This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Kimberly Stark-Family
to remember
Hergert, Thomas Malcolm, Col.
If you knew or served with this Airman and have additional information or photos to support this Page, please leave a message for the Page Administrator(s) HERE.
Casualty Info
Home Town Savanna
Last Address South Vietnam
Casualty Date Mar 08, 1964
Cause MIA-Finding of Death
Reason Air Loss, Crash - Land
Location Tay Ninh (Vietnam)
Conflict Vietnam War
Location of Interment Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia
Colonel Hergert began his career learning to fly at the Spartan Primary School (Spartan School of Aeronautics) in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the summer of 1940.
In Europe, he flew with the 366th Fighter Squadron, 358th Fighter Group, 9th Air Force in the P-47 flying out of England and France (after D-Day). He shot down 1 German aircraft as a Captain on 8 February 1945. At one point, he had been shot down, but managed to escape back to England, apparently aboard a Messerschmit.
He also served in the Korean War. He served as a pilot and unit commander at various stations following the War.
Colonel Hergert served with the 1st Air Commando Squadron, 34th Tactical Group out of Bien Hoa AB. He was lost on his last mission in Vietnam during an armed reconnaissance about 20 miles east of Tay Ninh when he was shot down. He was aboard an A-1H, training South Vietnamese pilots at the time. He was initially listed as MIA.
Comments/Citation Source: http://airwarvietnam.com/1acs.htm (1st Air Commando info) http://myweb.cableone.net/4jdurham/durham/durhamphotos.html (1940 photo) http://www.americandday.org/Airfields/index.html#RAF HighHaldon (RAF High Haldon Station 141, England) http://www.scribd.com/doc/1520924/US-Air-Force-AFD080118007 (492nd Fighter Squadron commander, see page 73) http://www.cieldegloire.com/fg_358.php (shoot down in WWII)
Text "Parade Ground Nazis Decimated by Planes in Surprise Attack," Stars and Stripes Newspaper (ETO Edition), 30 March 1945, page 23. (Captain Hergert led a surprise attack on a formation of German soldiers lined up in formation, apparently "killing 75 on the first pass." This was 8 miles behind the lines at the time according to the article.)
"State Man Killed in Vietnam", Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, 11 March 1964, page 3.
Note: Due to the nature of our early involvement, he is sometimes listed as flying under the auspices 1173rd Special Activities Squadron, training SVN pilots. According to the newspaper articles, his wife was with him in Saigon at the time.
