Francis J McGouldrick, Jr

Colonel
8TH BOMB SQDN, 35TH TFW, 7TH AF
United States Air Force
19 December 1928 - 10 July 1978
New Haven, Connecticut
Panel 36W Line 017

7TH AF

8TH BOMB SQD
B-57 Canberra

USAF Navigator/Bombardier

Purple Heart, Air Medal, National Defense, Vietnam Service, Vietnam Campaign

The database page for Francis J McGouldrick, Jr

26 Sep 2000

REMEMBERED

by a buddy,
Larry Maloney
pilotF15@yahoo.com
24 Jan 2005

When I was fifteen I wore a bracelet
Simply it stated a name
I didn't know you then
I don't know you now
The bracelet is long gone
But I never forgot your name.

Thirty years have passed
And I still recall a day
When I opened a package
I proudly wore your name
Even now there are tears
And forever there will be thanks.

Brenda McGrain
goddess22@comcast.net

24 Aug 2005

I now have Col. Francis J. McGouldrick's POW-MIA bracelet.
He went down before I was even born, but now I can remember him and thank him and his family.

From
Patrick Krechowski
pwkski@yahoo.com

A Note from The Virtual Wall

On 13 December 1968 a C-123K PROVIDER of the 606th Special Operations Squadron launched from Nakhon Phanom RTAFB, Thailand, on a night FAC mission over the Ho Chi Minh Trail area. The low-and-slow C-123K's mission was to obtain visual or infrared sightings of traffic along the Trail and to act as a controller for bombers - in this case, B-57 CANBERRA bombers from the 8th Tactical Bomber Squadron, Phan Rang AB, SVN.

Weather conditions along the Trail were good - clear with a half moon, ground fog, no wind and no cloud ceiling. At 0300 hours, as a B-57 was executing an attack against ground targets, the B-57 collided with the upper surface of the circling C-123K. Both aircraft - and nine aircrewmen - went down.

Only one - 1st Lt Thomas M. Turner from the C-123 - was rescued. The others simply disappeared into the Laotian jungles about 30 miles southwest of the Ban Kari Pass. A ground search was impossible due to total enemy control of the area, but airborne search-and-rescue operations continued until the formal SAR effort was terminated on 15 December. At that point, the crewmen and their status were as follow:

  • 606th SOS, C-123K call sign CANDLESTICK 44
  • 8th Tactical Bomber Squadron, B-57B call sign YELLOWBIRD 72
None of the men returned with other POWs in February 1973, nor did any of the released POWs have knowledge of the CANDLESTICK or YELLOWBIRD crewmen. As time passed, the Secretary of the Air Force approved Presumptive Findings of Death for the eight missing crewmen - including Major F. J. McGouldrick (July 10, 1978).




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With all respect
Jim Schueckler, former CW2, US Army
Ken Davis, Commander, United States Navy (Ret)
Last updated 08/10/2009