In Memory of ..... Capt. Daniel Richard Davis.
*** Laid to rest 26 years later in Fort Bliss, Texas.
Captain Daniel Richard Davis was laid to rest at Fort Bliss National Cemetery by his father and mother; by his sisters, Kay Davis and Sharon L. Davis, of El Paso, Texas.
You may be gone, no longer living on this earth; but you will live on - in the memories of your family and friends. There will always be a part of you living in those who knew you. You will live on because we remember you!
DANIEL RICHARD DAVIS - Air Force - CAPT - O3
Age: 30
Race: Caucasian
Date of Birth Aug 10, 1943
From: ATLANTA, GA
Religion: ROMAN CATHOLIC
Marital Status: Married - to Dorothy Davis ( Remarried - Newlon) Father: DAVIS DAN R. DAVIS, COL, U.S. Army, Ret., 93, passed away Wednesday, October 6, 2010, in El Paso. Mother: Helen Marie Davis, Born Jan. 26, 1920 in California, married 66 years, until her death Feb.2, 2007 in El Paso, Tx. at the age of 87 yrs old. Sisters, Kay E. Davis, born March 6, 1947 in Alabama, a longtime resident of El Paso and teacher in the Socorro School District until her death Nov. 30, 2008 at the age of 61 yrs old and Sharon L. Davis.
***** "California, Birth Index"
Name: Daniel Richard Davis
Event Type: Birth
Event Date: 10 Aug 1943
Event Place: San Francisco, California, United States
Gender: Male
Mother's Name: Boyle
***** To Danny - And even if we are occupied with important things; Even if we attain honor or fall into misfortune - Still, let us remember how good it was once here, When we were all together, United by a good and kind feeling which made us - Better perhaps, than we are.
THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV Doestoevsky
Sharon Davis
He is my brother
( Picture ) - Your Father's Obituary: DAN R. DAVIS, COL, U.S. Army, Ret., 93, passed away Wednesday, October 6, 2010, in El Paso.
He was a longtime resident of El Paso following his retirement from the United States Army in 1970. He had a long and distinguished career of selfless duty to Country spanning 35 years and three wars: WWII, Korea, and Vietnam.
He was the devoted and beloved husband of Helen Marie Davis, married 66 years, until her death in 2007.
He was the proud and loving father of United States Air Force Aviator Capt. Daniel R. Davis who was KIA over Laos during the Vietnam War in 1969.
He was, also the proud and loving father of Kay E. Davis, a longtime resident of El Paso and teacher in the Socorro School District until her death in 2008. He is survived by his daughter Sharon L. Davis; granddaughter Helen M. Lusk, mother and Registered Nurse of Vancouver, WA; grandson CW2 Garrett R. Lusk, United States Army Aviator and his wife U.S. Army SPC Sharon M. Lusk of El Paso, TX; granddaughter Danielle M. Ruggere, mother and teacher and her husband U.S. Army Combat Engineer SFC David Ruggere, Ret of Atlanta, GA; six great grandchildren; sisters Maxine Satchell of Ft. Myers, FL; Jackie Aitken of Windsor, CA and Rodney Davis of Pine, AZ.
Graveside Service will be Friday at 9:00 a.m. at Fort Bliss National Cemetery.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Casualty was on August 18, 1969
In LZ, LAOS
Hostile, died while missing, FIXED WING - PILOT
AIR LOSS, CRASH ON LAND
Body was recovered
Panel 19W - Line 59
REMAINS IDENTIFIED 21 AUG 1995
Unit: 56th Special Operations Wing, Udorn AF TH (RAVENS)
Date of Birth: 10 August 1943
Home City of Record: Atlanta GA
Date of Loss: 18 August 1969
Country of Loss: Laos
Loss Coordinates: 193500N 1032600E (UG357659)
Status (in 1973): Missing in Action
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: O1A
Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing)
Ist Lt Davis, piloting an O-1 aircraft over Laos on 18 August 1969, did not return to friendly control.
He was declared missing at the time of estimated fuel exhaustion. Subsequently, gun camera film from an F-105 revealed a mid-air collision between Lt Davis' O-1 and an F-105 he was controlling over a target.
Note by MSgt Otis: Although this was a mid-air collision between two USAF aircraft, an USAFA document states that he was awarded a purple heart.
Buried at Ft Bliss National Cemetery, 09/1995
MIA Information MIA 08/18/1969 to 05/30/1974. DED 30 May 1974. Remains returned 1995.
