TBS 2-67 Cruisebook_Updated_7Jan23

during my time in-country. We would either have a
pre-planned mission or emergency scramble mission.
In the former we launched from Chu Lai as a two plane
flight with planned overhead arrival time at a specific
location, checked in by radio with the FAC who would
then direct our attacks. At other times it was an
emergency “scramble mission” and the 2-plane team
would jump in their jets and get airborne as fast as
possible. Other times, like when trouble was expected,
the 2-man teams would be sitting in their jets with
radios on listening to a specific channel and they
would get the call to launch now and check-in with a
FAC at a specific geographic location and altitude ready
to go right into the fight.
There was a particular mission I flew that had a
profound impact on my life. Well, to be truthful, the
entire span of my participation as a warrior from the
skies made a huge impact, on who I am, what I believe
in, and my relationship with God. This particular
mission resulted in a deeper relationship with God. We
were called out on a scramble mission south of Chu Lai
near Pleiku. Upon switching frequency to the Forward
Air Controller and checking in he gave us a hurry-up
brief. We had him in sight as we orbited the target area
orienting ourselves with the terrain and friendly troop
positions. We were told that a VC unit had holed itself
up in a Church, which turned out to be a Catholic
Church. (Many Vietnamese were Roman Catholic
oriented due to the French occupation of their country
prior to WW II.) Our target assignment was the
Church…. (Short pause for thoughts)….Well, okay, this
is war and our job is to kill the enemy. And the enemy
are in the Church. The FAC confirmed it, "put two 500
Second Platoon
pounders on the Church, make your run from south to
north on a heading of 020, you are clear to release on
my call." As flight leader I repeated the directions of
the FAC and called target in sight, lead in Hot. Rolling
out on the heading and setting the 10 degree dive
angle I put the bombsight reticle on a path to the
target, switched on the Master arming switch and wing
stations 2 and 4 (where the bombs were hanging) and
began tracking to the target.
As I approached the release altitude of 500 feet I
made a slight correction for wind drift and dive angle
and hit the release button on the control stick. Feeling
the two 500 pounders jettisoned from the wings as I
went through 500 feet I pulled back hard on the control
stick and away from the ground and pushed full
throttle. The Skyhawk nosed up to about 30 degrees
and climbing and I made a hard left turn for the
downwind leg of the attack pattern. As I began the
pullout the FAC came on the radio and was screaming
“those are perfect lead perfect, perfect” then abruptly
stopped, and a noticeable pause, then “right into the
church!, right into the church!”…then another
pause…."but they didn’t blow”. DRATS! I thought. Then
it suddenly hit me. I based the release on altitude
above ground level and the Church building (roof) was
about 40 or 50 feet above ground level. So, it was my
opinion that the bombs hit the roof before the
detonator mechanisms finished arming the bombs and
that caused them to not detonate.
God was looking out for his Church. Toby had a
serious learning experience, and it’s had a very
profound effect on the rest of my life. The remainder of
that flight we dropped ordnance on additional enemy
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