Episode 17 of Military Tales brings us into the intense world of Search and Rescue (SAR) operations in Southeast Asia, featuring Vietnam veteran pilots Byron Hookey and Tim Brady. Both men flew the A-1 Skyraider with the 1st Special Operations Squadron at Nakhon Phanom, Thailand, serving as Sandy pilots – the specialized SAR coordinators and protectors. This episode focuses on a harrowing two-day mission to rescue two downed pilots: a Navy F-8 Crusader pilot (call sign Nickel 102) and one of their own, Sandy pilot Captain Larry Highfill (call sign Sandy 77).

The Double Down and the Priority Call

The mission unfolded on June 20th, 1972. Byron Hookey, a First Lieutenant, and Tim Brady, also a First Lieutenant at the time, were scheduled to fly from Nakhon Phanom to Da Nang, a forward operating location. Before they arrived, they were diverted to a SAR for Nickel 102, a Navy F-8 pilot shot down east of the A Shau Valley. They quickly located him, and the area seemed quiet, allowing them to orchestrate a helicopter pickup. However, as the helicopter hovered, it began taking small arms fire, forcing it to pull off. They attempted again after laying down ordnance, but the helicopter again drew fire and had a tail gunner potentially shot.

With both Byron and Tim’s aircraft getting low on fuel, another two-ship of Sandys was inbound to replace them. As they were skirting around a thunderstorm on their way back towards Da Nang, needing to jettison their empty CBU (Cluster Bomb Unit) canisters as standard procedure. When Captain Larry Highfill (Sandy 77), Tim Brady’s flight lead, jettisoned his canisters, the area “erupted” with AAA (Anti-Aircraft Artillery) fire. Larry reported being hit and on fire, confirming it looked like hydraulics were affected, but then stated he was definitely on fire and had to eject. Tim watched him eject and his aircraft roll inverted and hit the ground, swallowed by the jungle.

This immediately changed the mission priority. A critical rule in SAR is that if there’s more than one person down, you prioritize the one most recently shot down. The reasoning is simple: the less time the enemy has to reach the survivor, the better the chance of rescue. Thus, Nickel 102, who had been down longer, became secondary to Sandy 77, their fellow A-1 pilot.

Day 1: Locating, Suppressing, and Waiting

Byron Hookey and Tim Brady were part of the relief force. As they approached the area, they faced initial challenges: communicating on the Guard Channel was difficult due to Navy traffic, requiring them to politely request the Navy clear the frequency and the SAR moved to a different frequency. Heavy cloud cover also complicated navigation.

After about 20 minutes attempting to contact the pilot, Byron’s flight lead, First Lieutenant Joe Seitz, reported engine problems and had to return to Da Nang. For reasons Byron still doesn’t recall, he stayed out alone without a wingman, which was highly unusual. He decided to cross the A Shau Valley, a place infamous for intense combat and the site of Major Bernie Fisher’s Medal of Honor A-1 landing rescue years earlier. Byron was aware of Fisher’s exploit but, flying a single-seater, knew replicating that wasn’t an option.

Crossing the valley proved beneficial, as Byron immediately gained much better radio contact with Sandy 77, Captain Highfill. Larry could hear him and directed him overhead, allowing Byron to visually locate his parachute on the eastern slope of the A Shau Valley. The slope wasn’t significantly steep, but it was enough to make movement difficult for the downed pilot. Byron instructed Larry to stay put, and just then, started taking ground fire from a bomb crater above the survivor’s position. He could see an enemy soldier using a log as a rifle rest. Alone and needing to neutralize the threat, Byron made a pass and used his SU-11 minigun pod, firing a burst at the position, which he believes neutralized the threat.

Later, over the valley floor, Byron saw multiple muzzle flashes from large caliber AAA with tracers firing at him. He broke hard, armed his LAU-3 rocket pods (each with 19 high explosive warheads), and emptied them on the AAA site. He didn’t hang around to confirm success, but the firing from that position ceased.

By this time, sunset was approaching. With the other Sandy aircraft delayed assisting Joe Seitz and Tim Brady also low on fuel and dealing with thunderstorms, a pickup wasn’t possible. The decision was made to “put him to bed for the night,” ensuring the area around Sandy 77 was secure as best as possible, since nighttime rescues weren’t feasible. Byron flew back to Da Nang to prepare for the next day’s mission, which would need to be a first light effort for both Sandy 77 and hopefully, Nickel 102. Tim Brady had also managed to return to Da Nang after his encounters over Nickel 102’s position and then Sandy 77’s ejection site where he also took fire.

Day 2: The Double Pickup

Back at Da Nang that evening, Byron, Tim, Captain Red Clevenger, and First Lieutenant Tex Brown planned the complex Day 2 mission. Red and Tex were the other two Sandy pilots who had come into the area the previous day and had been tasked with the Nickel 102 SAR before Sandy 77 went down. The plan was non-standard: a four-ship launch at first light to maximize assets on scene. They briefed this plan to the Airborne Battle Control Center (King), who initially wanted them to launch in two separate elements, but Byron politely but firmly advised them they were launching as briefed in a four-ship formation, and they did so without further objection.

