Locher and Lodge

Been a bit hectic around Rancho Juvat the past few weeks.  Apparently My Beautiful Daughter (MBD) seems to have found the man of her dreams (MOHD).    Said MOHD happens to have the approval of Mrs Juvat.  I of course had to submit him to extreme verbal questioning about his intentions etc. etc.  before actually consenting.  

OK, OK....About halfway through lunch with small talk and nervous banter, I began to worry that he wasn't going to ask my permission.  So, I said "By the way, the answer is yes."  

A wave of relief washed across his face.

In all honesty, I couldn't be happier for them.  However.....

They want their wedding to be on July 14th.

Of course this year! Why do you ask?

So, we're kinda occupied right now.  This afternoon is venue shopping.  Update: This appears to be THE venue.  Nice place!

Then there was a small trip to Wisconsin this past week.  Mrs Juvat's Aunt passed away on Good Friday (an appropriate day I suppose) and as she was the last of her generation on Mrs J's side, we went to the funeral.

Arrived in time for the visitation.  The line went out the door.  Merceda had had a good and long life and many, many friends.  that was apparent.  

When we left Austin, it was a balmy 86, arrived in Milwaukee to a blustery 25.

The beloved wife thinks she's going to surprise me with a snowball attack.  Little did she know!

  We enjoyed that cold so much we brought that winter weather back to Texas with us.  Blech!

All of which put me behind the power curve for this week's posting.  As I was pondering subjects, I happened to be looking at the masthead and recognizing the names of all the individuals on board there.  However, there was one who's name I recognized but didn't recall the details of why Sarge might have put him up there.

I knew he'd done something extraordinary during the Vietnam War, because most of my instructors, all Vietnam Vets, would speak of him in hushed, honorary tones.  But, in those days before Google, researching details was a bit more complicated.  

Source

So, I decided that I would do that today.  Majors Bob Lodge and Capt Roger Locher were fighter pilots (yes....Capt Locher was a WSO, but fighter pilot is an attitude, not an AFSC)  in the 555th TFS stationed at Udorn AB Thailand.  The "Triple Nickle" was one of the more famous squadrons in Air Force History.  Specifically trained and manned to be an Air to Air squadron, it would eventually become the first F-15 equipped squadron.  In the Vietnam War, it provided dedicated protection for the strike packages from enemy aircraft.  

Major Lodge was generally accepted as the best fighter pilot in the squadron.  Why, you might ask.  Well, at the time of his death, he had been awarded the Silver Star 5 times, the Distinguished Flying Cross 7 times and the Air Medal 9 times.  Those are not "Attendance" medals, those are received for actual achievement and valor.  His Citations for the Silver Stars and DFC's can be found here. There's a stepper button to cycle between all 12, any one of which would make for a fine posting.

Major Lodge's Decorations.
Given that the Air Force order of merit in Decorations starts from the top, that's an awful lot of additional awards for the ones that really matter.

As I was doing research on this, I came across several good sources.  This one happens to provide a good synopsis of the air war in the later stages of the conflict. 

And, I should have known this would happen.  I had googled Maj Lodge's name and the Call Sign and was clicking through the results when I came across a familiar looking blogsite which provided nice details about his last fight.

So having been pre-empted by our fearless leader (in my defense, well before my tenure here started) and out of time, I must continue.

Something that impressed me more than his flying skills and bravery, was his sense of duty.  Major Lodge was in possession of some very classified information about capabilities of the F-4.  Specifically, its ability to interrogate the identification system the North Vietnamese used to control their fighters.

Source

Unlike US fighter pilots who can generally roam an airspace and attack the enemy in the manner of their choosing, NVN pilots were closely controlled from ground radar operators.  This required a means of tracking their planes via beacons on board.  The US had discovered a way to interrogate those beacons and use them to identify a radar contact as friendly or hostile.    

Theoretically, this would allow for Beyond Visual Range shots.  Nirvana for fighter pilots (especially if you're the only one with this capability).  I say theoretically, because of two reasons.  1) The Aim-7 radar guided missile at the time was not particularly reliable, and 2) ROE was generally restrictive and was not generally authorized after the first pass.  

However, knowledge that we had that capability would have resulted in changes in NVN procedures potentially denying the US that capability.  

Major Lodge understood all that as the unseen pop up Mig-19 cannon fire started hitting his aircraft.  Capt Locher recommended bailing out, Major Lodge gave him permission.  Capt Locher ejected and evaded the North Vietnamese for 23 days before finally being rescued.

Major Lodge stayed with the aircraft until it impacted the ground, thereby denying the North Vietnamese the opportunity to "interview" him about the capability. Honor, Duty, Integrity, Courage.  All attributes I regard highly.

Rest in Peace, Warrior!