Historian - September 2007

Located just northwest of Qui Nhon, within Binh Dinh Province and along the central coast of South Vietnam, the United Stated Air Force Civil Engineering Squadron built an airfield in 1966. It was called Phu Cat Air Base. Several of our Air Wings and Fighter Squadrons operated out of there during the Vietnam War.

To prepare our brave countrymen for air combat, a fighter pilot course was offered at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona in the spring of 1967. The incoming class was to be trained on the F-100 Super Sabre, a high performance USAF jet fighter aircraft. The students were Air Force elite – the best their units could offer.

In this class was a young man, a USAF officer by the name of Howard, or Howie as his friends called him. He was reportedly a good-natured and fun loving guy, and his class work was excellent. Most importantly, his tactical ability in the cockpit was exceptional. He was steady and calm, always had a good grasp of the situation that was confronting him, and was deadly under fire. As the weeks progressed, he emerged as the class leader and held the respect and admiration of his peers and superiors alike. He was their Top Gun.

Following graduation, Howie and many of his classmates reported for duty at Phu Cat Air Base. From there, he flew a two-seat F100F jet fighter, first from the rear seat and then from the front, concentrating primarily on missions over South Vietnam. On March 10, 1968, he took the front seat and fellow officer, Brian Williams, took the back seat and they took off on a particularly difficult and dangerous mission over Laos and the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Suddenly they came under heavy fire from the ground and their fighter took a fatal hit to the fuselage right behind Brian’s seat. With the severely damaged plane on fire, Howie turned toward the east and an area of dense jungle. With the fire about to enter the cockpit, Brian suggested that it was time to eject. Howie agreed and replied that he would be right behind him. About an hour later, an American helicopter rescue team located and picked up Brian. Unfortunately, there was no sign of Howie. Upon further search, they discovered the wreckage of the jet fighter about two miles further east in Quang Binh Province. By the time a rescue team was able to get through the dense jungle to the crash site, there was no sign of Howie.

For some time, many thought Howie had survived the crash and had been taken as a prisoner of war. Officially, he was listed as Missing in Action. Years later, the POW/MIA Resolution Task Force searched for answers to this and many other MIA mysteries. On February 26, 1992, there was a breakthrough, Howie was located.

The Task Force report stated that they had interviewed a local farmer living in the area of the crash site. The farmer said he had found a pilot at the base of a tree back on that March day in 1968. He indicated that the pilot was still in his parachute, but dead, and that he reported it to local military officials. Those officials came by, removed Howie's dog tags and told the farmer to bury him, which he did.

It is a matter of speculation whether Howie died as a result of the ejection, or rather was shot on sight, as was the fate of many pilots downed in Laos during the war. The farmer took the Task Force to the burial location and they excavated the gravesite. They only found small bone fragments, a flight suit zipper and a few teeth that allowed positive identification through dental records.

Howie’s remains were returned home and he was interred with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

Lieutenant Colonel Howard (Howie) Keith Williams, USAF, was born on October 25, 1936 in Stubenville, Ohio. His is one of countless stories of fallen heroes in the pages of our Nation’s history. He will be remembered by a grateful nation as an American patriot who gave his life in the service of his country. He will also be remembered by us as a brother Mason having joined St. John’s Lodge, No. 1 on January 12, 1966.

For more information on this aspect of the Viet Nam War unit, visit:

http://www.mistyvietnam.com/index.html

Contact Webmaster webmaster@stjohnslodge1.org