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Contact Info
Home Town Jackson, KY
Date of Passing Jul 04, 2010
Location of Interment Miami Cemetery - Wayne Township, Ohio
Wall/Plot Coordinates Q 99 6
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
PRATER, Vincent, Jr. age 76 of Centerville passed away Sunday, July 4, 2010 at Kettering Medical Center. Vincent was born on December 29, 1933 in Wilstacy-Breathitt County, Kentucky to Vincent and Corsie (Noble) Prater, Sr. He was preceded in death by his son Phillip T. Prater; his parents; and brothers, Elmer, Arnold and Dennis Boyd Prater. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Geneva "Jean" (Hatmaker) Prater; grandchildren, Lindsay Elizabeth (Kevin) Graves and Ryan Phillip Prater; daughter in law, Susan Prater; brothers, Ernest (Mary), Clarence (Geraldine), Ollie (Shelby), Seldon (Jessie) and Lester (Pat) Prater. Vincent served in the U.S. Air Force for 22 years and later retired after 22 years of service at WPAFB as a civilian supervisor for the MOD Aircraft Division. He was a member of Far Hills Community Church, American Legion Post #615 Waynesville and Masonic Lodge #147 F & AM. He loved to fish, hunt, and his greatest joy in life was spending time with his family and grandchildren. He was always there to lend a hand. Friends may call from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, July 7, 2010 at the TOBIAS FUNERAL HOME FAR HILLS CHAPEL, 5471 Far Hills Ave. at Rahn Rd., with the funeral service at 1:00 p.m. Pastor Tony Chester officiating. Interment Miami Cemetery, Corwin, Ohio. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Far Hills Community Church, 5800 Clyo Rd., Dayton, Ohio 45459 or to the charity of your choice. Condolences may be made to www.tobiasfuneralhome.com
Other Comments:
No Fireworks this Day
No fireworks this day
A Hero has passed away
Two hundred years of Freedom
A special soul to Godâ??s Kingdom
No bombs bursting in air
At his bedside five Brothers there
Honor thee a fallen one
Silence - at peace another son
No bands playing â??Oh say can you see?â??
Angels carry him home, no songs of glee
A sorrowful tune â?? Taps â?? The Bugler blew
The sky weeping misty morning dew
No rockets red glare, bombs bursting in air
Broken Hearts and tears Loved Ones share
On their lips â?? â??In God We Trustâ??
Ashes to Ashes â?? Dust to Dust
Vietnam War/Counteroffensive Phase VII Campaign (1970-71)
From Month/Year
July / 1970
To Month/Year
June / 1971
Description
On December 1, 1970. the USAF began another interdiction campaign named COMMANDO HUNT V, the third so-named dry season campaign in as many years.* In Commando Hunt V, the USAF attacks focused on the Laotian panhandle, although tactical aircraft periodically struck targets in northern Laos and Cambodia. B-52s and fighter-bombers hit the passes between North Vietnam and Laos, creating chokepoints that forced the North Vietnamese to channel traffic and reinforcements moving southward so that gunships, B-57G bombers, and other tactical aircraft could more easily destroy them. The Icitoo Wrtrre automated system of sensors that the USAF airdropped along the Ho Chi Mirth Trail was designed to aid in the location of trucks and other moving targets. The South Vietnamese and U.S. military leaders intended this aerial campaign to prevent a sustained enemy offensive in South Vietnam, thus giving the Republic of Vietnam more time to equip with modem weapons and train its armed forces. To that end, between January 30 and March 24. 1971, the ARVN entered Laos near Khe Sanh, 15 miles south of the DMZ. The Allies in this operation, code-named LAM Son 719, hoped to cut a segment of the Ho Chi Minh Trail and capture Tchepone, the hub of the Communists’ logistics system in Laos. From February 8 to March 24 the USAF supported Lam Son 719 by airlifting South Vietnamese troops and supplies into Khe Sanh. Flying tactical air strikes in Laos, and furnishing forward air control (FAC) in the battle area.
On March 7, 1971, the Army of the Republic of Vietnam reached Tchepone; however, North Vietnamese forces inflicted such heavy casualties that South Vietnamese commanders were forced to withdraw 3 days later. The USAF then covered U.S. Army helicopters evacuating ARVN troops with heavy tactical air and B-52 attacks. By March 24 the last ARVN troops retumed to South Vietnam, but they had abandoned large quantities of military hardware, including trucks and tanks, during the evacuation. in spite of the ARVN‘s chaotic withdrawal. the North Vietnamese army also suffered heavy losses and did not begin another major offensive in South Vietnam for almost a year.
The COMMANDO HUNT V campaign saw the first extensive use of 2 new USAF weapons: laser-guided bombs and “daisy cutter” bombs. On
February 3. 1971, F-4s equipped with laser-seeker pods and laser-guided bombs destroyed a 37-mm antiaircraft site along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
Then, on February 19, F-4 pilots used this weapon to destroy 2 trucks. On March 3 the Seventh Air Force used laser-guided bombs to destroy tanks that had been spotted near Tchepone. The USAF now had the means to hit accurately small targets on the first try. During LAM Son
719. the USAF also used large, high-explosive “daisy cutter” bombs (up to 15.000 pounds) to clear landing zones for helicopters. These bombs.
extracted by parachute from C-130s, exploded a few feet above the ground and cleared enough area in the jungle for I or 2 helicopters to
land. The ordnance allowed engineers to establish suitable landing zones quickly in enemy territory and contibuted substantially to the rapid
movement of troops into and out of Laos.
All the while, the war raged in other regions of Southeast Asia. From January through April 1971, the USAF launched numerous retaliatory strikes against surface-to-air missile and antiaircraft sites in North Vietnam, and USAF pilots also frequently flew close air support missions in Cambodia and northern Laos. Meantime, on February 18 the North Vietnamese delegation once again boycotted the Paris peace talks, although on April 8 it reappeared to resume negotiations.