Comments Promoted to Captain Posthumously. Honored on the FAC Memorial located in Memorial Park,Colorado Springs, CO
*********************************
The Steve Canyon program was a highly classified FAC (forward air control) operation covering the military regions of Laos. RAVEN was the radio call sign which identified the flyers of the Steve Canyon Program. Men recruited for the program were rated Air Force officers
with at least six months experience in Vietnam. They tended to be the very best of pilots, but by definition, this meant that they were also mavericks, and considered a bit wild by the mainstream military establishment.
The Ravens came under the formal command of CINCPAC and the 7/13th Air Force 56th Special Operations Wing at Nakhon Phanom, but their pay records were maintained at Udorn with Detachment 1. Officially, they were on loan to the U.S. Air Attache at Vientiane. Unofficially, they were sent to outposts like Long Tieng, where their field commanders were the CIA, the Meo (Hmong)Generals, and the U.S. Ambassador.
Once on duty, they flew FAC missions which controlled all U.S. air strikes over Laos. All tactical strike aircraft had to be under the control of a FAC, who was intimately familiar with the locale, the populous, and the tactical situation. The FAC would find the target, order up U.S. fighter/bombers from an airborne command and control center, mark the target accurately with white phosphorus (Willy Pete) rockets, and control the operation throughout the time the planes remained on station. After the fighters had departed,the FAC stayed over the target to make a bomb damage assessment.
The FAC also had to ensure that there were no attacks on civilians, a complex problem in a war where there were no front lines and any hamlet could suddenly become part of the combat zone. A FAC needed a fighter pilot's mentality, but was obliged to fly slow and low in such unarmed
and vulnerable aircraft as the Cessna O1 Bird Dog, and the Cessna O2.
Consequently, aircraft used by the Ravens were continually peppered with ground fire. A strong fabric tape was simply slapped over the bullet holes until the aircraft could no longer fly.
1Lt. Daniel R. Davis was a Raven in Laos. On August 18, 1969, while on station in the Plain of Jars region of Xiangkhoang Province, his O1 was shot down and Davis was declared Missing in Action.
His last known location is listed as about 15 miles northeast of the city of Ban Na Mai.
*********************
.
Military Information: CAPT, US AIR FORCE
*** Laid to rest 26 years later in Fort Bliss, Texas.
Captain Daniel Richard Davis was laid to rest at Fort Bliss National Cemetery by his father and mother; by his sisters, Kay Davis and Sharon L. Davis, of El Paso, Texas.
You may be gone, no longer living on this earth; but you will live on - in the memories of your family and friends. There will always be a part of you living in those who knew you. You will live on because we remember you!
DANIEL RICHARD DAVIS - Air Force - CAPT - O3
Age: 30
Race: Caucasian
Date of Birth Aug 10, 1943
From: ATLANTA, GA
Religion: ROMAN CATHOLIC
Marital Status: Married - to Dorothy Davis ( Remarried - Newlon) Father: DAVIS DAN R. DAVIS, COL, U.S. Army, Ret., 93, passed away Wednesday, October 6, 2010, in El Paso. Mother: Helen Marie Davis, Born Jan. 26, 1920 in California, married 66 years, until her death Feb.2, 2007 in El Paso, Tx. at the age of 87 yrs old. Sisters, Kay E. Davis, born March 6, 1947 in Alabama, a longtime resident of El Paso and teacher in the Socorro School District until her death Nov. 30, 2008 at the age of 61 yrs old and Sharon L. Davis.
***** "California, Birth Index"
Name: Daniel Richard Davis
Event Type: Birth
Event Date: 10 Aug 1943
Event Place: San Francisco, California, United States
Gender: Male
Mother's Name: Boyle
***** To Danny - And even if we are occupied with important things; Even if we attain honor or fall into misfortune - Still, let us remember how good it was once here, When we were all together, United by a good and kind feeling which made us - Better perhaps, than we are.
THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV Doestoevsky
Sharon Davis
He is my brother
( Picture ) - Your Father's Obituary: DAN R. DAVIS, COL, U.S. Army, Ret., 93, passed away Wednesday, October 6, 2010, in El Paso.
He was a longtime resident of El Paso following his retirement from the United States Army in 1970. He had a long and distinguished career of selfless duty to Country spanning 35 years and three wars: WWII, Korea, and Vietnam.
He was the devoted and beloved husband of Helen Marie Davis, married 66 years, until her death in 2007.
