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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBob Pardo Radio Transcription #1City of College Station Heritage Programs Oral History Interviewee: Bob Pardo Interviewer: Tom Turbiville Place: College Station, Texas Project: Veterans of the Valley Transcriber: Brooke Linsenbardt 00:00: Tom Turbiville (TT): In the six years that I have been producing Bravo Brazos Valley and highlighting veterans. I have heard no more incredible story than Bob Pardo’s. Bob Pardo and his wife Catherine live in College Station. In a well-deserved retirement that followed years of service. That followed one particular day of service when Bob Pardo made military aviation history. It was March 10, 1967 and Phantom IV fighter pilot Bob Pardo and his back seater Steve Wayne were fourth in an attack formation designed to take a key target. A steel manufacturing plant in north Vietnam. Hi I’m Tom Turbiville. This is Bravo Brazos Valley. Brought to you by Meis and Associates. Bob Pardo was a member of the 433rd Tactical Fighter Squadron. This mission to take out the steel mill had been in the works for some time. 00:51: Bob Pardo (BP): We made several attempts to strike the target. However, each attempt was incomplete in that the weather was so bad, we could not get to the target. And on the 10th of March, the weather cleared just enough that we were able to complete the strike. TT: It did not take long though into this mission when things started to go bad for one of his buddies in another F-4. Earl (Amon?) and his backseat (Bob Howton?). 01:15: BP: As we approached the target, about 40 miles north. Earl (Amon?) who was the number four man in our flight, was hit by aircraft fire. (She?) lights came on. Warning lights came on, as he proceeded, the, the lights started to go back out, the systems recovered. The airplane was flying very well. He and his backseater (Bob Howton?) talked it over and decided that it would be fine if they continued the mission. So we continued on down towards the mission. TT: Now understand that when he was hit, Earl (Amon?) could’ve just radioed that he was hit, headed back to the base. But he stayed to complete the mission. 01:49: BM: Just as the formation rolled in on the target, Earl got hit again. Since he was directly over the target, he saw no reason why he shouldn’t continue. Go ahead and put his bombs on the target with everybody else. TT: Yeah still (Amon?) stayed with the mission. But indeed needed help and he asked for it. 02:06: BP: Actually, after they were hit the first time, he and Bob talked it over. And they decided that they would say a little prayer. So they swapped flying the airplane. One guy would fly while the other one prayed. Then they’d change control and the other guy would have his, his little prayer. TT: Then it was Bob Pardo and Steve Wayne who encountered problems. 02:25: BP: Pulling off the target, Steve and I were hit pretty heavy. But the main thing at that point is simply to keep the formation together and head outbound. TT: Mission complete. The next stage was a fuel check and a battle damage check. And that news was not good. 02:40: BP: I was 2,000 pounds short of gas. Which indicated that I at least might be able to make it to the tanker. But Earl, was short 5,000 pounds. He was, he was now only 2,000 pounds remained. That 2,000 pounds in a Phantom would not get him out of north Vietnam much less to the tanker. TT: The numbers just did not add up and there were decisions to make. 03:00: BP: So it became obvious that he was not gonna make it out of north Vietnam. Well in the, in the flatlands up there, if you go down, you eventually have two different things that are gonna happen. If the civilians captured you, they would probably kill you on the spot. If you were captured by the militia, or the active military, you were goin’ to prison. Neither which is a very good option. TT: What happened next is part of military aviation history. And once was even depicted on an episode of the T.V. show J.A.G. Pardo’s Push is what it was called and tomorrow Bob Pardo will talk about it. I’m Tom Turbiville. This is Bravo Brazos Valley.