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" If you are
able,
save for them a place inside of you
And save one backward glance
When you are leaving for places
They can no longer go.
Be not ashamed to say you loved them,
Though you may or may not have always.
Take what they have taught you
with their dying
And keep it with your own.
And in the time when men decide and feel
Safe to call the way insane,
Take one moment to embrace those gentle
Heroes you left behind."
-
Major Michael
Davis O'Donnell
1 Jan 1970 |
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Rich Ammons
served with the 16th SOS at
Ubon RAFB in Thailand. He was a co-pilot of
the A-130, And was also on the flight with
Gary Chandler when he was injured.
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Rich Ammons
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Rich Ammons
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Gary Chandler
Spectre Nav |
Gary Chandler's
story is one that was told often by Lang...
On March 3, 1972, Spectre Gunship 509 takes multiple 57mm hits.
One of the rounds came up
through the belly of the plane, hitting the base of flight
examiner seat. Upon impact the shell
exploded sending shrapnel through out the booth and injuring
it's occupants. Other personnel
thought to be involved included, Co-Pilot Rich Ammons, Rich
Halpin and Louis Kuhn.
Gary Chandler, having been the Flight Examiner, had the worst of
the injuries, his legs were said to
be in pretty bad shape. In fact he was afraid of losing them.
As stories are told......
"They had to hold Gary up so he wouldn't fall through the hole
in the floor of the plane."
Lang often talked about how once the crew made it back to base,
Gary pleaded to be taken to a "better hospital" were his legs
could be saved. Lang and a crew got a plane ready and flew Gary
to this hospital, "cutting through all the Red Tape as they
flew" Lang was nominated by his peers for a silver star for his
actions during that flight, but it wasnever granted.Gary was put
in for a congressional medal of honor, but was never granted
either.
After the War, Lang was stationed at Norton AFB, San Bernardino,
CA and was told that Gary Chandler resided in the Pacific
Northwest and that he barely walked with a limp.
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John Johnson
Spectre Pilot
John Johnson
served with the 16th
SOS at Ubon RAFB in Thailand. I have
been told that John Johnson stayed in
the same hootch as my father and Paul
Gilbert. He was a pilot of the E model
130. He was later promoted to LtCol ,
and lived in South Carolina back in
1978 when he retired . |
There are many
true stories of the Ape. . .
Name: Major Gib N. Ape
Position: Special Tactics Advisor
"There was a personnel file and a form 5 made out for him. He
had 12 combat flights with Dale Osborn and was on a manifest for
a flight where everyone received a Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC).
Needless to say, the "Higher Ups" had no sense of humor about
Major Ape getting a medal. It was a story
that hit the Stars
& Stripes
and can be found at the archives in the Air Force Museum.
Major Gib N. Ape was taken downtown for ice cream and to the
back of the Mess Hall to eat. He also had a party suit made at
Raja's with lots of zippers. When Dale rotated back to the
States, he gave the ape to a retired munitions loader that was
opening a country western bar outside the Main Gate at Ubon,
AFB." Submitted by Dale Osborn
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Louis Kuhn
He served with
the 16th SOS at Ubon RAFB in Thailand and he was on the same
flight when Gary Chandler was
injured.
From Frank
Metzger: I knew Louis Kuhn, He was stationed with me at
Charleston AFB in the early 1960s. He
was the Fire Control Officer on the
AC-130 when the Electronic Warfare Officers chair was hit and
dropped out of the aircraft. This happened about a foot in front
of his feet. Someone told me last month he had died. I don’t
know when or where. |
AC Paul Gilbert
Another member of the 16th SOS. Paul was Lang's
roommate at Ubon RAFB in Thailand and a good friend. He was lost
on June 18,1972. The plane went down that night when a heat
seeking missile (SA-7) hit an inboard engine (I think #3). It
was this incident that really destroyed Lang mentally. There
were 16 guys on Paul's aircraft that night and they were all
crew members that Lang flew with regularly. Lang was exhausted
from flying night after night and
the scheduler gave him the night off. Afterwards, Lang kept
thinking that if he had been there that night, he might have
saved Paul and his crew.
