I am now retired from corporate flying and am rated 80% disabled and unemployable by the VA.
I have also been known to do some free-lance writing for magazines such as VIETNAM, WORLD WAR II and WW II HISTORY and am the author of a book about the C-130 troop carrier/tactical airlift mission and a Vietnam war novel, THE CAVE. My books are available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other sellers. For details and to order autographed copies, go to www.sammcgowan.com/books.html.
Other Comments:
In 2006 I helped found the Troop Carrier/Tactical Airlift Assocation and served as the secretary until 2017. www.troopcarrier.org
Description Operation Nickel Grass was an overt strategic airlift and operation conducted by the United States to deliver weapons and supplies to Israel during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. In a series of events that took place over 32 days, the Military Airlift Command of the U.S. Air Force shipped 22,325 tons of tanks, artillery, ammunition, and supplies in C-141 Starlifter and C-5 Galaxy transport aircraft between October 14 and November 14, 1973. The U.S. support helped ensure that Israel survived a coordinated and surprise attack from the Soviet-backed Arab Republic of Egypt and Syrian Arab Republic.
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
October / 1973
To Month/Year
October / 1973
Last Updated: Mar 16, 2020
Personal Memories
Memories I was on one of the first C-5s into Lod. When we took off from Lajes, no airplanes had landed yet. We were told that the Arabs were threatening to shoot us down and even though the AFRs required that all crewmembers wear parachutes when going into a hostile area, there were none on the base. Boy, was I really peed off! As it turned out, the IAF came out in F-4s and escorted us in without incident. What a screwed-up operation!
