| Date: 27 April 1972 |
| Aircraft type: F-4B Phantom |
| Serial Number: 151472 |
| Military Unit: VMFA-115, MAG-15 |
| Service: USMC |
| Home Base: Da Nang |
| Name(s): |
| Maj Thomas Knowles Duffy (KWF) |
| Capt Darryl Francis Dziedzic (Survived) |
| Within days of the start of the North Vietnamese invasion, the US Marine Corps began to deploy a number of its fighter, attack and helicopter squadrons back to South Vietnam. Among the first units to return to Da Nang were two squadrons of F-4s, VMFA-115 and VMFA-232, which arrived on 6 April under the control of MAG-15. In taking up residence at Da Nang VMFA-115 returned to where it had first entered the war in Southeast Asia in October 1965. The only loss suffered by the Squadron on its last tour of Vietnam duty occurred on 27 April when a Phantom flown by the Squadron’s executive officer collided with an O-1 Bird Dog of the VNAF during a combat mission. The RIO ejected but Maj Duffy was killed in the crash. The Squadron had lost 20 aircrew and 23 aircraft during 33,553 combat sorties up until the ceasefire on 27 January 1973. Thirteen of these aircraft had been lost as a result of enemy action. VMFA-115 left Nam Phong, where it had moved on 16 June 1972, and deployed to Naha on 31 August 1973. |
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