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Col.
James William O'Neil, U.S. Air Force (ret.) passed away June 7, 2013,
in Las Vegas. He served during the Vietnam War and was a POW at Hoa
Loa prison. Col O'Neil was born Oct. 20, 1930, in Canada and served
over 28 years in the U.S. Air Force. He was a highly decorated F-84F, F-100, and F-105F/G Wild Weasel fighter pilot. Col O'Neil served as Operations Officer for the 66th Fighter Weapons Squadron at Nellis from December 1970 to January 1972, when he deployed to Southeast Asia. He served as an F-105G pilot and Operations Officer for the 17th Wild Weasel Squadron at Korat Royal Thai AFB from January 1972 until he was forced to eject over North Vietnam and was taken as a Prisoner of War on September 29, 1972. After spending 182 days in captivity, Col O'Neil was released during Operation Homecoming on March 29, 1973. Col O'Neil's final assignment was as Assistant Deputy Commander for Maintenance of the 23rd TFW at England AFB, Louisiana, from August 1976 until his retirement from the Air Force on July 1, 1980. See More.
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Thursday, July 25, 2013
Col James W. O'Neil, F-105G Wild Weasel
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On 29 September 1972, F-105G tail number 63-8302 was operating as a SAM suppressor for a strike near Hanoi. The aircraft was locked up by an SA-2 missile radar at Phuc Yen and shortly afterwards was struck by an SA-2. The aircraft caught fire and within minutes the crew was forced to eject about 23 miles west of Hanoi. Both crewmen had good chutes..., but SAR efforts were turned back due to weather and MiG fighters in the area. The two crewmen were Lt Col James W. O'Neil (Pilot) of Los Angeles, California, and Captain Michael J. Bosiljevac (EWO) of Omaha, Nebraska. Radio Hanoi announced that both crewmen were captured alive, but only Lt Col O'Neil returned with the other POWs; Hanoi denied knowledge of Captain Bosiljevac and he was continued as Missing in Action. Lt Col O’Neil was released during Operation Homecoming, but Captain Bosiljevac remained captive. He died in captivity. On September 24, 1987 Major Bosiljevac’s remains were returned to the U.S. Government by Hanoi, with positive identification announced on 3 February 1988
ReplyDeleteIt was September 29, 1972, approximately 10,000 feet over North Vietnam west of Hanoi. An Air Force F-105G, one of a flight of four, was streaking through the sky on a SAM missile suppression mission. Mike Bosiljevac was the Electronic Warfare Officer. Lt. Colonel Jim O’Neil
ReplyDeletewas the pilot. Closing on the target, O’Neil fired a Shrike AGM-45—an American anti-radiation missile designed to home-in on hostile anti-aircraft radar. Moments later a North Vietnamese SAM missile exploded 50 to 100 feet under the aircraft. Shrapnel raked the F-150Gs underside. There was an explosion. Warning lights flashed. Col. O’Neil was able to control his aircraft for about five minutes. He headed away from the Hanoi area. The plane stopped responding. O’Neil initiated ejection. He and Mike were blown out of their disabled aircraft. Two parachutes opened. Col. O’Neil saw Captain Bosiljevac descending below him. He saw that some of Mike’s parachute lines had been cut to allow him to better manage his descent. They landed about a quarter-mile apart. Although Jim did not see Mike on the ground—there was considerable green foliage, and Mike was wearing a green flight suit—Jim did see Mike’s parachute, life raft, and associated gear. Jim O’Neil was imprisoned in two places, twice. His odyssey began at the “Hanoi Hilton,” where he would be held in solitary confinement for about six weeks. Then he was sent to a nearby prison the POWs dubbed the “Zoo.” After that, he was sent back to the Hilton, and then again to the Zoo.
Although at each of those places, both times, Jim inquired about Mike as best he could, no fellow POW had ever heard of him. About ten days after being first locked up at the Hilton, Jim had a brief conversation with a North Vietnamese political indoctrinator.
According to Jim’s March 31, 1973 debriefing at Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines, “Lt. Col. O’Neil recalls querying the prison guard as to the status of Capt Michael J. Bosiljevac. He states the guard left the room and returned shortly saying Capt Bosiljevac was ‘here’ and uninjured. Col. O’Neil assumed that guard had obtained an official response to his query. Col. O’Neil further states at that time he did believe the guard’s response.” The political indoctrinator enigmatically added that Mike was “luckier than you [O’Neil].” It was not clear then what he meant, nor is it now.