Maddox, Notley Gwynn, Col

Notley Gwynn Maddox Rank/Branch: Colonel/US Air Force Unit: 20th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron Udorn Airfield, Thailand Date of Birth: 20 November 1924  

 On 20 May 1967, then Major Notley G. Maddox departed Udorn Airfield as the pilot of the lead aircraft, call sign "Drill 01," in a flight of two on a late afternoon photo reconnaissance mission. Their intended target to photograph was the Kep Army barracks located 35 miles northeast of Hanoi on the Kep MiG base. The weather was clear on their flight into the target area. But once on sight, the pilots found there were multi-layered, broken clouds to contend with. As the flight approached Kep Airfield from the northwest, it began receiving heavy, accurate anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) ground fire. Further, his wingman reported seeing both muzzle flashes and AAA fire directed at the flight. Major Notley radioed his wingman that he had ?taken a hit? and that ?everything was okay.?

At 1610 hours, he then stated he was ?initiating his photo? run with ?everything still okay.? He completed his pass, pulled off the target and headed outbound toward the southeast before swinging back to the northwest to egress North Vietnam on the same predetermined flight path as briefed. No further contact could be established with Major Notley at a point approximately 16 miles southeast of Kep and over a mountain range roughly 6 miles southeast of Luc Nam. Aerial search and rescue (SAR) efforts were immediately initiated, but found no trace of the Voodoo or its pilot deep in enemy held territory. At the time search efforts were terminated, Notley Maddox was listed Missing in Action.

This Veteran has an (IMO) In Memory Of Headstone in Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial, Hawaii, and in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St Louis, MO.

Notely Maddox had a distinguished career as pilot. He flew undergraduate pilot training (UPT) 51-H and B-25's from Hubbard. Fighter Interceptor Squadron (FIS) at Woodey and Tyndell. From 1953-1955 he was with 44G, FIS Ladd AFB. 55-58, 84 FIS Klamitar AFB He attended AFIT and received his MBS. He received his PhD in Geo Physics. His RF-101 was hit after a BDA (bomb damage assessment) flight 5 miles outside Hanoi, May 20, 1967. His family was told 30 years later that his chute and boots had been recovered. He was fluent in Russian. He is survived by 2 sons and a daughter.