Thirty-Five Years Later,
A Tribute to the Memory of Hugh McNeil "Mac" Byrd, Jr.
by Charles Finch
HUGH McNEIL "MAC" BYRD JR., Last seen 9 January 1968
"On Friday, January 9, 2004, it will have been 35 years since Mac went down
serving his country. At the time he was CATKILLER 15. Most of you will never
forget Mac or the details of his last mission but I felt I had to remind you
just in case.
Mac Byrd was a flight school classmate (OFWAC 68-4 BLUE HATS) of mine and Don
Long. He was from Berea, Kentucky and was married to one of the most
beautiful women in the world, Elaine. He struggled somewhat in flight school but it
was probably due to having a new daughter Scott and that gorgeous wife. Mac
and Elaine were the epitome of what marriage and love are intended to be. They
both had such a crush on one another and this was AFTER they were married.
This picture of Mac is when he and I came up to sign in at the 212th at the
end of July 1968. We were on our way to the 220th Catkillers where Mac is
pointing. Notice that Major Pedersen was in command then but would be relieved on
August 6. The night Mac and I spent in DaNang, we were talking to Gene Frey
about the 220th mission at Phu Bai. He went on and on about the danger of the
First Platoon mythmakers. About this time, Roger Bounds came in the club and
he looked like he did a lot of times--just worn out and tired--and Gene said
there is one of the mythmakers now. Roger told Mac more than he wanted to
hear and he left saying "Finch you can go fly with the first platoon, I have too
much to live for--their names are Elaine and Scott". Will never forget it.
Mac was not in VietNam for fame or medals, but in simple obedience to duty. My
wife and I were in a trailer with Mac and his family at Fort Rucker the night
President Johnson said he would not run again. Mac knew we were still going
to VietNam and was happy he had his WINGS to wear on his chest while serving
his country.
Mac loved the 220th and became friends with everyone. He loved the BEAR,
John Kovachs. Those two always teamed up on the volleyball court, playing
"Jungle Rules" I might add to win a lot. Mac always palmed the ball and I
constantly yelled at him about it and it did no good. Mac was a first lieutenant, who
really did not care about rank once the duty day was done. He never
considered himself a new guy. He gave Glenn Strange and Doc as much grief as they gave
him about being "new".
Sarge, BEAR, Andy, Grayson, Hudson and so on have all the stories about Mac.
How big he was trying to fit in that small cockpit. How he wrote Elaine
every day, how he never missed a meal, how much he felt the war was going in the
wrong direction. He and I talked about coming up to the First Platoon but he
was not impressed at all with the war stories and did not feel that being a
mythmaker was that big a deal. He would say to me "little man" (he called me
that in flight school), you are going to get yourself DEAD up there and no one
back home will care.
How Mac Byrd and his back-seat Kevin O'Brien got tasked for the mission is
not important anymore. Combat is too unpredictable to discuss the issue anymore.
When I landed at Dong Ha and was told where they were headed, out south of
Khe Sahn I was shocked. First of all it was getting DARK and Mac had been gone
too long. I called him from the ramp but lost commo and had to go up to Dong
Ha tower. There Mac and I had a few short conversations. I thought they
were much longer but when the transcripts came out, they were either edited or
the tapes were difficult to transcribe what was said.
Mac clearly did not have enough fuel to get back from his current position
(as he best described it), nor did he exactly know where he was due to the
weather and darkness closing in. I kept telling him to climb and head east towards
FEET WET. We had an Air Force Basketball trying to get a fix on his position
as well as another aircraft who was trying to plot his transmissions. It
seemed like forever trying to communicate with Mac. I was trying to recalculate
his max endurance knowing well that even if he topped off his 42 gallons of
which 41 were usable, he would have to ditch in the trees somewhere.
Mac did not panic on the radio. His last transmissions were to tell me he
had to get below the clouds to find his bearings. My last transmission was
"Mac, you have to climb". His last transmission was at 8:02 PM.
So 72 days after the Catkillers went looking for Lee Harrison, we began a
search for another brother. The missing pilot and back-seat were in aircraft
tail number 51-5059.
The next morning I flew front seat while Sarge was in my back seat. Jack
Bentley and everyone else who could breathe flew 8 hours a day for three days to
no avail.
Here is a quote from Jack Bentley's letter home.
'This one is going to be sad and I have reservations as to whether I should
write it. After all of the good you've heard about VietNam, I'm afraid I'll
shatter it a bit today. One of our pilots went down last night and we've heard
no word from him since. Today we searched a 500 square mile area where he is
presumed to be down. I flew 7 hours and tomorrow we plan to be up for 8. He
went down trying to help some troops in close contact with the enemy. It was
heroic but he was low on fuel and the weather was closing in. Part to the
Catkiller heroism. It's like losing a brother and I've only known him a month.
Phu Bai is a gloomy place and it will take a while before we get over it. (MY
NOTE-no one has ever gotten over it Jack). Mac had a wife and 9 month old
son.'
I know most of you have your own special memory of Mac. Sarge, Grayson,
Andy, BEAR, Bud, Bounds, Hudson, Doc, Hooper, Don Long, Pepe, Scruggs, Cortner,
Major Wisby could probably all write something better than this.
The bond of the Catkillers endures for a lifetime. The vision of Mac, walking
in his flight suit with the legs that barely covered the tops of his boots
(he never could get one long enough for him) will never go away. What haunts me
even more is sitting in the tower at Dong Ha and not being able to help him.
Quiet, unaffected heroism like Mac's has never been recognized in this
country like Brokaw's Greatest Generation. It is up to those of us who served
together to constantly remind those who are ignorant to this oversight of what
happened in VietNam. Tell them we were losing 242 lives a WEEK in 1969 and that
was an improvement over 1968. Compare that to IRAQ.
The willingness to risk one's life to save another soldier in peril is what
Mac did in my opinion. That is how I honor him in my thoughts. He was a
wonderful person whose flame went out way too early. I say we toast him on Friday,
January 9.
Thanks for your time and service. God Bless America!
Charles Finch
Catkiller 19"
The following photo shows several bricks placed on an Honor Ground Brick Project by Sam Givhan, in honor of 1LT Hugh Byrd and CPT Robert Bronson, at Marion Military Institute, 1101 Washington Street, Marion, Alabama. Bob Bronson was a USAF OV-10 FAC lost over Laos:
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