When the plane was hit, Paul held the plane level to give his
crew a chance to bail out. The plane kept level as the crew were
diving off the ramp, trailing flames, with every gun for miles
firing at it, when the plane exploded. Lang thought 5 people had
bailed out, only three made it back alive. |
Paul Gilbert
with Helmet Bag
Paul Gilbert
Spectre Aircraft Commander |
3-D Model
created by
George Knowles,
Ubon 1967-68 |
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Base Map of
Ubon 1968 |
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View of
the Ubon Air Base NCO & Airman's Clubs. The Base Chapel
is on the far left side of the photo |
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509 Battle
Damage
In the first
week of March, 1972, Spectre AC-130 Gunship # 509 took multiple
57mm hits, One hitting the underside of the plane, going up
through the floor of the Booth and hitting the seat of Gary
Chandler. After hitting the bottom of his seat, shrapnel was
sent though out the
booth injuring it's occupants and damaging the equipment. Still
# 509 manages to make it's way home to Ubon were it was met by
Maintenance and Medics. (Photos courtesy of SPECTRE
Maintenance Teams..BEST in the USAF! |
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014 Battle
Damage |
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044 Battle
Damage |
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Return to Ubon RTAFB of Spectre
22 Crew 13 |
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SPECTRE Maintainers, Ubon RTAFB |
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John Schrawder |
The Maintenance Office
at Ubon, RTAFB |
Back row: 3rd from the left
Brad StVain, Bob Wollman 2nd from the right
Carl Blake, Front row: John Schrawder
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? And Carl Blake |
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Maintenance Barracks
Day Room |
On the right Carl Blake The
other
man was nicknamed "Radar" from
M*A*S*H |
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Maintenance Barracks 1971 |
John Schrawder |
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SSgt. Thomas Combs
1971-72 Spectre
Crew Chief
AC-130-A Gunships # 55-0044 and #55-0043 |
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Howard
Stephenson ? |
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Lang Metzger's Velvet
painting from Thailand |
John Schrawder's Velvet
painting from Thailand |
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Various News
Articles |
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360th TEWS,Tan
Son Nhut AB, RVN
361st TEWS, Nha Trang
Lang was
stationed first the 360th TEWS in Tan Son Nhut, and than with
361st TEWS in Nha Trang, he navigated the EC-47 or Electric
Gooney Bird. Most of their missions involved Flying around to
intercept enemy radio. Lang also was an Instructor with
the 1st SOS
at Greiner Field, training the TEWS in 1968.
Lang's house
burned down in November 1968, destroying everything.
His mother has supplied all the photos below
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EC-47 in flight |
Flight Line in
Nha Trang |
Langford
Metzger |
Langford in Nha
Trang |
Fuel storage
Tank |
Nha Trang+ |
USAF photo
taken in Alaska. During a ferry flight?
From left to right: Unknown, Lt. Col. Crozier aircraft
commander, Unknown, Langford Metzger, other two still
unknown |
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Fred Koerner and John Hansen |
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Fred Koerner |
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Lang Metzger,
Lt. Col. Crozier and ? |
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Possible Lang's Roommate? |
Capt. Brandner,
Left Langford |
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center, Capt.
Brandner, Left Langford |
John Hansen and
Richard H. Wall SMSgt |
On Left, Capt.
Brandner |
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2nd from left
Capt. Hal Arner, Navigator |
Lt. Col. Cozier
on Left |
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House Girl |
Lt. Col. Cozier |
Lt. Col. Cozier |
Lang and his
"girl" |
John Hansen |
Lang Metzger,
Lt. Col. Crozier and ? |
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Langford
Metzger, Fred Koerner |
Langford and
Friend at the O' Club |
3rd from left
Hugh Langford, 4th Lang Metzger |
Jim Ebert |
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Lang at 1SOS WS, England AFB, LA
Were Lang
preformed temporary instruction on
the AC-119 training program. |
Lang at 1SOS WS, England AFB, LA
Lang went on
temporary duty at Greiner field, NH with the 3247th Special
Activities Squadron. This is the Squadron that was developing
training methods, and the Top secret technologies used in the
C/AC-47 . Lang was training Navigators and working with
civilians on new equipment . This is about the time he met John
Trudel, who was one of the civilian workers on the project, and
his future wife ,Linda. |
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Men who served
with Lang |
Dennis Lang |
Capt. Pat
Gilmore |
Capt. Dick
McCoy |
Capt. Jerry
Burgess |
George Lockwood
LANG AND I SAT
BACK TO BACK ON THE C-141s HE BEING THE NAVIGATOR AND I BEING
THE FLIGHT ENGINEER-------
HE NEVER STEERED US WRONG-----SO TO SPEAK------BECAUSE WE ALWAYS
GOT TO WHEREVER WE
WERE GOING ON TIME, ON COURSE, AND ON THE GROUND----------WE
FLEW QUITE A FEW UNEVENTFUL,
ROUTINE MISSIONS TOGETHER-------PRAISE THE LORD BECAUSE IF IT
WASN'T ROUTINE THEN IT WAS
SCARY.
ONE MISSION THAT BROUGHT US TO YOKOTA AB, JAPAN PROVED TO BE A
LITTLE UNNERVING.
