U.S. Air Force legend Robert “Bob” Pardo, known for his selfless action known as “Pardo’s Push” during the Vietnam War, died Dec. 5 in College Station, Texas.
He was 89 years old.
On March 10, 1967, Pardo, then a captain in the U.S. Air Force, and weapons officer 1st Lt. Steve Wayne were deep in enemy territory on a bombing raid in Vietnam.
Flying alongside another F-4C Phantom aircraft, piloted by Captain Earl Aman and First Lieutenant Robert Houghton, the pair of aircraft tasked with eliminating North Vietnam’s only steel factory, which was heavily fortified with anti-aircraft guns and artillery.
Both planes began receiving enemy fire from the ground, damaging both Pardo’s and Aman’s Phantoms.
“We received at least one hit, maybe two, right in the belly of the plane,” Pardo said in a 2015 interview with the Air Force Veterans in Blue program.
Air Force legend and Vietnam War hero Robert Pardo has died at the age of 89. U.S. Air Force Capt. Robert Pardo and 1st Lt. Stephen A. Wayne. US Air Force
After making initial contact with the enemy, Aman’s aircraft was hit again and lost too much fuel to exit enemy territory and return to base safely.
“I knew that if I didn’t do anything, they would have to push back over North Vietnam into enemy territory, and that would surely have resulted in their capture,” Pardo said. “At that time, if you were captured by civilians, they were probably going to kill you on the spot.”
In a selfless act to save his fellow aviators, Pardo pushed Aman’s jet using the nose of his plane against Aman’s tailhook, a retractable hook on the underside of the plane used to assist in landing.
The maneuver that Pardo carried out put his own plane at risk since the windshield could have broken. Youtube/1stCombatCamera Due to Pardo’s action, both planes could safely leave enemy territory. Youtube/1stCombatCamera
Pardo helped Aman’s Ghost decrease altitude by 1,500 feet per minute and guided the plane back to friendly territory.
Both aircrews then ejected safely over the Laos border and were rescued by friendly forces.
After the heroic aerial feat, Pardo remembers that he was frequently asked: ‘How did you have the courage to make the decision, knowing that the windshield could break at any moment?’”
“My dad taught me that when your friend needs help, you help,” the Vietnam War hero responded.
“I couldn’t have come home and told him I didn’t even try anything because that’s exactly what he would have asked me to do. He would have said, ‘Did you try it?’”
Although it would seem that his command would be very pleased with his selfishness, Lieutenant General William Wallace ‘Spike’ Momyer, commander of the Seventh Air Force in Vietnam, would reprimand him for sacrificing his multimillion-dollar aircraft in a rescue.
Facing a court-martial, Pardo was saved from punitive action by his wing commander, Col. Robin Olds, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
Pardo retired from the Air Force in 1974 as a lieutenant colonel. Airman 1st Class Ashley J. Thum
Pardo would be awarded the Silver Star, the third highest military decoration, for his actions twenty years after the air rescue.
In addition to his Silver Star, his awards include the Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Purple Heart, the Air Medal with twelve Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Meritorious Service Medal.
Born in Herne, Texas, in 1934, Pardo began his Air Force career in 1954, when he was 19 years old.
He logged 132 flight missions during the Vietnam War.
Retired Lt. Col. Pardo inspects the surrounding area while in the F-15E Strike Eagle simulator at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, Oct. 14, 2014. Airman 1st Class Ashley J. Thum
Pardo retired from the Air Force in 1974 as a lieutenant colonel.
“He’s a legend, but his legacy is what he did and you can do things like that, it doesn’t have to be pushing someone’s plane, you can help someone,” his son, John Pardo, told KBTX on Wednesday.
“His character was that of outstanding people, his principles were incomparable and his love for his country was maximum in his mind. Helping Earl and Bob Houghton the best we could is the best example ever seen, on the air, of one person trying to save another’s life.”
“This is the only time in aviation history that one plane has pushed another.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn