On 14 January 1968, an EB-66C (Preview 01) was shot down west of Hanoi by a MIG-21. Major Pollard [Sonny] Mercer was the pilot, Attilio [Pete] Pedroli the Instructor Navigator, Irby Terrell the Navigator with the following EWOs: Thomas Sumpter, Ronald Lebert, Hubert Walker and Jim Thompson. All 7 ejected, but Sonny Mercer's legs were broken in the ejection. Jim Thompson was the only EWO rescued. The other 3 EWOs were captured and spent the rest of the war as POWs. Mercer, Pedroli and Thompson were rescued several days after the shoot-down. Mercer was air-evacuated to the Philippines where he died in the hospital from a blood clot to the brain. Pete Pedroli and Jim Thompson went on to complete their combat tours at Takhli.

Background and story of Shoot-Down:
[Based on Ned Colburn's recollection of events and what Pete Pedroli and Jim Thompson related to me]. Rivet Top [EC-121] had just arrived in theater for Operational Suitability Testing and was so successful that it remained in SEA rather than return to the U.S. for modification. River Top had intercept gear that reportedly did the impossible of showing on a PPI exactly what the N. Vietnamese radar controllers saw on their ground scopes.

On or about 12 January 1968, Rivet Top observed and reported to Saigon what they correctly deemed was preparation to shoot down a B-66, since we were the first on station preceding a bomb strike and flew unescorted without fighter cover. The B-66 always got its share of attention since there was time for one MIG sweep into the B-66 orbit area, before the Fighter Bombers arrived.

Following the completion of Rolling Thunder operations for the afternoon and after all USAF & USN activity ceased over North Vietnam, Rivet Top observed MIGs taxi and take-off without any radio transmissions whatsoever during the entire flight profile. Prior to this time, the usual radio calls were made to Ground Control, Tower and GCI as the MIGs called for Taxi-Take Off, with IFF on and the mission controlled by GCI Radar Operators. The MIGs taxied out, took-off and flew with their transponders off, tracked 240 from Hanoi and then started a climbing turn into the orbit area and altitude that the B-66s flew West of Hanoi. Rivet Top passed the information to Saigon with the correct analysis that a B-66 shoot-down was being rehearsed – with not a peep from Hanoi relayed as a warning to Takhli.

On 14 January 1968, Sonny Mercer and crew arrived on station and began their orbit to perform their dual mission of jamming and missile threat warning – when, without any warning, the right engine was hit by an air-to-air infrared heat seeking missile. All 7 successfully ejected. Sonny Mercer, Jim Thompson and Pete Pedroli landed in the jungle on a mountain – with Irby Terrell, Tom Sumpter, Ronald Lebert and Hubert Walker landing in a valley where they were immediately captured by the North Vietnamese Army and held as POWs for the duration of the war. Pete Pedroli drifted toward the valley and was saved from becoming a POW when his chute snagged the only tree that grew out over a cliff. One of Pete’s arms was completely numb and useless from his shoulder and arm being injured in the ejection. The NVA started shooting at Pete but never hit him as he tied stair-steps in his shroud lines to climb up into the tree – proving that necessity is truly the Mother of Invention when it is virtually impossible to tie knots in string with only one good hand. Once into the tree, Pete faced the dilemma of how to get to the jungle floor perhaps 200 feet below him. He found 2 growths of bamboo that were parallel to one another and curved down toward the ground. Sitting on the lower bamboo limb, Pete got his bad arm draped over the top branch of bamboo and grabbed the bad arm with his good hand as he shimmied down the bamboo inch by inch. Eventually the bamboo went straight down, and at this point no doubt totally exhausted, Pete let go and went crashing to the jungle floor – 100 or more feet below him. Pete told us how everything was pitch black in the jungle foliage, with vegetation so dense that you couldn’t possibly hack your way through such jungle to escape and evade – so he had no option but to stay put in an area about 8’ x 8’ until he was rescued. Sonny Mercer, Pete Pedroli and Jim Thompson all made radio contact with airborne friendlies – and settled down for their first night in North Vietnam.

