This Military Service Page was created/owned by
SSgt Robert Bruce McClelland, Jr.
to remember
Caldwell, William Robert, Sr., Col USAF(Ret).
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Contact Info
Home Town Saint Louis, Missouri
Last Address Belleville, Illinois
Date of Passing Oct 01, 2014
Location of Interment Caledonia Cemetery - Sparta, Illinois
His Air Force Cross citation: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Title 10, Section 8742, United States Code, takes pleasure in presenting the Air Force Cross to Colonel William R. Caldwell, United States Air Force, for extraordinary heroism in military operations against an opposing armed force as a C-130E Instructor Pilot for the 776th Tactical Airlift Squadron, An Loc Air Base, Vietnam, in action at An Loc, Republic of Vietnam, on 15 April 1972. On that date, Captain Caldwell flew a tactical emergency airdrop of critically needed ammunition to a besieged concentration of allied forces located in a heavily defended area. En route to the target, his aircraft was severely damaged by hostile anti-aircraft fire, fatally injuring the Flight Engineer and wounding other crew members. Realizing bailout of the injured crew members would be extremely difficult, Captain Caldwell, without regard for his personal safety, remained at his station and flew the aircraft to a successful two-engine landing, thereby saving the lives of his crew. Through his extraordinary heroism, superb airmanship, and aggressiveness in the face of the enemy, Captain Caldwell reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
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).
