This Military Service Page was created/owned by
A3C Michael S. Bell (Unit Historian)
to remember
Altus, Robert Wayne (Gunfighter 61), Capt.
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.
SYNOPSIS: The Phantom, used by Air Force, Marine and Navy air wings, served a multitude of functions including fighter-bomber and interceptor, photo and electronic surveillance. The two man aircraft was extremely fast (Mach 2), and had a long range (900 - 2300 miles, depending on stores and mission type). The F4 was also extremely maneuverable and handled well at low and
high altitudes. The F4 was selected for a number of state-of-the-art electronics conversions, which improved radar intercept and computer bombing capabilities enormously. Most pilots considered it one of the "hottest" planes around.
Capt. Robert W. Altus was the pilot and 1Lt. William Phelps his weapons/systems operator which departed Da Nang Airbase as part of a multi-aircraft flight on an operational mission over Laos on November 23, 1971. When the flight was about 20 miles northwest of Chavane in Saravane
Province, Laos, a large explosion on the ground was seen by flight members. Efforts to raise Altus and Phelps by radio failed. No parachutes were seen, and no emergency radio beeper signals heard. Both Althus and Phelps were classified Missing in Action.
This Veteran has an (IMO) In Memory Of Headstone in Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial, Hawaii
Other Comments:
According to Vietnam War U.S. Military Casualties, 1956-1998 and according to the Social Security Death Index, Capt. Altus' date of death is listed as April 16, 1979.
------ "I never knew you but feel deeply for your sacrifice even though I hail from Australia and we may be distant cousins. I am keen on keeping your memory alive and ask if anyone has details to please contact me especially images as I have been keen on compiling a booklet on "Bob" and another member of my family who was sacrificed during WW2. I am an ex Aussie Air Force member so the remembrance is deep and I do remember him during our Anzac days here in Australia. Thank You! Your service and sacrifice will not be forgotten Bob!" Posted by: Steve Altus Email: steleo@three.com.au Relationship: Distant Relative Wednesday, May 27, 2009
------ "Bobby was my pilot in F-4 training at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tuscon, AZ. I was his back seater. We were the best of friends, as close to being brothers as you could get. I was stationed at Ubon and he was at Danang. We partied together at Ubon about week before he went down. When I heard that he was MIA, I searched for the wreckage the following day, but 200-300 ft jungle canopy prevented any positive results. I still think about him almost every day." Posted by: Denny Stanford Email: dlstanford@earthlink.net Relationship: We served together Sunday, October 26, 2003
------- From Christine Allard, USAFA on 11 Jun 09: "I am sorry to say that I have very limited information about Capt. Robert Altus. I was fortunate enough to receive his POW/MIA bracelet. I received one email from a cousin of his, which I have copied below along with her email address. Hopefully this will help you get more information and a photo of Capt. Altus. Please let me know if this helps." All the best, Christine "Robert Altus was or is my first cousin....he is the only child of my dad's sister and her husband. he is three years younger than me and he went missing the year i graduated from college. my dad and Robert's parents are dead now but robert is still in my thoughts and i wonder if he could still be in Laos wondering why the U.S. doesn't do something. He grew up in Oregon and most of the relatives live in Texas so tho' we were a large close family we didn't see he a lot. I am pleased that you wore his bracelet....thanks Ann Deiterman (his mother's maiden name) Tschoerner" Paris, tx ann.tschoerner@gmail.com -------
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]
