1 - The Black Vault

PRAETORIAN STARSHIP
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Photo courtesy of Roland Guidry
The inscription on the cardboard beer case was later
adopted by the 8th SOS as its squadron’s motto—The
Guts to Try. The box top hangs on the wall of the 8th
SOS at Duke Field.
Everyone was mentally and physically drained.
Two British personnel assigned to the sultan of
Oman’s air force pulled up in a jeep and deposited
two cases of beer. Written on the cardboard case
was the phrase that has since become the motto of
the 8th SOS: “To you all, from us all, for having
the guts to try.” The beer was a welcomed respite
from the previous night’s tragedy. As everyone
settled down for a much needed rest, maintenance
crews were busy inspecting the aircraft.
Combat Talon 64-0565 was in bad shape.
Brenci had turned the aircraft over to maintenance,
and Oliver swung into action. Kyle asked
Oliver to inspect the aircraft to determine if it
was safe to fly. The large radome on the belly of
the aircraft, which housed ECM equipment, had
the front half torn off, and the rear of the radome
was filled with Iranian sand. There were skin
cracks in areas identified as “secondary structure,”
including the wing-fairing skin. Buie Kindle
inspected the landing gear, expecting to find damage
there due to the forces exerted during the
impact with the desert floor. Visual inspection revealed
no damage, but Oliver ordered a nondestructive
inspection (NDI) performed to determine
if there was damage not detectable to the naked
eye. On 26 April an NDI technician arrived by
way of a support C-130, and he set about inspecting
the aircraft. To Oliver’s surprise the landing
gear checked out fine. The NDI also showed minor
cracks in the wing areas, but Oliver determined
that the aircraft was safe to fly with a reduced
fuel load. 147
On 28 April Oliver and his Detachment 4 crew
departed Masirah Island in 64-0565 for Wadi
Kena with the NDI technician and Kyle on board.
Kyle was subsequently ordered back to Washington,
D.C., and departed Wadi Kena by way of a
C-141 bound for Europe and the United States.
After an overnight stay in Egypt, Oliver flew on to
Rhein Main AB by way of a refueling stop at
Sigonella AB. He requested an Air Force structural
engineer meet the aircraft in Germany. After
another day of inspections by the engineer, the
aircraft was certified as airworthy, and Oliver departed
Germany for Keflavik, Iceland. With stops
in Greenland and Goose Bay, Labrador, Oliver
flew on to Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, where he
stopped to brief the Air Force Logistics Command
vice commander on his participation in Eagle
Claw. The last leg of the flight terminated at LAS
Ontario. Aircraft 64-0565 had made it home.
Later inspections revealed that the leading- and
trailing-edge wing spars were severely cracked,
and the “rainbow” fittings, which provided the
means to attach the wings to the fuselage of the
aircraft, were also cracked. In short the aircraft
was in terrible shape. 148 The Talon would be dismantled
and rebuilt from the ground up. After
only nine months at LAS Ontario, Combat Talon
64-0565 was returned to the fleet and resumed its
distinguished service. Ironically, Turczynski was
the aircraft commander who accepted the aircraft
in February 1981. Lockheed technicians at LAS
Ontario had corrected every discrepancy in the
aircraft’s forms. The aircraft was on an “initial”
with no delayed discrepancies in the form K. It
was the only time in his career that Turczynski
flew a Talon with no write-ups.
The Holloway Commission Report
Over the next 10 days, the Talon crews made
their way back to their home bases. Turczynski
departed Masirah Island on 28 April and was the
last to leave. He retraced his route of flight
through Diego Garcia, where his crews again
spent the night. The next day his aircraft refueled
twice en route nonstop to Kadena AB. The
Hurlburt Field crews retraced their deployment
routes back through either Rhein Main AB or Lajes
Field. Uttaro and other designated crew members
stayed in Germany and provided an escort
for the remains of Lewis and his fallen airmen
after their release by the Iranians. Meller’s crew
also stayed in Germany for several days awaiting
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