In 1992, a National Security Agency (NSA) correlation study of all communist radio intercepts pertaining to missing Americans, which was presented to the Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs in a classified format, was finally declassified and made public.

According to this document, 2 North Vietnamese radio messages were intercepted and correlated to this incident. The NSA synopsis states: "Note: shot down by air-to-air (AAM) from MiG-21. No reflections of crew status. One MiG-21 from Phuc Yen was … medium altitude to draw off MiG CAP, while two Vietnamese-piloted MiG-21's were … at low altitude to the EB-66, conducted a pop-up maneuver and downed the EB-66."

For details of the thrilling rescue by Jolly Green 20, an
HH-3E from the 37th ARRS, DaNang, RVN.

Postscript by Al FitzSimons

A little additional info you may not know. The EWO crew leader Ron Lebert took my place so I could take an orientation ride in the newly upgraded jamming model. He took the crew leader "bag" which I was signed for and later I had to deal with the security folks about. The strike mission was canceled due to bad weather so the C model was orbiting in NE Cambodia where it protrudes into North Vietnam.

What makes it really interesting is that I had been warned on the QT about a week before by the AF EW Center rep that I should be very attentive to any MIG 21 radar transmissions I might pick up because they may be trying to shoot me down or another C model crew. I didn't take it very seriously at the time but now I wonder.

My family and I wore bracelets with Ron's name on them until we saw him get off the C-141 plane - it was a wonderful event for me to know he had survived. Jim Thompson and I had been crewed up for some time and I think we met in EW school. We were all anxious to find out from him how the downward ejection process worked. As I recall he advised not to manually deploy the shoot too soon because its really cold up there. The rumor I heard about Sonny Mercer is that he died of a reaction to the anaesthesia. The irony of being saved in the jungles of SE Asia only to die in a hospital. I believe this led to some investigation of pilot clearance in the ejection process. I believe they found a problem in the "B" model EWO position also.

Crash! Combat Loss; EB-66C; 55-388; 14 Jan 68

Appeared routine mission; MIGs headed south, then west, then NW. * hit right engine; loss control; ECM compartment no damage; R-3 first out; survivors stayed longest in NVN so far in war.

PILOT--Sr Pilot picked up on 17 Jan, died Clark AB blood clot in leg, knee cap broken MERCER, Polland H. Jr. (Sonny) Maj FR81161

NAV--Instructor NAV picked up 17 Jan Okay
PETROLI, Attilo Major FR308016 minor wounds

STUDENT NAV--one of first flights -- never heard from MIA WALKER, Hubert C. Capt FV31457724

R-1-- Student EWO; old friend from Spang and Chelveston, MIA SUMPTER, Thomas W. Jr., Maj FR32044

R-2--EWO; One of first few flights MIA
TERRELL, Irby D. Jr., Maj FV1372085

R-3 EWO; pickjed up 17 Jan Okay
THOMPSON, James E. 1/LT FV1372085 (note either this or Terrell's # in
error)

R-4--EWO Crew Leader, tall, thin, quiet MIA
LEBERT, Ronald M. 1/LT FV3176215

REASON: MIG attack IR missile.

After our release from Hanoi in Mar 1973, Tom Sumpter, Ron Lebert and I were expecting to hear from some of our old crew mates. We didn't expect to hear from Sonny Mercer (who died at Clark AB hospital), nor from the guy who caused our shoot down by his negligence, but we did expect to hear from some of the others.

NONE OF US EVER HEARD A WORD FROM ANYONE! EVEN WHEN I WAS
AT MATHER AFB IN THE FALL OF 1973!! WHY DO YOU SUPPOSE THAT IS?

Anyone who knew Pete Pedroli will undoubtedly concur that he is truly one of the most decent human beings to ever fly over or walk on planet earth – in addition to his professional attributes, which we all admired as well. As I recall, Pete was from New England. Thus far, I have not been able to locate him but will keep trying. In 1968, National Geographic Magazine had an article about Air Rescue in which the EB-66C shoot-down was mentioned, along with the tearful reunion of Sonny Mercer and Pete Pedroli in the rescue chopper. I vaguely recall something in Reader's Digest, but am not certain the story was also covered there.

