Philip E. Smith

Philip E. Smith
Born	(1934-10-15) October 15, 1934 Roodhouse, Illinois, U.S.
Allegiance	United States of America
Branch	United States Air Force
Service years	1957-87
Rank	Colonel
Unit	436th Tactical Fighter Squadron
Conflicts	Vietnam War
Awards	Silver StarLegion of Merit (3)Bronze Star (2)Purple Heart (2)Meritorious Service Medal (2)Air Medal (2)

Philip Eldon Smith (born 15 October 1934) is a former United States Air Force fighter pilot who was held captive in China for seven and a half years.^[1]

Early life

Smith was born in Roodhouse, Illinois.^[2] After attending high school he completed a special two year curriculum at the Institute of Aviation, University of Illinois.

USAF career

He joined the United States Air Force and in June 1957, graduated from Air Force Pilot Training. He later flew the F-86F, the F-100 and then the F-104. He volunteered for combat duty and in September 1965 was flying the F-104C with the 436th Tactical Fighter Squadron based at Da Nang Air Base, South Vietnam.^[3]

Capture

USAF F-104s escort an EC-121, the same mission Smith was performing prior to being shot down

On 20 September 1965 Smith was flying his F-104C #56-883 on a mission to escort an EC-121 over the Gulf of Tonkin when due to equipment failure and incorrect navigational commands he strayed into Chinese airspace over Hainan. His aircraft was intercepted and shot down by two Shenyang J-6 fighters of the People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force near Haikou. Smith ejected successfully and was captured by PLA forces.^[4][5] On 21 September the U.S. military acknowledged that Smith was missing and reported that Smith had radioed that he was experiencing mechanical problems and fuel shortage, but did not confirm that he had been shot down.^[6]

He was first taken to Guangzhou for interrogation and then later transferred to Beijing. Most of his captivity was spent in solitary confinement; however, he did meet John T. Downey and Richard Fecteau both of whom were CIA agents captured in 1952.^[7]

Release

Due to improving US-China relations following President Richard Nixon's historic 1972 visit to China, Smith and United States NavyCommanderRobert J. Flynn who was shot down in 1967 were released on 15 March 1973, crossing the land border into the British Hong Kong where they were received by a representative of the American Red Cross and U.S. consular officials. Both men were then flown by helicopter to Kai Tak Airport and then flown to Clark Air Base in The Philippines where they were processed together with U.S. prisoners of war released from North Vietnam as part of Operation Homecoming.^[2]

Post-release

Smith returned to USAF duty and retired with the rank of Colonel in December 1987.

Awards and decorations

His awards include:

United States Air Force Command Pilot Badge
Silver Star	Legion of Meritwith 2 bronze oak leaf clusters	Bronze Star Medalwith Valor device and bronze oak leaf cluster
Purple Heartwith bronze oak leaf cluster	Meritorious Service Medalwith bronze oak leaf cluster	Air Medalwith bronze oak leaf cluster
Air Force Outstanding Unit Awardwith bronze oak leaf cluster	Air Force Organizational Excellence Award	Prisoner of War Medal
Combat Readiness Medal	Army Good Conduct Medal	National Defense Service Medal
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medalwith service star	Vietnam Service Medalwith 3 silver and 1 bronze campaign stars	Air Force Overseas Short Tour Service Ribbonwith silver and bronze oak leaf clusters
Air Force Overseas Long Tour Service Ribbonwith 3 bronze oak leaf clusters	Air Force Longevity Service Awardwith 1 silver and 2 bronze oak leaf clusters	Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon
Air Force Training Ribbon	Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation	Vietnam Campaign Medal

References

1. "SMITH, PHILIP ELDON Compiled by Task Force Omega Inc". Archived from the original on 4 May 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
2. "China releases two airmen, the last Americans she held". The New York Times. 15 March 1973. p. 2.
3. Van Staaveren, Jacob (2002). Gradual Failure: The Air War over North Vietnam 1965–1966(PDF). Air Force History and Museums Program. pp. 183–4. ISBN 9781508779094. Archived from the original(PDF) on 23 November 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2016. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
4. Smith, Philip (1992). Journey Into Darkness: the Gripping Story of an American Pow's Seven Years Trapped Inside Red China During the Vietnam War. Pocket Books. pp. 29–35. ISBN 0671728237.
5. Ian Stewart (21 September 1965). "Peking reports downing U.S. jet over China isle". The New York Times. p. 1.
6. R.W. Apple (22 September 1965). "U.S. air loss sets record for day in Vietnam War". The New York Times. p. 1.
7. "Robert J. Flynn, Shot Down in Vietnam War and Held in China, Dies at 76". New York Times. 24 May 2014.