A fallen hero

Some of you who know me know that I have a great interest in air combat, particularly from the Second World War. I'm an avid builder of WW2 aircraft, and have an extensive library of reference books. One can't be interested in WW2 air combat without learning about pilots from the other wars, though. There was Ball, Bishop, Luke from the First World War, McConnell and Blesse from the Korean War...and then there was Randy "Duke" Cunningham.

Duke was a naval aviator, and one of the first graduates of the Top Gun school. He became the first American ace of the Vietnam War, achieving 5 aerial kills, with three in one day. Some sources claim that Duke's final kill was the ranking Vietnamese ace, but there is still considerable argument about this to this day.

If you have ever read about the dog fight Duke had with his fifth kill, or ever saw Duke describe in his own words on how the engagement unfolded, then it would be forever in your memory. Duke and his backseater, Willy Driscoll, had already shot down two aircraft in a 1972 engagement when they saw a VN MiG fighter heading towards them. Duke engaged with a head-on pass and was nearly shot down by cannon fire. They passed close by, and Duke pulled his F-4 into a climb in order to take advantage of his greater engine power. He was used to VN aircraft turning or diving away at this point. As Duke looked over his shoulder he saw that the MiG had also gone vertical and was matching Duke's every move. Both aircraft were engaged in a vertical rolling scissors, trying to get the other aircraft to overshoot for a kill. Duke put on too much power and overshot, nearly getting peppered with rounds before nosing over. The MIG also nosed over, and both aircraft again came around for a head-on pass before again going vertical into a rolling scissors. Neither pilot could gain an advantage, and Duke was getting pissed, so he put on full afterburner and disengaged. After getting some distance, he turned and re-engaged the MiG. This time, when they went vertical, Duke tricked the MiG into overshooting and was able to kill the aircraft with a missile shot.

This was a very brief description of what was an epic dogfight between the best of two countries. It will forever be remembered in the dog fighting lore of pilots. Duke got the Navy Cross. He was a war hero. Duke was elected to Congress and was a strong advocate for the military.

On November 28, 2005, Duke's shining star was dulled when he plead guilty to multiple charges of accepting bribes and abusing the position of his office. I am crestfallen. Now, Duke is a criminal. He is dirty, and tainted, and corrupt, and will most likely serve prison time at the age of 65.

Despite that, let's never forget the events of August 1972.