On 18 January 1968, in EB-66C [468], we flew the same identical mission that Mercer and crew had flown 4 days earlier and still hadn't received an alert warning from Saigon of what Rivet Top had correctly assessed was going on. We had just made our first orbit when Raven 3 detected a MIG-21 AI Radar in Acquisition Mode painting our aircraft, followed by the dreaded high PRF steady lock-on that meant missiles would be forthcoming in 5 seconds or less. Raven 3 called "MIG, MIG -- break left" twice, responded to by "Say Again" from the pilot, before the warning was finally understood the third time. Just as we broke left, the missiles and MIG-21 passed harmlessly on our right hand side.

The pilot was our Squadron Commander -- a SAC veteran who had spent 17 years in one squadron, progressing from 2nd Lt to Lt Col before being assigned to Takhli and becoming 41st TEWS Commander through Spot Promotions with Date of Rank Adjustment when he made Lt Col the normal way. This mission produced my DFC -- which I have always wondered if it was awarded from flying with this particular Squadron Commander or exposure to the MIG-21. Guess I'll never know!

The last time I saw our illustrious 41st TEWS Squadron Commander was in Denver when he was attending a Fighter Pilot Convention -- despite the fact that he had never been a Fighter Pilot. Back to Pete Pedroli who is currently MIA for the second time since nobody seems to know his whereabouts. We need to put out an All Points Bulletin and alert SAR to find Pete -- who is the most ideal candidate I can think of as the Featured Speaker for an EB-66 reunion.

During my tour at Takhli from November 1967 to November 1968, EB-66 Operations were conducted under the leadership of Colonel Harrison Lobdell and then Colonel Robert Hoyt as the 355th TFW DCO for EB-66 operations. On occasion, Colonel Lobdell would honor us with his presence in the Officer’s Club – more often than not, wishing he had stayed away.

On night Lt Colonel Oliver [41st TEWS Squadron Chief EWO] approached a group of EWOs at the end of the bar to inform us that Colonel Lobdell thought there was too much drinking going on. I asked Colonel Oliver who the offenders might be, and his reply was “People like you”. Being a teetotaler, I was holding a beer in each hand as Les [Don] Sims and another EWO scuffled in mock battle. About this time Colonel Lobdell approached the group, so I walked over to ask him who was doing too much drinking, just as a can of someone else’s beer slipped from my hand, hit the floor upright and slowly toppled over and eradicated Colonel Lobdell’s spotless shoe shine – just as I asked him who he thought was drinking too much. His pointed answer was, “You are”.

Two days later I found my crew scheduled to fly with Colonel Lobdell. As we went feet wet in our egress from North Vietnam and got over the Gulf of Tonkin, Colonel Lobdell came up on ship’s interphone with the announcement: “Pilot to Raven 4. We are simulating the loss of all radio communications as well as total loss of all navigation equipment – Radar, Doppler, VOR, TACAN and N-1 compass. All we have to navigate by is the Standby Whiskey Compass. It’s up to the Ravens to navigate us back to Takhli.”

Via direction-finding bearings on friendly signals [VOR, TACAN, Monkey Mountain Radar and the U.S. Marine Mobile Aircraft Control Unit south of the DMZ, we navigated Colonel Lobdell back to Takhli, and as we approached the airfield, I asked if he wanted us to conduct a 360 Degree Overhead Surveillance Approach to line him up on final. He declined our offer of further assistance to get the aircraft on the ground, terminated the exercise and called GCA for a straight in approach. Colonel Lobdell had no comments pro or con over our success in lieu of failure – and he never scheduled my crew to fly with him again once the Boozy Breathed Back-Enders had proved that they were mission capable under all hazardous conditions – enemy or friendly.

Colonel Lobdell was replaced by Colonel Robert Hoyt -- another longtime B-66 pilot whom I had last served with in France. When Colonel Hoyt discovered that Les [Don] Sims and I were at Takhli, he practically threw his arms around us with joy in knowing that out of the mass array of EWOs there were exactly 2 of us with time in the B-66. [The others, Bill Starnes, John Rispoli and Buck Wade had rotated, and Ed Breck had been killed on a motorcycle].

