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Maccio, Donald Joseph, Capt.
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Casualty Info
Home Town Rochester
Last Address Andersen AFB, Guam
Casualty Date Jul 28, 1969
Cause Non Hostile- Died Other Causes
Reason Air Loss, Crash - Land
Location Quang Tri (Vietnam)
Conflict Vietnam War
Location of Interment Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia
ARC LIGHT MEMORIAL PLAQUE DESCRIBING ARC LIGHT HISTORY
"In the early morning hours of Friday, 18 June 1965, 30 B-52 Stratofortress bombers lifted off from Andersen Air Force Base initiating a new phase In the Southeast Asia Conflict. This was the beginning of bombing missions known as Arc Light. Most missions flew against enemy logistics targets in South Vietnam, but eventually some struck like targets in Laos, Cambodia and even North Vietnam. Some missions were in close support, defending American and Allied troops, bases, villages, and towns. Displayed here is the "D" model of the B-52 bomber Number 0100, which always comprised the backbone of the Arc Light fleet and was specially modified for the conventional weapons used. Other Arc Light bombers were B-52F's used in the earliest months and B-52G's flying from Andersen from April 1972 until the termination of Arc Light. Bombers launched from a Thailand base joined the force in April 1967 followed by Okinawa-based bombers in February 1968. All were assigned to Strategic Air Command (SAC). On 1 April 1970 SAC's Eighth-Air Force moved its headquarters here to Andersen taking over operations from Third Air Division. Andersen flights ceased temporarily in August 1970 and bombers from Okinawa stopped permanently the following month, but the Guam-based headquarters continued to control Arc Light forces. Andersen resumed flying in February 1972, in a surge of Arc Light activity named Bullet Shot. The force grew rapidly under successive phases of Bullet Shot, reaching its peak in numbers and performance before midyear. The Guam-based force alone soon surpassed all previous records of Arc Light performance. It was obvious that the United States aimed at final conclusion of the long conflict. By October 1972 it seemed that peace negotiations were successfully underway, but they came to an impasse. Operation Linebacker II followed -- from 18 through 29 December 1972, with the exception of Christmas Day. During this "11-day war" B-52's flew from both Andersen and the Thailand base against strategic targets in the enemy's heartland, primarily the Hanoi and Haiphong areas. Arc Light bombers had flown missions over North Vietnam on previous occasions, but never on this scale. For the first time bombers, flying in massive waves, struck areas bristling with more surface-to-air missile defenses than had ever been encountered before in aerial warfare. In all the B-52's flew more than 700 sorties against 34 target complexes. The force suffered heartrending losses, too. But when the smoke cleared, the loss rates were computed at about two percent -- far less than on comparable raids during World War II. Peace negotiations progressed rapidly after Linebacker II culminating in the signing of a cease-fire on 28 January 1973, Guam time. Soon the enemy released the prisoners of war they had been holding. Arc Light operations continued afterwards in support of Allies in Laos and Cambodia, but terminated on 15 August 1973. From 18 June 1965 through 15 August 1973 Arc Light B-52's flew nearly 130,000 sorties, accumulated almost 900,000 flying hours and dropped about 9 million bombs with a total weight of almost 3 million tons. In Operation Linebacker II alone, the bombers delivered more than 49,000 bombs weighing almost 15,000 tons. In this one operation alone they destroyed or damaged over 1,600 military structures and 373 pieces of railroad equipment. An estimated three million gallons of petroleum products were destroyed and enemy rail lines interdicted In more than 500 places."
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B-52 Stratofortress (Buff) Details
Aircraft/Missile Information
Model Boeing B-52H Stratofortress Length 160.89 ft | 49.04 m Width 185.10 ft | 56.42 m Height 40.68 ft | 12.40 m Engine(s) 8 x Pratt & Whitney TF33-P-3 turbofan engines generating 17,000lbs of standard thrust each. Empty Weight 172,743 lbs | 78,355 kg MTOW 487,993 lbs | 221,350 kg Max Speed 595 mph | 958 km/h | 517 kts Max Range 10,000 miles | 16,093 km Ceiling 54,954 ft | 16,750 m | 10.4 miles Climb Rate Not Available Hardpoints 2 Armament Mission-specific armament can include any of the following:
20 x AGM-86B ALCM cruise missiles (internal) 20 x AGM-129 cruise missiles (internal) 2 x AGM-86B ALCMs cruise missile (external) 2 x AGM-129 cruise missiles (external) Free Fall Nuclear Bombs 12 x AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles 12 x AGM-142A air-to-surface missiles AGM-86C CALCM cruise missiles JDAMs
Up to 51,570lbs (340kg) class bombs or mines Accommodations 6 Operators United States of America