Vincent F. "Vic" Vicari
November 15 1927 - October 24, 1990
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Cruisebook picture not available |
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Awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart medals for the attempted rescue of Lt Deane Woods, USN - 12-16 October 1966 |
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Read rescue synopsis - October 16, 1966 of the rescue attempt |
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Ed Marsyla and Vic ready for a flight |
Vic, an aerial gunner in three wars, keeps
a vigilant lookout while airborne during the 1966 deployment
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Steve Caple, Ed Marsyla and Vic Vicari are returned to the USS Intrepid by Clementine in their new orange flight suits courtesy of the HC-2 Det |
Ed Marsyla, Dave Murphy, Steve Caple and Vic in either Danang or Chu Lai after the mission. They were then flown by COD to Cubi Point and eventually to R&R at Camp John Hay in Baguio City, P.I. |
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Vic waits for his Silver Star and Purple Heart alongside Dave Murphy (Navy Cross & Purple Heart) and Ed Marsyla (Silver Star & Purple Heart) |
| Ream Echo article about Vic's Silver Star Award Ceremony - 7 April 1967 |
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Read more about the efforts to rescue Deane Woods 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. | ||
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Deane Woods (right center) with other participants of the panel discussion "Valiant Rescue Attempt: North Vietnam" at the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation's 2009 Symposium. | ||
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Awarded the Air Medal for the rescue of Lt Neal Holben, USN - 5 July 1966 |
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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. | ||
Shipmate Comments:
from AW2 Pete Swanson:
AW1 Vincent Vicari was universally known as Vic. He served as an aerial gunner
in 3 wars and was one of the few aircrewman to be awarded a Silver Star in an
action for which the pilot got a lesser award. He always got a chuckle out of
walking on base at NTC, because he said "When those recruits get a load of all
this fruit salad and about a yard of longevity, they think the expletive Fleet
Admiral is coming."
He said when he retired he was going to move to Florida and be a security guard at Disney World. I hope he got to enjoy his retired years.
Updated: 04/24/11
