The FReeper Foxhole Remembers AFC John Levitow & The Saving of Spooky 71(2/24/1969) - Jan. 7th, 2004

www.mishalov.com ^ | John L. Frisbee, Contributing Editor

[SAMWolf]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.

...................................................................................... ...........................................

U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues

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The Saving of Spooky 71

A1C John Levitow had only seconds to save the lives of eight crewmen aboard the battle-damaged gunship.

Heroism knows neither age nor rank. During World War II and Vietnam, five airmen earned the Medal of Honor. Junior among them was 23-year-old Airman First Class John L. Levitow, loadmaster on an AC-47 gunship, Spooky 71, that on the night of Feb. 24, 1969, went to the aid of besieged troops at Long Binh Army Base a few miles northeast of Saigon. It was John Levitow's 181st combat sortie.

Airman First Class
John L. Levitow

On operational missions, Loadmaster Levitow was responsible, among other duties, for setting the ejection and ignition controls of the Mark-24 magnesium flares carried by USAF gunships in Southeast Asia. The flares provided illumination for troops on the ground, for the gunship's pilot to aim his three side-firing 7.62-mm Miniguns, and for fighters that might be called in to help suppress enemy fire.

Once the controls were set, the Mark-24, packed in a three-foot long metal tube weighing about 27 pounds, was passed to a gunner who triggered the arming mechanism and who tossed the tube out the plane's cargo door. Ten seconds after release, an explosive charge opened the flare's parachute, and in another 10 seconds the magnesium ignited, generating a light of 2,000,000 candlepower. At 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit, the flare could burn through metal. The Mark-24 was not to be treated casually. Improperly handled, it could be painfully lethal.


The AC-47, Spooky 71, that John L. Levitow saved from disaster

On that February night, Spooky 71 had been in the air for four and a half hours when Maj. Kenneth Carpenter, the aircraft commander, was directed to an area south of the Army base where enemy mortars were laying down a heavy barrage. As the plane arrived at its target area, Levitow handed a flare to Amn. Ellis Owen, whose finger was through the safety pin ring preparatory to tossing the flare through the door at Carpenter's command.

Suddenly Spooky 71 was rocked by a tremendous blast. An 82-mm mortar shell had exploded inside the gunship's right wing, showering the cargo compartment with shrapnel. All five crew members in the rear of the plane were hurled to the floor, bleeding from shrapnel wounds. Spooky 71 fell into a steep, descending turn to the right, momentarily out of control. The flare, torn from Owen's hands by the blast, rolled around the aircraft floor fully armed amidst several thousand rounds of live ammunition for the Miniguns.



Through a haze of pain and shock, Levitow, with 40 shrapnel wounds in his legs, side, and back, saw one of the crew lying perilously close to the open cargo door. As he dragged the wounded man to safety, Levitow spied the armed, smoking flare rolling erratically around the cargo compartment. How long had it been since the safety pin was pulled inadvertently--five seconds? Fifteen seconds?

Levitow had no way of knowing. He did know that the timing mechanism could have been damaged, which might result in premature ignition. In a matter of seconds the flare would ignite, its intense heat turning the stricken gunship into an inferno.

Navigator William Platt later said the plane was "lit up like daylight."



Sgt. Edward Fuzie, wounded in the blast, watched three men be knocked over by the impact, one covered with blood.

Levitow, who mistakenly believed that the AC-47's machine gun had exploded was hit by shrapnel that "felt like a two-by-four." He knew something traumatic had severely damaged the plane but was unsure what.



Carpenter learned over the intercom that everyone in the back of Spooky 71 was wounded and that there was a new mortal danger — a loose, burning Mark 24 magnesium flare had been knocked free in the fuselage and was rolling amid ammunition cans, which contained 19,000 rounds of live ammo.

In less than 20 seconds the AC-47 would become a blazing torch. Levitow had no way to know how many seconds remained on the flare's fuse. Weak from the loss of blood and numb from 40 wounds on his right side, Levitow realized that he was closest to the flare.

