WHAT I CAN DO - I WILL -

All tactical strike aircraft operating in Southeast Asia had to be under the control of a Forward Air Control (FAC), who was familiar with the locale and the tactical situation. The FAC would find the target, order up U.S. fighter/bombers from an airborne command and control center or ground based station, mark the target, and control the operation throughout the time the planes remained on station. After the fighters had departed, the FAC stayed over the target to make a bomb damage assessment (BDA). The traditional FAC needed a fighter pilot's mentality, but was obliged to fly slow and low in such unarmed and vulnerable aircraft as the Cessna O1 Bird Dog, and the Cessna O2.

Another type forward air control was called the "Misty" FAC. Misty operations were flown high and fast in such aircraft as the F100, able to cover a larger area than the small, traditional aircraft flown by the "hands-on" FACs. Their role, although not usually directly in the arena of ground fire, was hazardous. The enemy had weapons to reach them, even at their greater altitude.

The North American F100 "Super Sabre" first saw action in Southeast Asia in northwest Laos in May 1962. F100 operations in Vietnam began in 1965, and took part in Operation Flaming Dart, the first U.S. Air Force strike against North Vietnam in February of that year. Further deployments of the aircraft to the area left just five F100 squadrons in the United States. Various modifications were made to the aircraft affectionately called "Hun" or "Lead Sled" by its pilots and mechanics over the early years, gradually improving night bombing capability, firing systems and target-marking systems.

Maj. Michael O. McElhanon and Maj. John F. Overlock were pilots assigned to the 309th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Phu Cat, South Vietnam. The missions they generally flew were Misty FAC operations over North Vietnam. McElhanon was rated as a pilot and Overlock as a co-pilot.

On 16 August 1968, McElhanon and Overlock were on an early mission and had already refueled once (the maximum range for the F100 is nearly 1500 miles), and had radioed the Airborne Control that they were enroute to rendezvous with a tanker over the Gulf of Tonkin for the second refueling. That was the last contact Airborne Control had with Overlock and McElhanon. They were not missed until some fifty minutes later, when a flight of fighter aircraft tried to locate them to get a fix on their target. The plane is assumed to have gone down somewhere near the city of Dong Hoi in North Vietnam's Quang Binh province.

No one knows for sure what happened to Overlock and McElhanon. If they went down close to the city, they could have been captured. If they went down over the Gulf, they may never be found.

Michael O. McElhanon was promoted to the rank of Colonel and John F. Overlock was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel during the period they were maintained missing.

Biographical and incident of loss information was obtained from either POW/NET and/or Task Force Omega, Inc (unless otherwise noted). Additional information may be found via remembrances at The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund or The Virtual Wall Vietnam Veterans Memorial.