Lt. Col. David B. Grant
U.S. Air Force. 1966-1994
F-4 Phantom Pilot
Vietnam 1970-1973 (POW)
U.S. Air Force. 1966-1994
F-4 Phantom Pilot
Vietnam 1970-1973 (POW)
David Grant was born in Chattanooga, TN in 1942. His father was a B-17 pilot during WW2. He was shot down over Belgium, taken prisoner and held in Stalag Luft I. He never talked about his time as a POW but later did caution David about being a pilot.
In 1965 David received his draft notice and immediately enlisted in the Air Force. David hoped to be a hospital administrator but because of a shortage of pilots he did not get his wish.
He attended Officer Training School in San Antonio, TX and then was sent to Laredo, TX for flight school. Upon graduation he received his orders for Vietnam but in January, 1968 the USS Pueblo was attacked and captured by North Korea. His orders were changed to Japan.
David flew the F-4 which was a two-seater. Initially Dave was the GIB (Guy in Back). In Japan Dave was pared with Lt. John Barker and served as his GIB. Dave says Lt. Barker had a great influence on his flying career. Dave eventually returned to the US and was stationed at MacDill AFB in Tampa where he was promoted to Aircraft Commander (Guy in Front). By this time Dave had married his college girlfriend Betsy and they had two small boys. Dave received orders to the Philippines and brought his family with him. However, once again his orders changed and now he was headed to Vietnam. He packed up his family, sent them home and he headed to Da Nang.
Dave arrived in Da Nang as part of the 421st Tactical Fighter Squadron on April 1, 1972 shortly after President Nixon had authorized increased airstrikes on North Vietnam. Dave knew he was in a combat zone when his base received nightly rocket attacks. While in-country, he flew 74 combat missions including close air support and bomber escort. During his time in combat David earned 3 Distinguished Flying Cross Awards. On May 1, 1972 “Captain Grant was diverted from another strike to attack a surface to air (SAM) missile site deep in hostile territory. Despite a heavy barrage of anti-aircraft fire and SAM’s launched at the flight, Captain Grant was able to attack and destroy two SAM’s and their associated launch equipment.”
On May 18TH, 1972 “Captain Grant engaged an overwhelming number of hostile aircraft in the successful defense of a strike flight deep in North Vietnam. With complete disregard for his personal safety, Captain Grant repeatedly engaged the attacking hostile aircraft, allowing the mission to be completed unhampered”.
David’s wing was moved to Thailand and his 75th mission, and the first mission from Thailand, did not go as David had planned. It was 4pm on June 24th, 1972 and David and his GIB, Bill Beekman, were flying an escort mission 40 miles from Hanoi. His 3rd Distinguished Flying Cross reads, “Capitan Grant attacked a hostile aircraft interceptor and forced the interceptor to disengage an attack on his flight lead. Despite heavy and accurate anti-aircraft fire and SAM’s, Captain Grant, with complete disregard for his own personal safety, effectively neutralized the attack.” However, after neutralizing the attack his plane took a direct hit from a SAM and the plane exploded and the fuselage disintegrated. Dave and Bill safely ejected at 30,000 feet and at 11,000 feet their parachutes opened. They were clearly visible to the North Vietnamese on the ground who were now shooting at them. When David hit the ground he didn’t know Bill had landed 2 miles away from him. He was focused on hiding from the North Vietnamese villagers. He hid in some dense bush and made it through the night with the North Vietnamese only 50 yards away. In the morning, they found him. Armed, the Vietnamese began yelling, “ready, aim, fire”. They would shoot in David’s direction, but David did not move. They did this again and this time they hit him in the foot. “They came into the bush and were shocked that I was still alive”, David recalls.
David now had a significant gunshot wound to his foot and hadn’t had any water in hours. His arms were tied behind his back, and they hiked through several villages where his captors stirred up the local villagers who threw rocks at him and hit him with sticks. Eventually he was handed over to the North Vietnamese militia. They continued their march and, in each village, he was beaten. By nightfall they reached a much larger village where they conducted a mock trail while David was kept on his knees with a bayonet at his head. He was convicted of being a war criminal and handed over to the North Vietnamese regular army who put a bag over his head and put him in a truck for the trip to the Hanoi Hilton.
When they arrived at the Hanoi Hilton David went through four days of interrogations and beatings. After that he was put in a 5’x7’ cell and still had not received any treatment for his gunshot wound. They put Bill in the same cell as David so he would have somebody to help him walk. After another 5 days they came for Dave and Bill, put bags over their heads and took them and four other POWs to a press conference. That is when Dave’s wife Betsy learned he was alive.
By July the infection in David’s foot was very bad. David believes the endless interrogations and beating helped keep the infection from getting too bad. The North Vietnamese made sure they inflicted maximum pain on his injury which kept it bleeding. Eventually a guard gave him two tablets and the infection subsided. Conditions were dismal and food consisted of bread with bugs and rat feces, tea made with dirty water and one tea leaf and pumpkin soup made with rotten pumpkins. The summers were brutally hot, the winters were very cold, and they had only dirty prison pajamas to wear.
Unlike earlier in the war when the POWs were isolated, the POWs during Dave’s confinement were able to see and communicate with each other. “You just tried to remain positive” Dave recalls. When the Peace Talks broke down, the US stepped up the bombing of North Vietnam and the POWs could hear the bombs dropping. “We knew there was hope.” The Paris Peace Accords were signed in January of 1973. It was decided that the prisoners would be released based on the severity of their medical condition and the first captured were the first to go home. Although David had been there 278 days, he was on the second to last flight out. On March 28, 1973 David was released.