With others seriously wounded, there was no way the crew could bail out.



Weakened from loss of blood and partially paralyzed by his wounds, Levitow tried vainly to pick up the flare as it skidded around the floor. Seconds ticked by. Finally, in desperation, he threw himself on the flare, dragged it to the open door, a trail of blood marking his path, and pushed it out just as it ignited in a white-hot blaze. Levitow then lapsed into unconsciousness.

As recounted in the Air Force's official history, Carpenter remembered, "The aircraft [was] in a 30-degree bank and how Levitow ever managed to get to the flare and throw it out, I'll never know."



Carpenter managed to regain control of the gunship, its wings and fuselage riddled by 3,500 shrapnel holes, one of them three feet in diameter. Ambulances and a medical evacuation helicopter were waiting on the flight line at Bien Hoa, Spooky 71's home base, when the battered plane landed with its five injured crewmen--two of them, including John Levitow, seriously wounded. Levitow was flown to a hospital in Japan. After he recovered, he flew 20 more combat missions before returning to the States to complete his enlistment as a C-141 loadmaster at Norton AFB, Calif.

On Armed Forces Day, May 14, 1970, President Nixon presented the Medal of Honor to Levitow in a ceremony at the White House. The young airman's heroism in the night sky over Vietnam had added another chapter to the saga of valor that is a vital element of the Air Force heritage.



Airman First Class John L. Levitow's Medal of Honor Citation:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sgt. Levitiow (then A1C), U.S. Air Force, distinguished himself by exceptional heroism while assigned as a loadmaster aboard an AC-47 aircraft flying a night mission in support of Long Binh Army Post.

Sgt. Levitow's aircraft was struck by a hostile mortar round. The resulting explosion ripped a hole 2 feet in diameter through the wing and fragments made over 3,500 holes in the fuselage. All occupants of the cargo compartment were wounded and helplessly slammed against the floor and fuselage. The explosion tore an activated flare from the grasp of a crewmember who had been launching flares to provide illumination for Army ground troops engaged in combat.

Sgt. Levitow, though stunned by the concussion of the blast and suffering from over 40 fragment wounds in the back and legs, staggered to his feet and turned to assist the man nearest to him who had been knocked down and was bleeding heavily. As he was moving his wounded comrade forward and away from the opened cargo compartment door, he saw the smoking flare ahead of him in the aisle. Realizing the danger involved and completely disregarding his own wounds, Sgt. Levitow started toward the burning flare. The aircraft was partially out of control and the flare was rolling wildly from side to side.

Sgt. Levitow struggled forward despite the loss of blood from his many wounds and the partial loss of feeling in his right leg. Unable to grasp the rolling flare with his hands, he threw himself bodily upon the burning flare. Hugging the deadly device to his body, he dragged himself back to the rear of the aircraft and hurled the flare through the open cargo door. At that instant the flare separated and ignited in the air, but clear of the aircraft.

Sgt. Levitow, by his selfless and heroic actions, saved the aircraft and its entire crew from certain death and destruction. Sgt. Levitow's gallantry, his profound concern for his fellowmen, at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the US Air Force and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.

Thanks to FReeper Professional Engineer for suggesting and researching this Thread

[SAMWolf]

Medal of Honor Recipient Has More than 10 Minutes of Fame

John Levitow, an ordinary man who performed an extraordinary act and received the Medal of Honor, stood in front of the C-17 that bore his name, and welled up with pride. "It's kinda creepy looking up and seeing your name," he told the crowd of more than 300 people gathered at the Boeing facility here Jan. 23. His C-17, formerly known as P-37, was the first aircraft named for an enlisted person.

The naming came during a 45-minute tribute to a man whom most Air Force people know from only a mere 10 minutes of his life. That 10 minutes, however, made Levitow something of a rock star in most of the enlisted force's eyes. His story has been told and retold thousands of times since Feb. 24, 1969.