The meaning of Attraction/Repulsion became vividly clear as Colonel Hoyt restrained himself from breaking up the Mutt & Jeff Routine that Les Sims and I conducted in the Officer’s Club, terrorizing the F-105 jocks and anyone else who did their put-down of the EB-66.

Animosity between the Thud Crews and EB-66ers reached the exploding point during an EB-66C End of Tour Party in the stag bar, when 2 Thud pilots entered the bar in their pretty little flight suits, grabbed 2 bottles of B-66 booze and dumped it on the floor and then yanked the table cloth out from under the banquet food [Popcorn, Cheese & Baloney] and scattered it all over the floor. Jack Remsen [EB-66 navigator] proceeded to grab both Thud pilots by the neck and put them down on their knees side by side on the floor, then grabbed the fire extinguisher and hosed them down. They got up, ran out of the club and soon returned with all their cronies in their cute little party flight suits and walked up to the nearest table of EB-66s where they tipped the table over as prelude to the bedlam that quickly ensued. Little Les Sims was the first EB-66er on his feet, and selecting the biggest F-105 jock in the crowd, Les confronted him with “You’re nothing but a glorified bus driver”, at which time Les got hit smack dab in the kisser. The next person off a bar stool was Bill MacLauren who had more than a few things to say to the Thud Drivers. The Fearless Fighter Pilots quickly left the club when they saw they were outgunned by the troops that flew the unarmed EB-66.

The heightened tensions between the F-105 & EB-66 crewmembers drew command attention, and Colonel Giraudo told the F-105 boys to tone things down a bit and stop harassing the EB-66ers. Les Sims took advantage of the peace treaty to add more tempo to his normal shenanigans by going behind the bar, removing the beautiful polished stainless steel F-105 model and placing it in the middle of a table of EB-66ers. The Thud Jocks were never successful in retrieving their F-105, which the EB-66ers always restored to its place of honor behind the bar.

On another occasion in the Officer's Club, the Fearless Fighter Pilots were bouncing a tennis ball off the teakwood paneled walls, when 6’ - 4” Jim Willett [All American football player from Iowa State – EB-66 EWO] caught the tennis ball in midair, only to have a very irate F-105 Jock belligerently demand that the ball be returned without delay. Jim rose up out of his chair to his full 76” height and said, “Say please”. The Thud Jock complied, followed by Jim then requiring him to say “Pretty Please” and then “Pretty Pretty Please” – after which Jim returned the tennis ball and told junior to go back to the play pen.

One night in the Officer’s Club during Operation Enduring Peace, Little Les Sims asked Colonel Giraudo if he would come forward to receive a Peace Trophy from the EB66ers. As the beaming Wing Commander approached the bar, Les Sims presented Colonel Giraudo with a huge carving of 2 fornicating elephants, which Les Sims asked to be permanently displayed behind the bar right along side the stainless steel model of the F-105. Colonel Giraudo agreed, and as he placed the elephants by the F-105, Les said “No, Colonel – you have them backwards – do a 180 on them”. As Colonel Giraudo reversed the fornicating elephants, all the EB-66ers roared with laughter, since Les Sims had painted “B-66” on the elephant doing the fornicating and “F-105” on the receiving elephant. The Meek Mild Mannered Fearless Thud Jocks left the fornicating elephants right beside their beloved F-105 model, and for a spell and season a bit of respect was shown to the Rodney Dangerfield EB-66ers.

I left Les Sims on his own to finish out the remaining 6 months of his tour at Takhli – only to receive letters from Les saying that he had made both Major and Regular, and it was questionable whether Colonel Hoyt was going to allow the promotion and regular commission to go through, or send Les to Leavenworth. Les became a Major, Regular Air Force – and was later killed in a EB-57 crash. The Air Force lost a truly great little guy who had an infectious sense of humor and will always be known for his practical jokes – along with his professionalism in the air.