He was the proud and loving father of United States Air Force Aviator Capt. Daniel R. Davis who was KIA over Laos during the Vietnam War in 1969.
He was, also the proud and loving father of Kay E. Davis, a longtime resident of El Paso and teacher in the Socorro School District until her death in 2008. He is survived by his daughter Sharon L. Davis; granddaughter Helen M. Lusk, mother and Registered Nurse of Vancouver, WA; grandson CW2 Garrett R. Lusk, United States Army Aviator and his wife U.S. Army SPC Sharon M. Lusk of El Paso, TX; granddaughter Danielle M. Ruggere, mother and teacher and her husband U.S. Army Combat Engineer SFC David Ruggere, Ret of Atlanta, GA; six great grandchildren; sisters Maxine Satchell of Ft. Myers, FL; Jackie Aitken of Windsor, CA and Rodney Davis of Pine, AZ.
Graveside Service will be Friday at 9:00 a.m. at Fort Bliss National Cemetery.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Casualty was on August 18, 1969
In LZ, LAOS
Hostile, died while missing, FIXED WING - PILOT
AIR LOSS, CRASH ON LAND
Body was recovered
Panel 19W - Line 59
REMAINS IDENTIFIED 21 AUG 1995
Unit: 56th Special Operations Wing, Udorn AF TH (RAVENS)
Date of Birth: 10 August 1943
Home City of Record: Atlanta GA
Date of Loss: 18 August 1969
Country of Loss: Laos
Loss Coordinates: 193500N 1032600E (UG357659)
Status (in 1973): Missing in Action
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: O1A
Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing)
Ist Lt Davis, piloting an O-1 aircraft over Laos on 18 August 1969, did not return to friendly control.
He was declared missing at the time of estimated fuel exhaustion. Subsequently, gun camera film from an F-105 revealed a mid-air collision between Lt Davis' O-1 and an F-105 he was controlling over a target.
Note by MSgt Otis: Although this was a mid-air collision between two USAF aircraft, an USAFA document states that he was awarded a purple heart.
Buried at Ft Bliss National Cemetery, 09/1995
MIA Information MIA 08/18/1969 to 05/30/1974. DED 30 May 1974. Remains returned 1995.
Comments Promoted to Captain Posthumously. Honored on the FAC Memorial located in Memorial Park,Colorado Springs, CO
*********************************
The Steve Canyon program was a highly classified FAC (forward air control) operation covering the military regions of Laos. RAVEN was the radio call sign which identified the flyers of the Steve Canyon Program. Men recruited for the program were rated Air Force officers
with at least six months experience in Vietnam. They tended to be the very best of pilots, but by definition, this meant that they were also mavericks, and considered a bit wild by the mainstream military establishment.
The Ravens came under the formal command of CINCPAC and the 7/13th Air Force 56th Special Operations Wing at Nakhon Phanom, but their pay records were maintained at Udorn with Detachment 1. Officially, they were on loan to the U.S. Air Attache at Vientiane. Unofficially, they were sent to outposts like Long Tieng, where their field commanders were the CIA, the Meo (Hmong)Generals, and the U.S. Ambassador.
Once on duty, they flew FAC missions which controlled all U.S. air strikes over Laos. All tactical strike aircraft had to be under the control of a FAC, who was intimately familiar with the locale, the populous, and the tactical situation. The FAC would find the target, order up U.S. fighter/bombers from an airborne command and control center, mark the target accurately with white phosphorus (Willy Pete) rockets, and control the operation throughout the time the planes remained on station. After the fighters had departed,the FAC stayed over the target to make a bomb damage assessment.
The FAC also had to ensure that there were no attacks on civilians, a complex problem in a war where there were no front lines and any hamlet could suddenly become part of the combat zone. A FAC needed a fighter pilot's mentality, but was obliged to fly slow and low in such unarmed
and vulnerable aircraft as the Cessna O1 Bird Dog, and the Cessna O2.
Consequently, aircraft used by the Ravens were continually peppered with ground fire. A strong fabric tape was simply slapped over the bullet holes until the aircraft could no longer fly.
1Lt. Daniel R. Davis was a Raven in Laos. On August 18, 1969, while on station in the Plain of Jars region of Xiangkhoang Province, his O1 was shot down and Davis was declared Missing in Action.
His last known location is listed as about 15 miles northeast of the city of Ban Na Mai.
*********************
.
