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| The 353rd and 355th Tactical Fighter Squadrons (TFS) deployed 72 A-7D's to Korat Royal Thai AFB, Thailand, while the 356th TFS remained at Myrtle Beach. This was the first combat deployment of the A-7D into Southeast Asia. This operation was known as Constant Guard VI. The last shot fired in anger by United States military forces in Southeast Asia was fired by an A-7D of the deployed 353rd TFS assigned to Korat RTAFB on August 15, 1973. In October the wing rotated personnel at Korat once again, but with the establishment of the 3rd TFS in Thailand and the end of American combat in Southeast Asia, the mission of the 354th was ended. Some additional aircraft and equipment were transferred to the 388th TFW, and on May 23, 1974 the wing returned from Thailand and was recombined at Myrtle Beach AFB. See More... |
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Ling Temco Vought A-7D Corsair II
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Captain Anthony Shine was piloting his A-7D aircraft on a reconnaissance and escort mission December 2, 1972, near the border of Laos and North Vietnam when he radioed his wing man. Shine said he was descending below cloud cover for a closer look at their target area, a 10-mile stretch of road called Highway 7. Ten minutes had passed when the wing man tried to radio Shine; there was no answer. Airborne Command and Control directed an extensive two-day airborne search. Rescue teams reported a fire on the ground, but no aircraft wreckage. Almost 24 years later the serenity of Arlington National Cemetery was broken by the sharp report of rifle volleys followed by the haunting notes of "Taps." Lieutenant Colonel Anthony C. Shine had come home to rest in honored glory. Shine's remains were repatriated June 6, 1995. On Aug. 2, 1996, the Armed Forces Identification Review Board approved the identification of the remains as those of Anthony C. Shine. The Shine family has remained active in POW-MIA issues. In 1980 Bonnie Shine established an award in honor of her husband and all missing in action from the Southeast Asia conflict. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Shine's A-7 was downed without a trace on December 2, 1972, and for 14 years his family heard nothing. Finally, in 1987, there were leads. Reports of a crash site, witnesses and a helmet started filtering back to the United States. The government discounted the new information, ignoring the helmet because the Pentagon said it had no identifiable markings. A fuller probe of the site and a nearby grave yielded plane parts with serial numbers, a dog tag and remains with matching DNA. The Anthony C. Shine Award is given each year to a fighter pilot for proficiency and professionalism in flying a fighter aircraft. The award will be presented this year in a special ceremony honoring Shine and his long-awaited homecoming.
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