This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Lt Col Edward Barry (Speedy 40)
to remember
McLaughlin, Arthur Vincent, Jr., CMSgt.
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Contact Info
Home Town Roxbury, Massachusetts
Last Address Westover AFB, MA; U-Tapao RTAFB, Thailand
Then MSgt. Arthur McLaughlin was a gunner aboard B-52D (tail number 56-0622) based at U-Tapao RTNAFB, Thailand that was hit by a SA-2 SAM over North Vietnam during Operation "Linebacker II". The aircraft finally crashed in Thailand, 35 km east of Khon Kaen. This occurred during the "Christmas Bombing" of 1972.
He was one of four men who was killed and he remains MIA.
Home base for the unit was Westover AFB, Massachusetts.
Vietnam War/Cease-Fire Campaign (1972-73)/Operation Linebacker II
From Month/Year
December / 1972
To Month/Year
December / 1972
Description Operation Linebacker II (18–29 December 1972) was a US Seventh Air Force and US Navy Task Force 77 aerial bombing campaign, conducted against targets in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) during the final period of US involvement in the Vietnam War. The operation was conducted from 18–29 December 1972, leading to several of informal names such as "The December Raids" and "The Christmas Bombings".
Unlike the Operation Rolling Thunder and Operation Linebacker interdiction operations, Linebacker II, would be a "maximum effort" bombing campaign to "destroy major target complexes in the Hanoi and Haiphong areas which could only be accomplished by B-52s." It saw the largest heavy bomber strikes launched by the US Air Force since the end of World War II. Linebacker II was a modified extension of the Operation Linebacker bombings conducted from May to October, with the emphasis of the new campaign shifted to attacks by B-52 Stratofortress heavy bombers rather than smaller tactical fighter aircraft.