Onboard a crippled aircraft, using instinct and training, the young loadmaster threw himself onto a magnesium flare, hauled his torso over to the aircraft's cargo door and threw the flare out. The device ignited split seconds after it left the doorway. He did this wounded, losing blood and having a partial loss of feeling in his right leg. He is the lowest ranking airman to ever receive the Medal of Honor.

When Levitow spoke to the crowd of enlisted people, most from Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., and Boeing employees on that perfect Southern California day, he talked about how most airmen know him, from that one moment he used to save the lives of those aboard that airplane.

That's OK, Levitow said, but he wants people to know there's more to his life than just those 10 minutes. Gen. Walter Kross, the commander of Air Mobility Command, wanted the people gathered in Long Beach to know it, too. "We can easily call Sgt. John Levitow a hero, but he has continuously requested that he doesn't want to be known as a hero. His life amounts to much more than those 10 heroic minutes.

John L. Levitow and Gen. Walt Kross, commander of Air Mobility Command, remove the masking from the Spirit of John L. Levitow artwork on the side of the C-17 named in the Medal of Honor recipient's name.
(Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Tudor)

So, I'll honor his request and tell you some of the other reasons why his name ought to be on this aircraft," Kross said, surprising Levitow. Kross told the crowd of how Levitow endured many of the same challenges today's enlisted force faces. "He was a young airman simply doing his duty, flying a mission in the middle of the night in some far off land," Kross said. "Each night, he didn't get to sleep in his own bed back home or have a hot meal with his family. Every day, he spent working hard, getting dirty and getting tired in the service of his country." Kross also recounted how every day during Levitow's tour, he risked his life for "the soldiers on the ground in countless other missions -- people he never met."

Then, after he left the Air Force, he picked up his service to his country working in the field of veteran's affairs for more than 22 years. He currently works for Connecticut developing and designing veteran programs. "His life has been one of tireless volunteerism -- a role model, a mentor -- with other enlisted professional education at the center of everything he did," Kross said.

"I'm a firm believer that what I do represent the enlisted corps," said Levitow, choked up after the general's remarks. "I'm just lucky. Luck is all it is. It's very easy to do something and not be recognized. I'm sure there are many people who have served, have done things that have been simply amazing and never been recognized. Lucky was that I had somebody that recognized it and put me in for it." And what does it mean to Levitow to be the most recognized figure in Air Force enlisted culture? A rock star? "They've taken 10 minutes of my life, put it in a short paragraph in the PME, and they built me into the history of the Air Force.

There's a lot more to it," he said. "I caught General (Ronald) Fogleman (former Air Force chief of staff) at a ceremony last year and I asked him, 'General, when can I retire? I've been out of the service since 1970.' General Kross told me that I can never retire. And he's right. I can't."

John L. Levitow examines the cockpit of the C-17 named for him, the Spirit of John L. Levitow, January 23, 1998 in Long Beach, California
Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Tudor

With "retirement" not an option for Levitow, he continues to learn everyday how to adapt with the fame his action in the Air Force gave him. "The Air Force has been very generous," he said. "They have accepted me for the way I am. I try to pace myself, but they also understand that I'm a civilian." After the ceremony, Levitow sat down in the C-17 loadmaster seat, a comfortable red chair just below the aircrew cabin. It was a return to a position he'd served in almost 30 years ago. Some had wondered if he felt anything special about returning to the loadmaster position. "The loadmaster never had a seat. You never really had a place. This," he said, looking at the chair, "gives them an identity. What happens down here could mean the safety of what happens to the whole airplane."

No rock star would be complete without fans and Levitow attracted his share of those at the ceremony. One of the fans was Airman 1st Class Shannon Saal. The Peking, Ill., native with 15 months total service, met Levitow while touring the C-17. "It's a great honor to meet him," she said. "He's very warm and intelligent." The same rank and nearly the same age as Levitow at the time of the incident, Saal wondered if she would make the same decision he did in the skies over South Vietnam. "Yes," she said instantly. "I know I could do it."