Military Information: CAPT, US AIR FORCE
In Memory of ..... Capt. Daniel Richard Davis.
*** Laid to rest 26 years later in Fort Bliss, Texas.
Captain Daniel Richard Davis was laid to rest at Fort Bliss National Cemetery by his father and mother; by his sisters, Kay Davis and Sharon L. Davis, of El Paso, Texas.
You may be gone, no longer living on this earth; but you will live on - in the memories of your family and friends. There will always be a part of you living in those who knew you. You will live on because we remember you!
DANIEL RICHARD DAVIS - Air Force - CAPT - O3
Age: 30
Race: Caucasian
Date of Birth Aug 10, 1943
From: ATLANTA, GA
Religion: ROMAN CATHOLIC
Marital Status: Married - to Dorothy Davis ( Remarried - Newlon) Father: DAVIS DAN R. DAVIS, COL, U.S. Army, Ret., 93, passed away Wednesday, October 6, 2010, in El Paso. Mother: Helen Marie Davis, Born Jan. 26, 1920 in California, married 66 years, until her death Feb.2, 2007 in El Paso, Tx. at the age of 87 yrs old. Sisters, Kay E. Davis, born March 6, 1947 in Alabama, a longtime resident of El Paso and teacher in the Socorro School District until her death Nov. 30, 2008 at the age of 61 yrs old and Sharon L. Davis.
***** "California, Birth Index"
Name: Daniel Richard Davis
Event Type: Birth
Event Date: 10 Aug 1943
Event Place: San Francisco, California, United States
Gender: Male
Mother's Name: Boyle
***** To Danny - And even if we are occupied with important things; Even if we attain honor or fall into misfortune - Still, let us remember how good it was once here, When we were all together, United by a good and kind feeling which made us - Better perhaps, than we are.
THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV Doestoevsky
Sharon Davis
He is my brother
( Picture ) - Your Father's Obituary: DAN R. DAVIS, COL, U.S. Army, Ret., 93, passed away Wednesday, October 6, 2010, in El Paso.
He was a longtime resident of El Paso following his retirement from the United States Army in 1970. He had a long and distinguished career of selfless duty to Country spanning 35 years and three wars: WWII, Korea, and Vietnam.
He was the devoted and beloved husband of Helen Marie Davis, married 66 years, until her death in 2007.
He was the proud and loving father of United States Air Force Aviator Capt. Daniel R. Davis who was KIA over Laos during the Vietnam War in 1969.
He was, also the proud and loving father of Kay E. Davis, a longtime resident of El Paso and teacher in the Socorro School District until her death in 2008. He is survived by his daughter Sharon L. Davis; granddaughter Helen M. Lusk, mother and Registered Nurse of Vancouver, WA; grandson CW2 Garrett R. Lusk, United States Army Aviator and his wife U.S. Army SPC Sharon M. Lusk of El Paso, TX; granddaughter Danielle M. Ruggere, mother and teacher and her husband U.S. Army Combat Engineer SFC David Ruggere, Ret of Atlanta, GA; six great grandchildren; sisters Maxine Satchell of Ft. Myers, FL; Jackie Aitken of Windsor, CA and Rodney Davis of Pine, AZ.
Graveside Service will be Friday at 9:00 a.m. at Fort Bliss National Cemetery.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Casualty was on August 18, 1969
In LZ, LAOS
Hostile, died while missing, FIXED WING - PILOT
AIR LOSS, CRASH ON LAND
Body was recovered
Panel 19W - Line 59
REMAINS IDENTIFIED 21 AUG 1995
Unit: 56th Special Operations Wing, Udorn AF TH (RAVENS)
Date of Birth: 10 August 1943
Home City of Record: Atlanta GA
Date of Loss: 18 August 1969
Country of Loss: Laos
Loss Coordinates: 193500N 1032600E (UG357659)
Status (in 1973): Missing in Action
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: O1A
Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing)
Ist Lt Davis, piloting an O-1 aircraft over Laos on 18 August 1969, did not return to friendly control.
He was declared missing at the time of estimated fuel exhaustion. Subsequently, gun camera film from an F-105 revealed a mid-air collision between Lt Davis' O-1 and an F-105 he was controlling over a target.
Note by MSgt Otis: Although this was a mid-air collision between two USAF aircraft, an USAFA document states that he was awarded a purple heart.
Buried at Ft Bliss National Cemetery, 09/1995
MIA Information MIA 08/18/1969 to 05/30/1974. DED 30 May 1974. Remains returned 1995.
