopter away. Six subsequent attempts to extract the men from the hostile environment were made by the SAR teams. Each time, the helicopter was hit by ground fire and had to abandon its rescue effort. At 1848 hrs. the rescue efforts on the first day were officially suspended.
On December 6th, rescue efforts for the second day commenced at 0600 hours. At 0700, Lt. Bergeron reported hearing excited voices across the river, followed by a burst of automatic weapons fire and a chilling scream from the pilot. Lt. Bergeron was unable to effect any further communication with Capt. Danielson and presumed him captured. The valley was bombed and strafed for over five hours while Lt. Bergeron remained hidden in a bamboo thicket. All further pickup attempts were unsuccessful and rescue efforts ceased at dusk.
On December 7th at 0850 hours, rescue attempts commenced. This time Sandy 1, the on-scene commander, ordered the area sanitized with smoke, 20mm, CBU-30s, and heavy ordnance for three hours. By 1140 hrs., twenty-two A-1 Skyraiders circled the Nam Ngo River valley to protect the Jolly Green JG-77 helicopter and suppress the blistering enemy anti-aircraft fire. As the Jolly began its descent on the east side of the river, Lt. Bergeron dashed out as the helicopter lowered a rescue collar which he rapidly grabbed and was successfully hoisted aboard. Having eluded capture for over 50 hours and after 16 failed rescue efforts, Bergeron found himself en route to Nakhon Phanom Air Base in Thailand.
The entire SAR mission of 5-7 December would eventually become the largest rescue effort ever launched by the USAF, with some 336 sorties. Known in USAF annuals simply as Boxer-22, the 51-hour ordeal resulted in five A-1 Skyraiders receiving heavy damage, and five of the ten HH-53 Super Jollys sustained so much damage by ground fire that they were later scrapped.
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April 5th, 2015
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