25 Nov 2006 Capt John Richard Humphrey is remembered by the Big Spring (Texas) Vietnam Memorial and by the Permian Basin Vietnam Veterans' Memorial located in Midland, Texas. He was a Fair Oaks, California native. Fair Oaks is in Sacramento County. He served many years at Webb Air Force Base in Big Spring, Texas as a flight instructor and was involved heavily with the community. He perished in Vietnam on November 11, 1966. He was married and his wife had remained in Big Spring while he served in Vietnam. He was buried at the Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California. May his sacrifice not be forgotten. From a PBVVM representative, Billy M. Brown 4015 Melody Lane, Odessa, Texas 79762 bmbrown@grandecom.net

 

A Note from The Virtual Wall Captain John R. Humphrey was the copilot of C-47B tail number 44-76574, a wing transport aircraft assigned to the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing at Korat RTAFB, Thailand. According to Hobson's Vietnam Air Losses the aircraft departed from Tan Son Nhut Air Base near Saigon after dark on 26 November on an administrative flight back to Korat RTAFB. Shortly after take-off the aircrew advised Tan Son Nhut they had an engine problem and were returning to that airfield. Their first approach was aborted when the landing gear would not extend; their second approach ended in a fiery crash into a rice paddy while on short final to the runway. The port engine's propeller was in the "feathered" position, indicating that engine had been shut down before the crash. Hobson says that 31 people - 30 military, 1 civilian - were killed in the crash. The casualty database shows only 25 military personnel killed in non-hostile fixed wing incidents during the period 26-30 Nov 1966, all in Gia Dinh Province (where Tan Son Nhut is located) and all on 26 Nov 1967. The "Plane Crash Information" web site has data on the crash; it says there were 25 people on board and all died in the crash. The Virtual Wall believes that Hobson's 31 dead is not correct.

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