Lt Col Mel Eisaman once told me about an EWO he flew with at Hill AFB who was the orneriest little sucker he had ever seen by the name of Les Sims. A flight of EB-57s had weather diverted to a Navy base where a formal attire, husband and wife function was being held in the Navy Officer’s Club. The EB-57 crews congregated in the Stag Bar feasting on popcorn and beer since they couldn’t go into the main dining room to eat in their sweaty, stinky flight suits. They kept playing the juke box too loud for the MC to be heard in the Navy gathering in the next room, so the Admiral sent his aide to the Stag Bar to tell the Air Force to decrease the decibels. When his request wasn’t complied with, the aide returned and unplugged the juke box. Les Sims immediately restored power and turned the juke box up full blast – when the Admiral sent a Captain [0-6] to order the Air Force to tone it down. The Captain approached Major Eisaman, dressed him down and ordered that the juke box be left unplugged. About this time, Les Sims disappeared and reemerged from the kitchen with 2 raw eggs that he slipped into the pouch pocket of the Captain’s uniform – with Les then throwing his hip against the Captain to scramble the raw eggs in his pocket.

Then there was the time at Toul-Rosieres AB, France when Les slipped some gun powder in the ash tray in the operations section that Vaughn Wells inadvertently ignited when he flipped hot cigarette embers into the ash tray. Vaughn instinctively knew which direction to reach and who to strangle, as Les Sims went into his 9 skill level escape and evasion act. These were just a few of many times that Dynamo Les Sims somehow avoided a PCS tour to Leavenworth. Sure do miss that little guy.

I well remember the beer on Harrison Lobdell's shoes and most of the incidents envolving Les Sims. I was with Les at Hill Field and well remember the eggs and noise at the Navy Club -- it was some evening -- we had 12 EB-57s on that ADC Exercise. Les was a great guy and I am sorry he is gone -- great loss.

Regarding Bob Hoyt, I was there to welcome him to Takhli replace H. Lobdell. I had know them both at Shaw and England much before Takhli. Also, Bob signed my 1,500 B-66 certificate from Douglas that hangs above my computer at home. Bob was a joy always and did not think pilots were the only ones in the air. Bob was my first squadron commander -- the 16th TRSq at Shaw in Sept 53. I was assigned to the ECM Cell of two TB-25J jammers and three B-26B hard nosed Hunter Killers. I understand he is doing well (he must be 78 or so now) and lives in Sumter, SC.

A short time after the 12th TFW started flying the Silver Dawn missions in the Fall of 1968, the 12th TFW also started getting tasked to fly MIG CAP and Escort missions for pairs of EB-66's that were flying Electronic Warfare missions in Route Package 6. Almost all of these missions were north of Hanoi, just below the Chinese buffer zone that was established about 15 nautical miles south of the China border.

The EB-66's seemed to be a priority target for the North Vietnamese at that time because very often 2 MIG-21's would attack the flight at very high airspeed, 1 pass, then head into China with impunity because of the buffer zone that they must have known existed.

Courtesy of George Devorshak, Colonel, USAF (Ret), 12th TFW

There was one incident that took place at Takhli that I had recently thought about. Just before my rotation back to the states I was assigned a technician to train to take my place. As most of you know it took several hours to perform a maintenance preflight on the Destroyer. Since most of aircrew types decided to go flying over the North very early, us maintainers had to be up half the night making sure that you got back safely.

Early one morning, as the sun was just coming up, our aircrew arrived. The Nav and EWO climbed into the aircraft while the pilot performed the walk around. I decided to let the trainee handle things. Starting on the left side, around the nose to the right engine intake and exhaust everything went fine. When they got to the back of the aircraft the pilot squatted to look at the underside of the aircraft. The area bristled with antennae and was very dirty
(it was difficult to keep the bomb bay door hydrolic system tight and leak free).

The pilot looked at the dirty underside of the aircraft, glanced over to the trainee and asked "why is this aircraft so dirty?" Without hesitation, the trainee said, "I don't know, I don't fly it". The pilot looked at the trainee in astonishment, then glanced over to me. I took over the walk around after that and explained to the pilot that what we had here was a trainee, and that both of us would clean the aircraft upon its return. The incident was a classic humor in uniform moment.