This Military Service Page was created/owned by
A3C Michael S. Bell (Unit Historian)
to remember
Ayers, Richard Lee, Col.
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Capt. Robert E. Rausch was the pilot and Major Richard L. Ayers the Weapons/Systems officer of an RF4C Phantom from the 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron based at Tan Son Nhut Airbase, South Vietnam. On April 16, 1970, an RF-4C with a two man crew of Major Ayers and Captain Rausch departed Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Saigon to conduct reconnaissance along the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Vietnam as well as the adjacent area of Savannakhet Province, Laos. Subsequent to their disappearance, Radio Hanoi's domestic service reported its forces had shot down an RF-4C in the Vinh Linh Special Zone, the North Vietnamese side of the DMZ, on the afternoon of April 16, 1970. This report was correlated to the loss of Major Ayers' aircraft. On April 17, 1970, a People's Army of Vietnam unit radioed a report concerning four recent U.S. aircraft shoot downs. Three of the aircraft were F-4 and the completely burned remains of one crewman were found in one F-4 crash site wreckage. The pilot of the fourth aircraft, an RF-4C, was also killed. The portion of this radio message dealing with the RF-4C was believed associated with Major Ayers' shoot down even though People's Army forces only reported (one) pilot killed.
This Veteran has an (IMO) In Memory Of Headstone in Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial, Hawaii with another memorial in Fort Sam Houston Cemetery, San Antonio, TX.
Other Comments:
10 Jun 2004 REMEMBERED by a friend. rdheubner@aol.com 18 Mar 2005
I have this Hero's POW/MIA Bracelet. I wore it till it cracked. It rests on my dresser.
You are forever in my mind, heart, and soul. You will NEVER BE FORGOTTEN
Maureen Doig Moore erinslass60@aol.com 03 Nov 2006 I proudly wore Colonel Ayers' POW/MIA bracelet for many years. I have thought about him frequently over the years but quite regularly during the Iraq War. My prayers are with his family.
Lisa Peacock peahen59@aol.com 29 May 2007 As I hold Richard Ayers' bracelet in my hand, I think about all of the joys and sorrows he never had the chance to experience while we have had the privilege to experience ours. My very heartfelt thanks to you, Richard Ayers.
Teri S. Neff Springfield, Ill. teri.neff@insightbb.com On 16 Apr 1970 an RF-4C (tail number 66-0409) of the 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron was lost while on a photo recon mission in the southern Laos/DMZ area. The aircraft's last known position was west of Tavouac, near the A Shau Valley. The two crewmen were classed as Missing in Action and remained in that status until the Secretary of the Air Force approved Presumptive Findings of Death for them on the dates indicated:
* Colonel Richard L. Ayers, Waterloo, IA (06/29/1978)
* Major Robert E. Rausch, Hicksville, NY (10/09/1973)
Aircraft/Missile Information
From Wikipedia: The F-4 Phantom was designed as a fleet defense fighter for the U.S. Navy, and first entered service in 1960. By 1963, it had been adopted by the U.S. Air Force for the fighter-bomber role. When production ended in 1981, 5,195 Phantom IIs had been built, making it the most numerous American supersonic military aircraft.[7] Until the advent of the F-15 Eagle, the F-4 also held a record for the longest continuous production with a run of 24 years. Innovations in the F-4 included an advanced pulse-doppler radar and extensive use of titanium in its airframe.[8] Despite the imposing dimensions and a maximum takeoff weight of over 60,000 pounds (27,000 kg),[9] the F-4 had a top speed of Mach 2.23 and an initial climb of over 41,000 ft per minute (210 m/s).[10] Shortly after its introduction, the Phantom set 15 world records,[11] including an absolute speed record of 1,606.342 mph (2,585.086 km/h), and an absolute altitude record of 98,557 ft (30,040 m).[12] Although set in 1959?1962, five of the speed records were not broken until 1975 when the F-15 Eagle came into service.[11] The F-4 could carry up to 18,650 pounds (8,480 kg) of weapons on nine external hardpoints, including air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, and unguided, guided, and nuclear bombs.[13] Since the F-8 Crusader was to be used for close combat, the F-4 was designed, like other interceptors of the day, without an internal cannon;[14] In a dogfight, the RIO or WSO (commonly called "backseater" or "pitter") assisted in spotting opposing fighters, visually as well as on radar. It became the primary fighter-bomber of both the Navy and Air Force by the end of the Vietnam War. Due to its distinctive appearance and widespread service with United States military and its allies, the F-4 is one of the best-known icons of the Cold War. It served in the Vietnam War and Arab?Israeli conflicts, with American F-4 crews achieving 277 aerial victories in South East Asia and completing countless ground attack sorties.[15] The F-4 Phantom has the distinction of being the last United States fighter to attain ace status in the 20th century. During the Vietnam War, the USAF had one pilot and two WSOs,[16] and the USN one pilot and one RIO,[17] become aces in air-to-air combat. It was also a capable tactical reconnaissance and Wild Weasel (suppression of enemy air defenses) platform, seeing action as late as 1991, during Operation Desert Storm.[4][5] The F-4 Phantom II was also the only aircraft used by both of the USA's flight demonstration teams.[18] The USAF Thunderbirds (F-4E) and the USN Blue Angels (F-4J) both switched to the Phantom for the 1969 season; the Thunderbirds flew it for five seasons,[19] the Blue Angels for six.[20] The baseline performance of a Mach 2-class fighter with long range and a bomber-sized payload would be the template for the next generation of large and light/middle-weight fighters optimized for daylight air combat. The Phantom would be replaced by the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon in the U.S. Air Force. In the U.S. Navy, it would be replaced by the F-14 Tomcat and the F/A-18 Hornet which revived the concept of a dual-role attack fighter.[21]
