by Mr. Don Koser
AFGSC History Office
10/19/2012 - BARKSDALE AFB, La. -- It's
been said that history only remembers the glory and not the sacrifice.
The 50th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis offers an opportunity
for us to remember those Airmen who performed their mission with pride
and professionalism, and whose experience was short on glory and high in
sacrifice. Twelve individuals lost their lives in four separate
operations during the crisis, performing the mission they and others had
worked and prepared so hard for.
Strategic Air Command had more than 280,000 personnel assigned when the
Cuban Missile Crisis began in earnest in October 1962. The previous
month, SAC personnel began flying electronic intelligence (ELINT) or
ferret missions over the periphery of Cuba under Operation Common Cause.
These were overt flights using normal Air Route Traffic Control
procedures. Crews gathered data on Soviet radar and communications
systems and were careful not to fly into Cuban airspace and trigger its
air defenses. While performing these missions, on Sept. 27, an RB-47K
Stratojet (53-4327) from the 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing (SRW),
lost power in engine six and crashed on takeoff from Forbes Air Force
Base, Kan. Onboard were; Lt. Col. James G. Woolbright, aircraft
commander, 1st Lt. Paul R. Greenawalt, copilot, Capt. Bruce R. Kowol,
navigator, and Staff Sgt. Myron L. Curtis, crew chief.
In all, SAC aircrews flew 116 ELINT missions and 1,065 hours under
Operation Common Cause. Another RB-47H crew, flying aircraft number
53-6248, but performing a different mission, died when their Stratojet
crashed after takeoff from Kindley AFB, Bermuda, on Oct. 26. On this
date, three RB-47 crews took off in search of the Soviet tanker Grozny.
One of the RB-47s, aircraft 53-6248, crashed on takeoff while the two
remaining aircrews positively identified the tanker only 90 minutes
later.
The crew of 53-6248 included Maj. William A. Britton, aircraft
commander, 1st Lt. Holt J. Rasmussen, copilot, Capt. Robert A.
Constable, navigator, and Capt. Robert C. Dennis, observer. Under
operation Blue Banner, the crew's mission was to perform maritime search
operations in support of the naval quarantine directed by President
Kennedy. The four-day operation supporting the Commander-in-Chief,
Atlantic (CINCLANT) ended Oct. 28.
The lone combat casualty of the crisis occurred the following day on
Oct. 27. Earlier, the 4080th Strategic Wing (SW) selected two pilots
under Operation Brass Knob to perform photo reconnaissance over Cuba to
determine if reports of ballistic missile site construction were
accurate. Confirmation of the ballistic missiles' existence came quickly
when on Oct 14 Maj Rudolf Anderson, Jr. returned from a mission with
pictures of ballistic missile sites and nuclear storage facilities under
construction. Together with film from two subsequent missions, U-2
pilots provided conclusive evidence of three Medium Range Ballistic
Missile sites near San Cristobal. As a result, President John F. Kennedy
called for a naval quarantine beginning on Oct. 22. Five days later,
while conducting another Brass Knob mission an enemy surface-to-air
missile (SAM) struck Major Anderson's U-2F, bringing the aircraft down
near the Banes-Antilla area of Cuba. President Kennedy posthumously
awarded Anderson the first Air Force Cross. He was also awarded the
Purple Heart and the Cheney Award. From Oct 14 through Nov 30, 4080 SW
crews flew 91 Brass Knob sorties over Cuba during the crisis totaling
402:52 hours.
The final casualties occurred on Nov. 11, when a 55 SRW RB-47H Stratojet
(aircraft 53-4297) crashed upon takeoff from MacDill AFB, Fla, on its
way to support Operation Blue Ink. The crew of three was killed in the
crash caused by engine failure, Capt. William E. Wyatt, aircraft
commander, Capt. William C. Maxwell, copilot, and 1st Lt. Ronald M.
Rial, navigator. Aircrews flew 72 Operation Blue Ink missions providing
critical weather reconnaissance support for U-2 photo reconnaissance
missions.
The personnel of SAC performed extremely well under difficult
circumstances during the Cuban Missile Crisis to provide conclusive
evidence of the Soviet buildup as well as providing the military might
necessary to back President Kennedy's course of action. Air Force Chief
of Staff Gen. Curtis E. LeMay stated, "Our people handled this crisis on
a businesslike basis. Our crews fly on schedule in all kinds of
weather, because that's their job...These are not prima donnas on whom
we lavish special privileges, they are typical Air Force men and women,
professionals who take pride in their work. Without them our weapons and
complicated machines would be meaningless...." We should not forget the
dedication and sacrifice of these twelve men or the pride and
professionalism of all SAC personnel which led to the successful
conclusion of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
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