Chief Master Sgt. Mark Smith, who's spent more than 12 years working on the C-17 with Boeing and the systems program office at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, and is a loadmaster himself, felt privileged to give Levitow a tour of the aircraft before the ceremony. "I've been a loadmaster for more than 21 years and I finally get to meet a guy I respect so much," he said. "It's a cross between a thrill and an honor."

The following message and photograph were received on 23 April 2001



I was looking in the Medal of Honor recipients the other night for the first time and saw this article on John Levitow and his death on 8 November 2000. It mentioned the honor he received was a results of an incident on Feb. 24, 1969 over Long Bihn, South Vietnam. I was their that night at the barracks of Headquarter Company, USARV. I took a ten second exposure picture of a AC-47 gunship circling over the area. I firmly believe this was the plane John Levitow was serving as loadmaster before the incident. I would like to share this picture and information with you and John Levitow kin if I could get addresses or e-mail addresses to find out if wanted. Thank for you article.

Larry Hinson

Levitow, the ordinary man who's brought an extraordinary amount of attention to the enlisted force through his deeds and his words, summed up the day by saying he'd like to ride in the C-17 someday -- but not in the loadmaster's seat. "If it's in the loadmaster's seat, I'm going to have to work and I don't want to work, so I think I'll ride up there and enjoy the view."

Staff Sgt. Jason Tudor

[SAMWolf]

Douglas AC-47 "Spooky" Gunships

In the early 1960s, Air Force Systems Command began experimenting with side-firing weapons systems for possible use in Vietnam in point defense and night Close Air Support (CAS) roles. In late 1964, the first gunship conversion of a World War II Douglas C-47D was done. The gunship version of the C-47D was initially designated FC-47D (Fighter-Cargo), but was changed to AC (Attack Cargo) primarily because of complaints by traditional fighter pilots. The aircraft had several nicknames: "Spooky", Puff the Magic Dragon", and "Puff".



The AC-47D(S/N 43-48579) was equipped with three SUU-11A 7.62 mm "miniguns" with a 6,000 round per minute rate of fire. The miniguns were mounted in the aft left fuselage, one gun was installed in the aft passenger door area. The other two guns were mounted just forward of the passenger door with the gun barrels pointed out window ports. The AC-47D carried about 16,500 rounds of ammunition on a typical mission.

For night missions, the aircraft carried approximately 48 MK-24 flares. Each flare would last up to three minutes (Mod 3 version) and produced a light of 2 million candlepower. The delivery system was extremely simple, the loadmaster armed and dropped the flare out the cargo door when the pilot signaled by flashing a cargo compartment light.

From 1964 to 1969, the AC-47's defended 3,926 hamlets, outposts or forts. They fired over 97 million rounds and killed over 5,300 enemy soldiers. No outpost or village under gunship protection was ever lost to the enemy. Typical was the defense of the embattled Duc Lap compound in Quang Duc Province. Major Daniel Rehn, pilot of Spooky 41, observed:



"When we arrived, the buildings in the compound were all afire and the men were grounded in a blockhouse below the burning operations center. I set up a quick orbit of the area and began firing on targets about 200 to 300 meters from the camp. Almost immediately we began receiving intense AA fire from four points. I began by firing a long burst at a target from my mini-guns but when the tracers started to fly close to us, I moved to another altitude to peck with short bursts at the enemy locations."

For several days, the gunships shot 761,044 rounds and dropped 1,162 flares. Up to four AC-47s worked the area simultaneously. The AC-47s not only devastated the attacking enemy troops but stiffened the confidence of defenders, particularly at night. As the men at Duc Lap put it, Spooky truly became their "Guardian Angel."

During a night defense of a hamlet in the Mekong River Delta, a reporter from the Stars and Stripes watched an AC-47 attack from inside the fortitfications.



Upon witnessing the wrath that the AC-47 brought down on the VC attackers that night, he reported that the visual effect of the tracers, 1 in every 5 rounds or 20 per second, gave the appearance of dragon's breath. Upon reading the account in the Stars and Stripes, the CO of the 1st Commando Squadron exclaimed "Well, I'll be damned! Puff, the Magic Dragon.", from a song popular at that time in the U.S. by the trio Peter, Paul and Mary.

