This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Sgt Duane Kimbrow (Skip)
to remember
Smith, Lewis Philip, II, Maj.
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.
Major Smith was a Covey Forward Air Controller assigned to the 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron at Da Nang. He was flying O-2A (S/N 67-21405) in the "Steel Tiger" area of southern Laos when he was lost. The aircraft was believed hit by anti-aircraft fire near Ban Daktring about 25 miles southwest of Kham Duc. A beeper was heard but no trace of Major Smith was found. There is some evidence that he was captured and held prisoner by the Laotians. He remains MIA.
This Veteran has an (IMO) In Memory Of Headstone in Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial, Hawaii
Aircraft/Missile Information
The C-130 series began as a 1951 requirement for a military transport with Short Take-Off and Landing capabilities. The series was born as the YC-130 and performed well in the latter part of 1954 with its Allison three-bladed turboprop engines. With successes encountered throughout the war in Vietnam and furthermore in peacetime, the C-130 Hercules spawned a plethora of variants that would include special forces insertion, arctic patrol, meteorological research, communications, close-support and modernized variants of the base transport.
Model Lockheed C-130H Hercules Length 97.77 ft | 29.80 m Width 132.55 ft | 40.40 m Height 37.40 ft | 11.40 m Engine(s) 4 x Allison T56-A-15LFE turboprop engines generating 4,508hp each. Empty Weight 76,505 lbs | 34,702 kg MTOW 175,003 lbs | 79,380 kg Max Speed 386 mph | 621 km/h | 335 kts Max Range 2,237 miles | 3,600 km Ceiling 33,005 ft | 10,060 m | 6.3 miles Climb Rate Not Available Hardpoints 0 Armament None. Internal payload of up to 42,637lbs of supplies, personnel and vehicles. Accommodations 4 + 92 Operators Australia, Brazil, Canada, Israel, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom and the United States of America among others (about 60 in all).