Comments Promoted to Captain Posthumously. Honored on the FAC Memorial located in Memorial Park,Colorado Springs, CO
*********************************
The Steve Canyon program was a highly classified FAC (forward air control) operation covering the military regions of Laos. RAVEN was the radio call sign which identified the flyers of the Steve Canyon Program. Men recruited for the program were rated Air Force officers
with at least six months experience in Vietnam. They tended to be the very best of pilots, but by definition, this meant that they were also mavericks, and considered a bit wild by the mainstream military establishment.
The Ravens came under the formal command of CINCPAC and the 7/13th Air Force 56th Special Operations Wing at Nakhon Phanom, but their pay records were maintained at Udorn with Detachment 1. Officially, they were on loan to the U.S. Air Attache at Vientiane. Unofficially, they were sent to outposts like Long Tieng, where their field commanders were the CIA, the Meo (Hmong)Generals, and the U.S. Ambassador.
Once on duty, they flew FAC missions which controlled all U.S. air strikes over Laos. All tactical strike aircraft had to be under the control of a FAC, who was intimately familiar with the locale, the populous, and the tactical situation. The FAC would find the target, order up U.S. fighter/bombers from an airborne command and control center, mark the target accurately with white phosphorus (Willy Pete) rockets, and control the operation throughout the time the planes remained on station. After the fighters had departed,the FAC stayed over the target to make a bomb damage assessment.
The FAC also had to ensure that there were no attacks on civilians, a complex problem in a war where there were no front lines and any hamlet could suddenly become part of the combat zone. A FAC needed a fighter pilot's mentality, but was obliged to fly slow and low in such unarmed
and vulnerable aircraft as the Cessna O1 Bird Dog, and the Cessna O2.
Consequently, aircraft used by the Ravens were continually peppered with ground fire. A strong fabric tape was simply slapped over the bullet holes until the aircraft could no longer fly.
1Lt. Daniel R. Davis was a Raven in Laos. On August 18, 1969, while on station in the Plain of Jars region of Xiangkhoang Province, his O1 was shot down and Davis was declared Missing in Action.
His last known location is listed as about 15 miles northeast of the city of Ban Na Mai.
*********************
.
Military Information: CAPT, US AIR FORCE
*** Laid to rest 26 years later in Fort Bliss, Texas.
Captain Daniel Richard Davis was laid to rest at Fort Bliss National Cemetery by his father and mother; by his sisters, Kay Davis and Sharon L. Davis, of El Paso, Texas.
You may be gone, no longer living on this earth; but you will live on - in the memories of your family and friends. There will always be a part of you living in those who knew you. You will live on because we remember you!
DANIEL RICHARD DAVIS - Air Force - CAPT - O3
Age: 30
Race: Caucasian
Date of Birth Aug 10, 1943
From: ATLANTA, GA
Religion: ROMAN CATHOLIC
Marital Status: Married - to Dorothy Davis ( Remarried - Newlon) Father: DAVIS DAN R. DAVIS, COL, U.S. Army, Ret., 93, passed away Wednesday, October 6, 2010, in El Paso. Mother: Helen Marie Davis, Born Jan. 26, 1920 in California, married 66 years, until her death Feb.2, 2007 in El Paso, Tx. at the age of 87 yrs old. Sisters, Kay E. Davis, born March 6, 1947 in Alabama, a longtime resident of El Paso and teacher in the Socorro School District until her death Nov. 30, 2008 at the age of 61 yrs old and Sharon L. Davis.
***** "California, Birth Index"
Name: Daniel Richard Davis
Event Type: Birth
Event Date: 10 Aug 1943
Event Place: San Francisco, California, United States
Gender: Male
Mother's Name: Boyle
***** To Danny - And even if we are occupied with important things; Even if we attain honor or fall into misfortune - Still, let us remember how good it was once here, When we were all together, United by a good and kind feeling which made us - Better perhaps, than we are.
THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV Doestoevsky
Sharon Davis
He is my brother
( Picture ) - Your Father's Obituary: DAN R. DAVIS, COL, U.S. Army, Ret., 93, passed away Wednesday, October 6, 2010, in El Paso.
He was a longtime resident of El Paso following his retirement from the United States Army in 1970. He had a long and distinguished career of selfless duty to Country spanning 35 years and three wars: WWII, Korea, and Vietnam.
He was the devoted and beloved husband of Helen Marie Davis, married 66 years, until her death in 2007.