The AC-47 carried 21,000 rounds of ammo and three 7.62mm mini-guns with a fast (6,000 rounds per minute) or slow (3,000 rounds per minute) rate of fire. It had 7 crewmembers: 2 pilots, 1 navigator, 2 gunners, 1 load master and 1 flight engineer. The AC-47 operated typically at 3,000 ft., at an airspeed of 130 knots, without armor or escorts and carried 24 to 56 flares, manually thrown out the door.

Later gunships included the Spectre (AC-130), Shadow (AC-119G) and Stinger (AC-119K) with increases in airspeed, armor, altitudes, and computer aided guns.

Additional Sources:

www.arlingtoncemetery.net
www.wpafb.af.mil
www.homeofheroes.com
irish5string.homestead.com

[SAMWolf]

America lost a hero November 8, 2000, when Air Force Medal of Honor holder John L. Levitow died at age 55 at his home in Connecticut after a lengthy battle with cancer.

The Vietnam-era Air Force sergeant was buried with military honors November 17 at Arlington National Cemetery. President Richard M. Nixon presented the Medal of Honor to Levitow on Armed Forces Day, May 14, 1970, for gallantry in combat 15 months earlier.



"This was a sad day for our Air Force," said Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Jim Finch. "John Levitow for years has been woven into the fabric of enlisted heritage. Through his heroic efforts, he was the embodiment of our core value 'service before self.' His name has become synonymous with excellence, and his legacy will continue to live in the hearts and minds of all Air Force members today and well into the future."

Since 1969, the Air Force has honored him in many different ways

He has been a part of the Air Force Professional Fitness Exam booklet and, as any NCO who has pored over those promotion books knows, Levitow was the lowest ranking airman in history to earn the Medal of Honor.

The Levitow Honor Graduate Award is presented to the top professional military education graduate from Air Force Airman Leadership Schools.

The 737th Training Group Headquarters building at Lackland Air Force Base was named in his honor.

Air Mobility Command named a C-17 Globemaster III after him in 1998. "The Spirit of Sgt. John L. Levitow" is the first to be named for an enlisted person.

Hurlburt Field, Florida, honored Levitow in 1998 by making him part of their Walk of Fame, which honors Medal of Honor recipients.

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I am a retired Lieutenant Colonel (United States Army) and have been communicating with John Levitow since last September because he was so kind to accept our (Narragansett Council - Boy Scouts of America; Providence, Rhode Island) invitation to honor all "SCOUTS WHO SERVED" in our armed forces during a 15 July 2000 Saturday memorial dedication program in Rockville, Rhode Island.

In any event when I called to check in with John this past Monday (4/10) he was having trouble telling me something. When I came right out and asked him: "John, what's wrong?" He finally opened up.

It seems John had been diagnosed with some form of cancer last year - he never told me then but I had suspected something when Harvey Barnham (MOH recipient and former President of the Medal of Honor Society) told me on the phone last year that John's health was not good.

John then told me he had completed a series of Chemotherapy and had had a kidney removed during the past several months. The "hard" part for him to tell me was that he had to soon report to a Boston area hospital for a ten week series of readiation therapy. He was in poor spirits, for obviouls reasons, and he also was not thrilled that he might NOT be able to fulfill his committment to participate in our dedication event. Can you believe that ? - such a great guy to even be thinking of "us" and our memorial dedication event on 15 July 2000 when he's faced with a life and death struggle? I guess heros such as John Levitow always think of his fellow man before himself!

I wanted to share this with you in the event there may be a way to get the word out on John's situation? Others should know of this heroes battle for life!

I intend to stay as "close" to John as I can via mail while he's in the hospital - will even try to visit with him if he will let me. I'll also try to work through the Medal of Honor Society to identify another MOH recipient to pinch hit for John on 15 July.

