Episode 12 delves into a powerful Vietnam War story, connecting two men across decades: George Wilson Hunt, a Special Operations team leader, and the family of a downed A-1 Skyraider pilot. The episode primarily features George recounting a specific MACV-SOG Bright Light mission he led.

George explains that Bright Light missions were focused on the recovery of U.S. personnel and their supporters. The specific mission he details involved searching for an A-1 pilot who had crashed on his very first strafing run, having been hit by fire coming down from the mountains. Other teams had attempted to reach the crash site but were driven back by the enemy. George and his team, which included Mountain Yards and his U.S. radio operator, Bill Jank, were asked if they could repel into the area. Their initial attempt to repel directly to the crash site failed as the ropes wouldn’t reach the ground due to the trees, even though the leaves were burned off. They found an alternative insertion point by repelling onto sandbars between a mountain and a stream.

Upon crossing the river and starting up the mountain, they discovered they were near what looked like a village but was actually an NVA encampment. Despite being chased and facing increasing enemy pressure, they pressed on, taking a significant part of the day to scramble up the mountain. They finally reached the actual crash site, which was a scene of “utter devastation”.

The instructions for the Bright Light team were clear: first, look for a body. If no body could be recovered, they were to bring back pieces of the shredded aircraft, specifically those with numbers, small enough to fit into their rucksacks. They also found a charred helmet. As they were recovering what they could, they were warned by the orbiting aircraft (“covey rider” and “the fact”) that the enemy (“the nba”) was coming from all directions and they needed to get out quickly. They stuffed everything they could find into their rucksacks and started racing the NVA down the mountain towards a lowland clearing for extraction. While preparing the extraction zone by cutting down trees, a “most gosh-awful explosion” occurred, shaking the mountain and lifting George off the ground. He later learned this was from every flyable plane in the area unloading their ordnance on the NVA force that had advanced up the mountain, a strike called in by Lyndon Gill. George and his team were subsequently extracted using wire rigs.

For 40 years, George carried the mission with him, specifically wondering if they had brought back enough evidence (pieces of the plane, the helmet) for the military to identify the pilot and notify his family what had happened. This uncertainty weighed on him. The connection finally happened through the A-1 Skyraider association reunion. Steve Moore, the nephew of the downed pilot, was researching his uncle’s military history. He came across a newspaper article online about his uncle, who was a Penn State alumnus who perished in the war. The article mentioned that a team had gone in and recovered pieces of the aircraft. This information allowed Steve Moore to start looking for the team. He contacted the pilot’s family first, and eventually, Steve was connected with George Wilson Hunt.

When Steve told George the story, George was “dumbfounded” that the question he had carried for 40 years was being answered. Talking on the phone was emotional, and a year later, George invited the pilot’s family to a Special Operations Association (SOA) reunion. The meeting brought a lot of closure for both sides. George notes that he was the closest person to where the pilot had perished and felt immense satisfaction knowing his actions had contributed to the family receiving information. This shared experience has created a unique bond, and George now considers the pilot’s family as his own. They had a chance encounter at the Tennessee museum, reinforcing their connection. The episode concludes by highlighting the powerful bonds formed through shared military experiences and the importance of documenting these stories.