Richard Adams

Rick Adams

12 July 1966 -

Lt Bill Waechter/Lt(jg) Bob Wildman/ADJ2 Harley Olsen/AX1 Michael Brantly - penetrate 35 miles northwest of Haiphong to rescue VF-162 pilot Lt(jg) Richard F. Adams from a high altitude karst mountain area. Lt Adams was flying a F-8E Crusader (BuNo. 150902) from the USS Oriskany (CVA-34) when he was downed by small arms fire. RESCAP is provided by four A-1 Skyraiders (Callsign: Locket) from VA-152, also flying from the Oriskany. Crew draws fire during ingress and egress. Read rescue synopsis. This was the second time that Lt Adams had been shot down. Read about both of Lt Adams' shootdowns and subsequence rescues here - scroll to page 29.

Read more about the rescue efforts as described in "Leave No Man Behind - the Saga of Combat Search and Rescue" by George Galdorisi and Tom Phillips. This excerpt used with the gracious permission of the authors. The book can be ordered from Amazon.com and many other book sellers.

Read about Rick's rescue in the July 29, 1966 issue of Time magazine.

Read Bill Waechter's write-up of the rescue in the August 2008 issue of the Retired Northwest Pilot's Association "Contrails" magazine.


A SAM-1 Ground-to-Air missile like the one that shot Rick down the first time	Rick riding that bad boy

Updated: 01/21/11