David stayed in the Air Force and retired as a Lt. Col in 1994. David and Betsy have been married for 55 years and have three sons, seven grandchildren and reside in western North Carolina.
David, thank you for your selfless service and enduring what no human being should ever be subjected to.
In 1965 David received his draft notice and immediately enlisted in the Air Force. David hoped to be a hospital administrator but because of a shortage of pilots he did not get his wish.
He attended Officer Training School in San Antonio, TX and then was sent to Laredo, TX for flight school. Upon graduation he received his orders for Vietnam but in January, 1968 the USS Pueblo was attacked and captured by North Korea. His orders were changed to Japan.
David flew the F-4 which was a two-seater. Initially Dave was the GIB (Guy in Back). In Japan Dave was pared with Lt. John Barker and served as his GIB. Dave says Lt. Barker had a great influence on his flying career. Dave eventually returned to the US and was stationed at MacDill AFB in Tampa where he was promoted to Aircraft Commander (Guy in Front). By this time Dave had married his college girlfriend Betsy and they had two small boys. Dave received orders to the Philippines and brought his family with him. However, once again his orders changed and now he was headed to Vietnam. He packed up his family, sent them home and he headed to Da Nang.
Dave arrived in Da Nang as part of the 421st Tactical Fighter Squadron on April 1, 1972 shortly after President Nixon had authorized increased airstrikes on North Vietnam. Dave knew he was in a combat zone when his base received nightly rocket attacks. While in-country, he flew 74 combat missions including close air support and bomber escort. During his time in combat David earned 3 Distinguished Flying Cross Awards. On May 1, 1972 “Captain Grant was diverted from another strike to attack a surface to air (SAM) missile site deep in hostile territory. Despite a heavy barrage of anti-aircraft fire and SAM’s launched at the flight, Captain Grant was able to attack and destroy two SAM’s and their associated launch equipment.”
On May 18TH, 1972 “Captain Grant engaged an overwhelming number of hostile aircraft in the successful defense of a strike flight deep in North Vietnam. With complete disregard for his personal safety, Captain Grant repeatedly engaged the attacking hostile aircraft, allowing the mission to be completed unhampered”.
David’s wing was moved to Thailand and his 75th mission, and the first mission from Thailand, did not go as David had planned. It was 4pm on June 24th, 1972 and David and his GIB, Bill Beekman, were flying an escort mission 40 miles from Hanoi. His 3rd Distinguished Flying Cross reads, “Capitan Grant attacked a hostile aircraft interceptor and forced the interceptor to disengage an attack on his flight lead. Despite heavy and accurate anti-aircraft fire and SAM’s, Captain Grant, with complete disregard for his own personal safety, effectively neutralized the attack.” However, after neutralizing the attack his plane took a direct hit from a SAM and the plane exploded and the fuselage disintegrated. Dave and Bill safely ejected at 30,000 feet and at 11,000 feet their parachutes opened. They were clearly visible to the North Vietnamese on the ground who were now shooting at them. When David hit the ground he didn’t know Bill had landed 2 miles away from him. He was focused on hiding from the North Vietnamese villagers. He hid in some dense bush and made it through the night with the North Vietnamese only 50 yards away. In the morning, they found him. Armed, the Vietnamese began yelling, “ready, aim, fire”. They would shoot in David’s direction, but David did not move. They did this again and this time they hit him in the foot. “They came into the bush and were shocked that I was still alive”, David recalls.
David now had a significant gunshot wound to his foot and hadn’t had any water in hours. His arms were tied behind his back, and they hiked through several villages where his captors stirred up the local villagers who threw rocks at him and hit him with sticks. Eventually he was handed over to the North Vietnamese militia. They continued their march and, in each village, he was beaten. By nightfall they reached a much larger village where they conducted a mock trail while David was kept on his knees with a bayonet at his head. He was convicted of being a war criminal and handed over to the North Vietnamese regular army who put a bag over his head and put him in a truck for the trip to the Hanoi Hilton.
When they arrived at the Hanoi Hilton David went through four days of interrogations and beatings. After that he was put in a 5’x7’ cell and still had not received any treatment for his gunshot wound. They put Bill in the same cell as David so he would have somebody to help him walk. After another 5 days they came for Dave and Bill, put bags over their heads and took them and four other POWs to a press conference. That is when Dave’s wife Betsy learned he was alive.
By July the infection in David’s foot was very bad. David believes the endless interrogations and beating helped keep the infection from getting too bad. The North Vietnamese made sure they inflicted maximum pain on his injury which kept it bleeding. Eventually a guard gave him two tablets and the infection subsided. Conditions were dismal and food consisted of bread with bugs and rat feces, tea made with dirty water and one tea leaf and pumpkin soup made with rotten pumpkins. The summers were brutally hot, the winters were very cold, and they had only dirty prison pajamas to wear.
Unlike earlier in the war when the POWs were isolated, the POWs during Dave’s confinement were able to see and communicate with each other. “You just tried to remain positive” Dave recalls. When the Peace Talks broke down, the US stepped up the bombing of North Vietnam and the POWs could hear the bombs dropping. “We knew there was hope.” The Paris Peace Accords were signed in January of 1973. It was decided that the prisoners would be released based on the severity of their medical condition and the first captured were the first to go home. Although David had been there 278 days, he was on the second to last flight out. On March 28, 1973 David was released.
David stayed in the Air Force and retired as a Lt. Col in 1994. David and Betsy have been married for 55 years and have three sons, seven grandchildren and reside in western North Carolina.
David, thank you for your selfless service and enduring what no human being should ever be subjected to.