The Most Expensive Rescue in US Air Force History

Watch "When The Soviets Tested The Captured F-5 vs MiG-21" https://nebula.tv/videos/paperskies-w... Support NEW EPISODES on Patreon:   / paperskies   On April 2nd, 1972, an American B-66 “Destroyer” was shot down by a surface to air missile in the skies over South Vietnam. The only crew member to eject was U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Iceal Hambleton. A rescue helicopter was immediately dispatched to pick up the downed pilot, but no one knew at the time that Hambleton had landed in the middle of what turned out to be the most powerful offensive of the North Vietnamese Army during the war. And, of course, at the time nobody knew that his rescue would take 12 long days and become not only the most intense and, in every sense, most expensive rescue operation in U.S. Air Force history, but would also raise the uncomfortable question, "Is there a price on human life?" Chapters: 00:00 - Combat losses 02:06 - How much is a pilot worth? 04:21 - Easter offensive 06:19 - Trolls 08:47 - Bat*21 Bravo 10:51- No-fire zone 13:23 - Green giants 16:00 - Shock 20:23 - Chuck Norris 23:13 - Let's play a game 27:00 - Aftermath Watch NEXT: The pilot who accidentally flew across the ocean    • British engineer who ACCIDENTALLY TOOK OFF...   Paper Skies - amazing stories about famous airplanes, historical events, or exceptional people that have changed the world of aviation or turned out to be unfairly forgotten. Click to Subscribe:    / @paperskiesaviation   Select imagery/video supplied by: Getty Images: https://www.gettyimages.com/ AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/ Music: https://www.epidemicsound.com All content on Paper Skies is presented in historical context for educational purposes. #aviation #history #Vietnam