Fallon, Patrick Martin, Col

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What REAL heroes are made of...Posted on 3/7/99 - by Thomas A. Valentine, Jr. valentinet@prodigy.net Colonel (O-6) Patrick Martin Fallon was born in Turtle Creek Michigan on Nov. 12th, 1921. He attended West Point, but dropped out in 1944 to enlist. He fought in WWII and Korea, where he flew 125 combat missions and parachuted behind enemy lines as a forward air controller. Col. Fallon was Vice Commander of the 56th SOW (Special Operations Wing) at Nakhon Phanom RTAFB from 18 September 1968 - 4 July 1969. On 4 July 1969, Col. Fallon and another A-1H "Skyraider" pilot were ordered to check out enemy activity near the town of Xiangkhoang at the edge of the Plain of Jars in northern Laos (coordinates 191700N - 1030600E, UG004331). The flight was led by Col. Fallon, call sign "Firefly 26", and his wingman, "Firefly 27". Col. Fallon took his plane down low to observe the Pathet Lao positions, circled and came back for another pass. Col. Fallon's plane was hit by enemy ground fire while flying only about 200 feet above the ground, but he managed to bail out. Col. Fallon reached the ground safely between two 4500 foot ridges. Pathet Lao troops and machine gun emplacements were on both ridges, making it difficult for Fallon to move. His wingman called for assistance and rescue teams, and tried to give Col. Fallon some cover fire. "Firefly 27" was also hit, but continued to lay protective fire until he was forced to leave the immediate area. "Firefly 27" subseqently made a crash landing across the border in Thailand.

Col. Fallon maintained radio contact with the planes above, but they were unable to rescue him because of intense ground fire from large numbers of Pathet Lao troops. The troops were converging on Col. Fallon, and his last transmission received was, "Put it all around me, I'm hit..." At the time of his loss, Col. Fallon was married and had 2 daughters. When the Air Force came to Mrs. Fallon's door to inform her that her husband had been shot down, she was packed and ready to meet Pat on leave in Hawaii. When his personal effects were shipped home, she discovered he had flown over 100 combat missions from NKP, received a Purple Heart and a Distinguished Flying Cross. He had never told her. Mrs. Fallon has never given up her search for information on her husband's fate. Through the years, reports have surfaced concerning Colonel Fallon as a prisoner of war in Laos. He is one of nearly 600 Americans lost in the "secret war" in Laos. When the United States signed peace agreements, Laos was not included, and no American prisoners held by the Lao were ever released.

Note: The above information was gleaned from various sources on the world-wide web. I'm not related to Col. Fallon, but I'm an active-duty officer in the Air Force, and I think it's important to remember those who gave all to preserve the freedoms we enjoy. Ironically, Col. Fallon was lost on the 4th of July. Col. Fallon's case is especially interesting to me given that he was a 3-war veteran who fought both on the ground and in the air. Also, unlike many MIAs from the Vietnam War, there was positive radio contact with him after he reached the ground. Assuming he survived capture, he may have been a POW for some time, and I shudder to think of the torment he might have endured. If anyone has further information concerning Col. Fallon, please contact me at valentinet@prodigy.net. --Thomas A. Valentine, Jr, Capt, USAF

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