Drone_pilot
28-05-04, 10:58
Piloting the same plane that rescued him 31 years ago, a former American prisoner of war returned to Vietnam on Friday on his last military mission to bring home remains thought to be fallen comrades.
Air Force Reserve Maj. Gen. Edward Mechenbier stood in his flight uniform saluting two aluminum cases draped in American flags as they were carried onto the Air Force C-141 - dubbed the ``Hanoi Taxi'' after it carried freed prisoners home on Feb. 12, 1973.
``For those of us who were fortunate enough to come home, I think we owe a little bit to all the families ... to help them make the closure on that end,'' he said.
Mechenbier, 61, of Beavercreek, Ohio, spent nearly six years locked in Hoa Lo prison, nicknamed the ``Hanoi Hilton,'' after his fighter jet was shot down over North Vietnam in June 1967 during his 80th mission.
He said he never dreamed of returning to Vietnam, but two other pilots from his home base came up with the idea for him to fly the Hanoi Taxi on his last mission before retiring with more than 3,500 hours in the sky. Mechenbier is the last Vietnam-era POW in the U.S. military, and the oldest pilot still flying.
``It's a very personally satisfying thing for me to be part of this mission,'' he said.
http://img74.photobucket.com/albums/v225/drone_pilot/Hanoi_taxi.jpg
The plane got its nickname after the prisoners signed their names inside during their historic flight known as Operation Homecoming. Lining the interior are decades-old pictures of the POWs and their homecoming in the United States. Emblazoned on the outside are the words ``Return With Honor.''
It has remained in constant service and was given a makeover two years ago, repainted white on top and gray on the bottom just as it was when Mechenbier first saw it.
``It's the most beautiful thing to fly,'' he said. ``Being able to fly this is a personal treat.''
Mechenbier said he harbors no ill feelings toward Vietnam, adding that he adopted a daughter from here in 1975. He hopes to come back to visit Hanoi, and even return to the former prison, which has become a major tourist draw.
He will deliver the two sets of remains to a U.S. military laboratory in Hawaii for identification. The remains were discovered in central Vietnam by a U.S. military recovery team that searches for soldiers still unaccounted for.
About 1,800 servicemen remain missing from the Vietnam War, which ended in 1975.
Mechenbier flies with the 445th Airlift wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, which is involved in support missions worldwide ranging from Antarctic supply flights to medical evacuations in Iraq.
Source: Modoracle (http://www.modoracle.com/)
Air Force Reserve Maj. Gen. Edward Mechenbier stood in his flight uniform saluting two aluminum cases draped in American flags as they were carried onto the Air Force C-141 - dubbed the ``Hanoi Taxi'' after it carried freed prisoners home on Feb. 12, 1973.
``For those of us who were fortunate enough to come home, I think we owe a little bit to all the families ... to help them make the closure on that end,'' he said.
Mechenbier, 61, of Beavercreek, Ohio, spent nearly six years locked in Hoa Lo prison, nicknamed the ``Hanoi Hilton,'' after his fighter jet was shot down over North Vietnam in June 1967 during his 80th mission.
He said he never dreamed of returning to Vietnam, but two other pilots from his home base came up with the idea for him to fly the Hanoi Taxi on his last mission before retiring with more than 3,500 hours in the sky. Mechenbier is the last Vietnam-era POW in the U.S. military, and the oldest pilot still flying.
``It's a very personally satisfying thing for me to be part of this mission,'' he said.
http://img74.photobucket.com/albums/v225/drone_pilot/Hanoi_taxi.jpg
The plane got its nickname after the prisoners signed their names inside during their historic flight known as Operation Homecoming. Lining the interior are decades-old pictures of the POWs and their homecoming in the United States. Emblazoned on the outside are the words ``Return With Honor.''
It has remained in constant service and was given a makeover two years ago, repainted white on top and gray on the bottom just as it was when Mechenbier first saw it.
``It's the most beautiful thing to fly,'' he said. ``Being able to fly this is a personal treat.''
Mechenbier said he harbors no ill feelings toward Vietnam, adding that he adopted a daughter from here in 1975. He hopes to come back to visit Hanoi, and even return to the former prison, which has become a major tourist draw.
He will deliver the two sets of remains to a U.S. military laboratory in Hawaii for identification. The remains were discovered in central Vietnam by a U.S. military recovery team that searches for soldiers still unaccounted for.
About 1,800 servicemen remain missing from the Vietnam War, which ended in 1975.
Mechenbier flies with the 445th Airlift wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, which is involved in support missions worldwide ranging from Antarctic supply flights to medical evacuations in Iraq.
Source: Modoracle (http://www.modoracle.com/)