Pray for John Levitow!

Best regards,
Paul F. Helweg Jr. LTC (Ret.) USA

[SAMWolf]

Veterans for Constitution Restoration is a non-profit, non-partisan educational and grassroots activist organization. The primary area of concern to all VetsCoR members is that our national and local educational systems fall short in teaching students and all American citizens the history and underlying principles on which our Constitutional republic-based system of self-government was founded. VetsCoR members are also very concerned that the Federal government long ago over-stepped its limited authority as clearly specified in the United States Constitution, as well as the Founding Fathers' supporting letters, essays, and other public documents.

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Tribute to a Generation - The memorial will be dedicated on Saturday, May 29, 2004.

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Actively seeking volunteers to provide this valuable service to Veterans and their families.

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[aomagrat]

Today's classic warship, South Dakota (BB-49)

South Dakota class battleship
displacement. 43,200 t.
lenght. 684' 0"
beam. 105' 0"
draft. 33' 0"
speed. 23.0 k.
armament. 12 16"; 16 6"

South Dakota (BB-49) was laid down on 15 March 1920 by the New York Navy Yard. Although she was to be the name ship of a new class of six 43,200-ton battleships, her construction was suspended on 8 February 1922 in accordance with the provisions of the Washington Treaty limiting naval construction. Her unfinished hull, 38.5% completed, was sold on 25 October 1923 for scrapping on the slipway to Steel Scrap Corp. of Philadelphia, Pa.; and her name was struck from the Navy list on 10 November 1923. Her scrapping was reported completed on 15 November 1923.

South Dakota's were large ships, with a designed displacement nearly a third greater than their immediate predecessors. These were classic U.S. Navy battleships, well protected against gunfire and torpedoes, heavily armed, but relatively slow, intended to prevail in a big-gun slugging match with an enemy battleline. Their main battery represented a fifty-percent increase in number of guns (twelve versus eight), and these 16" guns were of a somewhat more powerful type than those fitted to previous U.S. battleships. After cancellation of their ships, some of these weapons were employed for seacoast defense. Armor and boilers from the South Dakota class were also recycled for use in modernizing older battleships.

[snippy_about_it]

FALL IN to the FReeper Foxhole!



Good Wednesday Morning Everyone

If you would like added to our ping list let us know.

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Snippy.

[The Mayor]

These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full

To multiply your joy, count your blessings.

[E.G.C.]

Good morning, Snippy and everyone at the Freeper Foxhole. Today is the day Norton updates their anti-virus definitions. Be sure to download those updates when you can.

[snippy_about_it]

It's very easy to do something and not be recognized. I'm sure there are many people who have served, have done things that have been simply amazing and never been recognized.

This man says it so well. What an admirable and humble man. He was a good representative of the kind of men we have in our armed forces.

Thank you Sam for sharing this important history with us.

[CholeraJoe]

I met Sgt Levitow at a Hurlburt Field Dining In in 1982. Just an ordinary quiet guy that performed with extraordinary courage. A quote, "Please don't refer to us as Medal of Honor winners. That implies it was a contest. If it had been a contest, I wouldn't have entered."

[snippy_about_it]

Great tagline today Sam. LOL.

[snippy_about_it]

It would've been great to see those 12 guns in action! Good morning aomagrat.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning Aeronaut.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning Mayor. Slippery ride and walk into work today. Only 14 degrees and the wind is blowing pretty strong. I guess winter is really here.

[snippy_about_it]

Morning EGC. I'll be sure and do that when I get home. Thanks for the notice.

[snippy_about_it]

That's neat that you got to meet him.

A quote, "Please don't refer to us as Medal of Honor winners. That implies it was a contest. If it had been a contest, I wouldn't have entered."

Here at the Foxhole we've always disliked the term "won", he's right, it's no contest.

Thanks Cholerajoe.

[Professional Engineer]

thanks Sam

[Professional Engineer]

USAF ping

[Professional Engineer]

Howdy ma'am