Col Jack Broughton Passes

[Breckey]

Jack Broughton 1925-2014

Jacksel M. Broughton, a retired Air Force colonel and fighter pilot who flew a total of 216 combat missions in Korea and Vietnam, and also made his mark as an author, died on Oct. 24 after a short illness. He was 89. Broughton was a valued contributor to Air Force Magazine; his most recent article, The Heart of the North, appeared in April 2014. Broughton was the recipient of the Air Force Cross for action in Vietnam, as well as two Silver Stars, the Legion of Merit, and four Distinguished Flying Crosses. In addition to his storied Air Force flying career—Broughton commanded the Thunderbirds in the 1950s, leading their transition to the supersonic F-100—he wrote two critically acclaimed books about the Vietnam air war: Thud Ridge and Going Downtown. A West Point graduate, he flew P-51s and P-47s in Europe before transitioning to the first jet-powered aircraft in Korea. During Vietnam, he was the vice commander of the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing, and led ground-attack missions in the F-105. An incident in which he tried to protect two pilots who inadvertently broke rules of engagement led to a court-martial that ended his career; it was widely described as a miscarriage of military justice.

Thud Ridge is one of the best books that I have ever read. In my opinion the chapter Longest Day is one of the most heart wrenching and infuriating things published about the US air campaign and leadership during Operation Rolling Thunder.

He would have been awarded a second Air Force Cross but it was denied by Gen John Ryan was denied due the "Turkestan incident." His willingness to go to bat for his subordinates is something that I feel would never happen in today's Air Force.

[Butters]

*Beer*

[Steve Davies]

I got the impression that there were some in his community (F-105) who disliked him because of his actions over the gun camera footage. I never got to the bottom of that, but it was certainly there.

Read both of his books and thought they were excellent.

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[Fud]

He would have been awarded a second Air Force Cross but it was denied by Gen John Ryan was denied due the "Turkestan incident." His willingness to go to bat for his subordinates is something that I feel would never happen in today's Air Force.

Chuck Yeager oversaw this GCM and had a lot to say about it in his book. Very interesting chapter about how this case played out. I believe Robin Olds was asked to be the head of the GCM as well, but declined to do it because it could have wrecked his career.

Great article here:

https://www.historynet.com/air-force-colonel-jacksel-jack-broughton-air-force-general-john-d-jack-lavelle-testing-the-rules-of-engagement-during-the-vietnam-war.htm

Also, I don't think any leader would destroy evidence for their guys like he did. Not saying I agree with what he did but it was ballsy. Robin Olds also voided a GCM for a tanker pilot who saved one of his subordinate's lives in combat. Olds nominated the pilot for a Silver Star and nothing close to a court martial ever happened. Olds states in his autobiography that he would always take care of his men, but never lie for them. Interesting dichotomy between the two.