He was the proud and loving father of United States Air Force Aviator Capt. Daniel R. Davis who was KIA over Laos during the Vietnam War in 1969.
He was, also the proud and loving father of Kay E. Davis, a longtime resident of El Paso and teacher in the Socorro School District until her death in 2008. He is survived by his daughter Sharon L. Davis; granddaughter Helen M. Lusk, mother and Registered Nurse of Vancouver, WA; grandson CW2 Garrett R. Lusk, United States Army Aviator and his wife U.S. Army SPC Sharon M. Lusk of El Paso, TX; granddaughter Danielle M. Ruggere, mother and teacher and her husband U.S. Army Combat Engineer SFC David Ruggere, Ret of Atlanta, GA; six great grandchildren; sisters Maxine Satchell of Ft. Myers, FL; Jackie Aitken of Windsor, CA and Rodney Davis of Pine, AZ.
Graveside Service will be Friday at 9:00 a.m. at Fort Bliss National Cemetery.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Casualty was on August 18, 1969
In LZ, LAOS
Hostile, died while missing, FIXED WING - PILOT
AIR LOSS, CRASH ON LAND
Body was recovered
Panel 19W - Line 59
REMAINS IDENTIFIED 21 AUG 1995
Unit: 56th Special Operations Wing, Udorn AF TH (RAVENS)
Date of Birth: 10 August 1943
Home City of Record: Atlanta GA
Date of Loss: 18 August 1969
Country of Loss: Laos
Loss Coordinates: 193500N 1032600E (UG357659)
Status (in 1973): Missing in Action
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: O1A
Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing)
Ist Lt Davis, piloting an O-1 aircraft over Laos on 18 August 1969, did not return to friendly control.
He was declared missing at the time of estimated fuel exhaustion. Subsequently, gun camera film from an F-105 revealed a mid-air collision between Lt Davis' O-1 and an F-105 he was controlling over a target.
Note by MSgt Otis: Although this was a mid-air collision between two USAF aircraft, an USAFA document states that he was awarded a purple heart.
Buried at Ft Bliss National Cemetery, 09/1995
MIA Information MIA 08/18/1969 to 05/30/1974. DED 30 May 1974. Remains returned 1995.
Comments Promoted to Captain Posthumously. Honored on the FAC Memorial located in Memorial Park,Colorado Springs, CO
*********************************
The Steve Canyon program was a highly classified FAC (forward air control) operation covering the military regions of Laos. RAVEN was the radio call sign which identified the flyers of the Steve Canyon Program. Men recruited for the program were rated Air Force officers
with at least six months experience in Vietnam. They tended to be the very best of pilots, but by definition, this meant that they were also mavericks, and considered a bit wild by the mainstream military establishment.
The Ravens came under the formal command of CINCPAC and the 7/13th Air Force 56th Special Operations Wing at Nakhon Phanom, but their pay records were maintained at Udorn with Detachment 1. Officially, they were on loan to the U.S. Air Attache at Vientiane. Unofficially, they were sent to outposts like Long Tieng, where their field commanders were the CIA, the Meo (Hmong)Generals, and the U.S. Ambassador.
Once on duty, they flew FAC missions which controlled all U.S. air strikes over Laos. All tactical strike aircraft had to be under the control of a FAC, who was intimately familiar with the locale, the populous, and the tactical situation. The FAC would find the target, order up U.S. fighter/bombers from an airborne command and control center, mark the target accurately with white phosphorus (Willy Pete) rockets, and control the operation throughout the time the planes remained on station. After the fighters had departed,the FAC stayed over the target to make a bomb damage assessment.
The FAC also had to ensure that there were no attacks on civilians, a complex problem in a war where there were no front lines and any hamlet could suddenly become part of the combat zone. A FAC needed a fighter pilot's mentality, but was obliged to fly slow and low in such unarmed
and vulnerable aircraft as the Cessna O1 Bird Dog, and the Cessna O2.
Consequently, aircraft used by the Ravens were continually peppered with ground fire. A strong fabric tape was simply slapped over the bullet holes until the aircraft could no longer fly.
1Lt. Daniel R. Davis was a Raven in Laos. On August 18, 1969, while on station in the Plain of Jars region of Xiangkhoang Province, his O1 was shot down and Davis was declared Missing in Action.
His last known location is listed as about 15 miles northeast of the city of Ban Na Mai.
*********************
.
Military Information: CAPT, US AIR FORCE