On the morning of June 21st, 1972, the four A-1s launched. Byron led the initial effort for Sandy 77’s rescue because he was the only one who had physically located him the day before. Tim Brady joined Byron because he had been with Larry when he ejected. They coordinated with a Nail FAC (Forward Air Controller), Lieutenant Pete Brennan (a personal friend of Byron’s from F-100 training). The Nail FAC had been working the area, putting in airstrikes to suppress threats.

Bringing the Jolly Green (HC-130 rescue helicopter) closer to the area, Byron led Tim into Sandy 77’s position to ensure Tim also saw the location. Sandy 77, known for being quiet (“Scary Larry” or “Quiet Larry”), sounded more upbeat on the radio, sensing rescue was near. They put down more ordnance near where Byron had taken fire the previous day, and Larry reported hearing ground fire below. Both Byron and Tim took ground fire during this phase, with Tim’s aircraft sustaining battle damage.

Once the immediate threats were suppressed, the other two Sandys joined them, ensuring all four pilots knew Sandy 77’s location. Tim went out to bring in the helicopter, and Byron led the Jolly Green to the survivor’s position using a countdown and instructing Larry to pop his smoke. As Byron was pulling up from a low pass just before the helicopter arrived, his engine unexpectedly quit – a common occurrence when external tanks run dry. Facing rising terrain, he quickly switched to internal fuel, overspeeding the engine but regaining power just in time to clear the ridge. This “pucker factor” moment was quickly overshadowed by the successful rescue.

The helicopter hovered, a Pararescue Jumper (PJ) went down due to some minor entanglement or equipment issue. Larry was quickly put on the hoist and brought up, along with the PJ on the penetrator. Sandy 77 was rescued!.

Phase one complete, they escorted the helicopter with Sandy 77 out towards the coast. With the first survivor safely aboard and en route, they turned their attention to Nickel 102. Red Clevenger took over as SAR lead for this second phase. Tim Brady, who had been on the initial attempt for Nickel 102 the day before and had seen his approximate location (he had moved slightly), joined Byron Hookey as the “high Sandys” covering the low element.

They followed a similar procedure, checking for new threats. Byron was brought in to visually confirm Nickel 102’s location, ensuring all four pilots knew where the survivor was before putting down ordnance or bringing in the helicopter. The four Sandys entered a daisy chain orbit around the survivor, providing overlapping coverage and suppressing threats. Byron realized he had expended most of his ordnance on Sandy 77’s rescue and ended up making his last couple of passes “dry,” which was an uncomfortable feeling.

Despite the continued ground fire and ordnance limitations, the second pickup went smoothly. The penetrator went down, and Nickel 102 was quickly on board the helicopter. With the call, “Survivor’s on board, let’s get the hell out of here!” everyone exited the area, heading east towards the water.

Victory and the Aftermath

This mission was unique – the rescue of two separate survivors from two different aircraft in a single, coordinated two-day effort. The feeling among the pilots was one of intense relief and jubilation. However, the mission wasn’t quite over for everyone. As they were heading back, Tim Brady’s flight controls started getting stiff. He quickly realized he had lost all hydraulics, likely due to battle damage to the wing. He had to jettison his remaining ordnance and fuel tanks and make an emergency approach back at Da Nang, landing with an arrested landing using the barrier cable due to having no brakes. A bullet hole was found that had severed a hydraulic line near the 20mm cannons.

Back on the ramp at Da Nang, the four Sandy pilots gathered, meeting both the rescued Navy F-8 pilot (Nickel 102) and their friend Larry Highfill (Sandy 77). There were many hugs. The Navy pilot expressed his gratitude, initially surprised that Byron, his rescuer, was only a First Lieutenant. This led to a poignant reflection on the fact that these complex, high-stakes SAR missions were often run by relatively junior officers – First Lieutenants with only 18-24 months of flying experience. As Tim Brady put it, they “owned the war” and were expected to execute these critical tasks, sometimes even respectfully overriding the direction of higher command like King.

The feeling of successfully rescuing someone was the highest high, described as a complete release of tension and jubilance. This stood in stark contrast to the quiet, solemn flight home and debriefing after a failed rescue. Byron and Tim both experienced these extremes, highlighting the emotional toll of SAR. The positive memories of successful rescues, like this double pickup, are tempered by the unavoidable ones, such as the mission three days later where Byron lost his flight lead, the only man lost in their squadron.

This remarkable two-day, double rescue mission is a testament to the skill, courage, and dedication of the Sandy pilots and the entire SAR team, highlighting the critical role they played in bringing fellow servicemembers home.