Name: Tommy Leon Callies
Rank/Branch: O3/US Air Force
Unit:
Date of Birth: 31 May 1943
Home City of Record: Howard SD
Date of Loss: 01 August 1969
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 145936N 1082847E (BS281589)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 2
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: F4E
REFNO: 1474Other Personnel In Incident: Douglas G. Burd (missing)
Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 June
1990 from one or more of the
following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence
with
POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews. Updated by the P.O.W.
NETWORK 2001.REMARKS:SYNOPSIS: On August 1, 1969, just four years after he
graduated from the Air Force Academy, Capt. Tommy Callies found himself in
the Vietnam war as the
pilot of an F4E Phantom fighter/bomber jet. On this day, 1LT Douglas Burd
was his back-seater, having charge of navigation and bombing. It was
Callies' dream to become a career pilot, and he and Burd were flying one
of the most exciting aircraft of the time.The Phantom, used by Air Force,
Marine and Navy air wings, served a multitude of functions including
fighter-bomber and interceptor, photo and electronic surveillance. The two
man aircraft was extremely fast (Mach 2), and had a long range (900 - 2300
miles, depending on stores and mission type). The F4 was also extremely
maneuverable and handled well at low and high altitudes. The F4 was
selected for a number of state-of-the-art electronics conversions, which
improved radar intercept and computer bombing capabilities enormously.
Most pilots considered it one of the "hottest" planes around. It
was equipped with Skyspot radar, which helped ground radar track the
plane.When the Phantom flown by Callies was in Quang Ngai Province, South
Vietnam, just about 25 miles southwest of the city of Quang Ngai, the
Skyspot was put to test. The plane was shot down.Observers feel that Tommy
Callies and Doug Burd died in the crash of their plane, and circumstances
surrounding the area of crash indicate a very good chance the enemy knew
what happened to them. The two are on the rolls of the missing because
their bodies are in enemy hands.For the nearly 2400 other Americans
unaccounted for, simple explanations are not so easy. Experts now believe
that hundreds of Americans are still alive, held captive by a long-ago
enemy. While Callies and Burd are not, evidently, among this number, one
can imagine their willingness to fly one more mission for their missing
comrades. Why have 15 years gone by without our bringing these men home?
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