This Military Service Page was created/owned by
A3C Michael S. Bell (Unit Historian)
to remember
Rucker, Emmett S., Jr., Lt 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.
This Veteran has an (IMO) In Memory Of Headstone in Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial, Hawaii,as well as in Fayette Cemetery, Fayette, Mississippi.
Enlisted in the Air Corps 6 April 1942 at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma as a Private. He had a year of college prior to enlisting. Must have then gone to OCS, flight school, etc.. Home of record at enlistment was Jefferson County, Oklahoma. He is listed also as one of those fallen from Jefferson County. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~okjeffer/ww_2.htm
He was born in Waurika, Jefferson County, Oklahoma. Home of record was Wichita Falls, Texas. Full name: Emmett S. Rucker, Jr.. B-29A pilot and aircraft commander of the " Haulin' Ass" (serial number 44-62103) during the Korean War (from 6 December 1951-3 November 1952). Aircraft was from the 343rd Bomb Squadron, 98th Bomb Wing out of Yokota, Japan. Shot down on its last mission over the Sea of Japan.
Other Comments:
Sources:
See nose art at http://home.comcast.net/~noseart/haulinass.jpg http://home.comcast.net/~b29sinthekoreanwar/contributors.htm http://home.comcast.net/~b29sinthekoreanwar/0-b29MasterList.htm
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=45593580
Aircraft/Missile Information
By 1962, the C-123K variant aircraft was evaluated for operations in Southeast Asia and their stellar performance led the Air Force to upgrade 180 of the C-123B aircraft to the new C-123K standard, which featured auxiliary jet pods underneath the wings, and anti-skid brakes. In 1968, the aircraft helped resupply troops in Khe Sanh, Vietnam during a three-month siege by North Vietnam[1].
A number of C-123s were configured as VIP transports, including General William Westmoreland's White Whale. The C-123 also gained notoriety for its use in "Operation Ranch Hand" defoliation operations in Vietnam. Oddly enough, the USAF had officially chosen not to procure the VC-123C VIP transport, opting instead for the Convair VC-131D.
The first C-123s to reach South Vietnam were part of the USAF's Special Aerial Spray Flight, as part of Operation Ranch Hand tasked with defoliating the jungle in order to deny rebels their traditional hiding places[3]. These aircraft began their operations at the end of 1961. Aircraft fitted with spraying equipment were given the U prefix as a role modifier, with the most common types being the UC-123B and the UC-123K. Aircraft configured for this use were the last to see military service, in the control of outbreaks of insect-borne disease. The C-123 was also used as "jump aircraft" for U.S. Army Airborne students located at Lawson Army Airfield, Fort Benning, Georgia in the late 1970s and early 1980s. This aircraft was used in conjunction with the C-130 Hercules and C-141 Starlifter.
With the end of the Vietnam War, remaining C-123Ks and UC-123Ks were transferred to the Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard, with the last examples leaving service in the early 1980s.[4] The 302nd Tactical Airlift Wing at Rickenbacker AFB, Ohio flew the last UC-123Ks Providers in operational service before converting to the C-130 Hercules. Known as the Special Spray Flight, these aircraft were used to control insect-borne diseases. Missions to Alaska, South America and Guam were among the humanitarian duties performed by this Air Force Reserve unit.[5]