WE WERE ON DESCENT FROM 35,000 FEET AND OFF IN THE DISTANCE WE
COULD SEE MOUNT FUJI WHICH IS AN EXTINCT VOLCANO KIND OF
HOVERING OVER TOKYO----ALL WAS WELL AND LANG WAS ON THE RADAR
WATCHING FOR ANY BAD WEATHER-----NONE WAS REPORTED AND WE WERE
MAKING OUR MERRY WAY DOWN TO THE RUNWAY---- ALL OF A
SUDDEN--------SMACK---WE GOT HIT WITH WHAT FELT LIKE A FEW
HUNDRED BASEBALL BATS----
ITS WHAT'S CALLED CLEAR AIR TURBULENCE( CAT )-----IT SHOOK THE
FILINGS OUT OF OUR TEETH AND
THE PENCIL MARKS OFF OF OUR PAPERS-----IT SHOOK US EVERY WAY BUT
LOOSE ( I BELIEVE ) FOR
ABOUT 45 TO 50 SECONDS----THAT IS AN AWFUL LONG TIME TO BE IN
THAT CHOP,BUT WE MADE IT------NO OTHER AIRCRAFT HAD REPORTED ANY
CAT SO LUCKY US HAD TO ENDURE IT AND WARN OTHERS OF ITS
LOCATION-------CAT CAN BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS ESPECIALLY CLOSE
TO THE GROUND---AIRCRAFT HAVE CRASHED ON TAKEOFF AND LANDING
AFTER ENCOUNTERING THESE MICRO BURSTS OF TURBULENT AIR-----THEY
CAN LOSE LIFT OR GET PUNCHED INTO THE GROUND BEFORE THEY CAN
RECOVER CONTROL----WE WERE STILL ON DESCENT AROUND 15000 FEET SO
WE WERE ABLE TO REGAIN CONTROL AT THAT
ALTITUDESORRY I COULDN'T TELL YOU ABOUT BULLETS FLYING OR BOMBS
A BURSTING AS I WAS IN ANOTHER OUTFIT CALLED "BLACK SPOT" WHICH
WAS ATTACHED TO "SPECTRE" AND ONLY FLEW ONE MISSION WITH THE AC
130s----YOUR DAD WAS NOT ON THE SAME FLIGHT AS THIS WAS BEFORE
HE ARRIVED IN THAILAND----MY OUTFIT HAD 2 AIRCRAFT THAT WERE
EQUIPPED WITH EVERYTHING THAT WAS ON STAR TREK IN THE LATE 60s
EXCEPT WE COULDN'T BEAM PEOPLE UP AND DOWN ( YOU KNOW----BEAM ME
UP SCOTTY )------JUST LIKE SPECTRE WE WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR AN
AWFUL LOT OF DESTRUCTION ON THE HO CHI MINE TRAIL-----WE DID IT
WITH BOXES OF BOMBLETS INSTEAD OF GATLING GUNS OR 40 MMs-------same
results |
Capt. Dave
Edens |
Capt. Vane Hugo
II |
Capt. Roy
Shields and his former wife Jan.
Capt. Lang Metzger and his wife Linda |
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36th TAC
Langley AFB, VA |
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Lang went on to
fly with the 36th Tactical Airlift Squadron
flying AC-130E planes. Once again, Lang flew with the Amy
Experimental board, including project "Brass Strike", "Garden
Plot" and "Deep Express". He would also go on three month
rotation to Rhein Main, Germany. While on rotation Lang worked
on "Fig Hill" the Humanitarian Airlift of Hospital unit to
Amman, Jordan .
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1964 Waco, TX.
Left to Right,
Front row: William R. (Rookey) Emerson (KIA), John Manno,
Charles A. Roose, Richard P. Shaefer, James
R. Cook, William R. Salisbury JR.,Theodore N. Mavrothens.
Second Row: Donald E. Burrell, Jon D, Hauger, James F. Kennedy,
Louis F. Guillermin, Donald E.
Johnson, Alox Damelio Jr., Ronald H. Combs.
Third Row: Timothy J. Curtis, Joesph Flynn III, Alexander T.
Johnson III, Virgil J. Mellott Jr., Eric E.
Wheaton, Ernest F. Anderson, Langford C. Metzger, Capt. Alvin
Desmond (KIA).
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Survival School
Not sure if
this was the class from 1964 or the class from 1966?
Names read left to right: Back Row, Max Paris, Ben Russell,
Frank Black, Tony Matthews(?), Skinny
Simpson, Langford Metzger
Front Row: ?, Tim?, Hill?
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One of my
favorite memories, Watching
T.V. with my dad |
Wedding to
Linda, Langley AFB,
Hampton, VA - July 31, 1972 |
The moving Wall
comes to New
Hampshire, sharing the history with the
next generation |
Veterans Day
1995, looking for the name
on Dad's MIA bracelet at The Wall. |
