Humor is the Balance

SEELEY LAKE - After more than a year and a half of being gently asked, Seeley Lake resident George Frasca reluctantly agreed to an interview about his 23 years of service in the U.S. Air Force. Frasca worked as a controller, target pilot, fighter pilot and trainer. He retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1979 after flying 246 combat missions in Vietnam, serving in Iceland for two different remote tours and being awarded 19 air medals and the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for a group of missions he completed in Vietnam.

During the recent interview he sprinkled stories about his military career, referring to them as the "humor that was the balance."

Frasca graduated from Hobart College in Geneva, N.Y. in 1956 with a major in psychology. He was required to participate in ROTC during his first two years in college. ROTC participants were then given the option to sign for two more years and they would be guaranteed one year of pilot school.

"We [the Air Force] were the elite," said Frasca. "It is a wonderful service that offers a lot to a young guy."

Frasca spent his first six months of pilot school at a small training base in Barto, Fla. The second six months were in San Angelo, Texas. Following his graduation in 1957, the Air Force told the graduates that if students signed indefinitely they would be guaranteed a flight assignment.

"That was not the word to use," said Frasca shaking his head. "Eighty-five percent of our class said no way we are not signing indefinite."

Frasca went to aircraft controller school at Tyndall Air Force Base (AFB) in Florida and learned how to run intercepts on targets using ground radar.

"Then I got so lucky to get an assignment remote to Iceland as an air craft controller at a long range radar site," said Frasca. "That's tongue-and-cheek."

Frasca served his one-year tour as a lieutenant using long range radar sites, intercepting Russian aircraft during the cold war. Most of the aircraft were going to Cuba. His radar squadron kept track of the tail numbers and would scramble an interceptor if necessary.

Following his tour in Iceland Frasca returned to McChord AFB in Tacoma, Wash. He attended flight school and became qualified to fly the T-33 Jet Trainer. He quickly tired of being a controller and sent a letter every 90 days requesting a full-time flying assignment.

After six letters and three years in Tacoma, he was accepted for B57s at Hill AFB, Utah. The B57s were used as targets equipped with electronic jamming and chaff. For each exercise, there would be ten to 12 B57s against at least two fighter squadrons.

During his two years at Hill AFB, Frasca earned the rank of captain and got more flying time than any other pilot.

"I'd been a controller and a target pilot, now I wanted to be the interceptor fighter pilot," said Frasca. "Most of the guys were very experienced and I was just a young punk."

Frasca received fighter training for the F-102 in 1965 at Perrin AFB in Texas. After six months of training, he was stationed with his fighter squadron out of Everett, Wash.

"The [F-102] is strictly an airborne weapon for air-to-air contact, to shoot down other airplanes," said Frasca. Frasca chose to train in the F-102 because it is a single-seater, delta wing that was something new in 1965 and the pilot has to do it all.

In 1966, Frasca, with the 64th Fighter Interceptor Squadron of 30, were deployed to Clark Field in the Philippines for a two-year tour.

"This was when Vietnam was getting hot and they needed more interceptors," said Frasca.

After nine months, Frasca's wife Peggy and three girls, Mary (age 12), Connie (age 10) and Betsy (age 3) came over to live in Clark Field while Frasca pulled alert for one month in the Philippines and one month at four different military bases in Vietnam and Thailand. Frasca's group of eight pilots worked mostly out of Da Nang, one of the four bases.

The fighters always flew in twos. This allowed the first fighter, the lead pilot, to scout out a target while the second fighter, the wingman, would fire at a target determined to be hostile.

Frasca's group was tasked with chasing Mig 15s and 21s, back to China. The Migs were Russian fighter aircraft given to North Vietnam with the capabilities to fight air-to-air and air-to-ground. Frasca said he nearly got two of them before he was "broken off [the chase] just two miles out" by the air controllers.

They also flew cover for the F-4 fighter-bombers and B-52 bombers. The bombers would fly at 32,000-35,000 feet and the fighters would fly above them at 40,000. They operated along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the area around the former border between North and South Vietnam.

"You should see them dropping bombs at night," said Frasca. "You think the Fourth of July is good. Sheesh."

Frasca's squad also would fly in the cloud decks above certain bombing areas to check the weather. They would do that around 5:30 a.m. and call it back before the F-4s would come in.

Frasca said the crew chiefs at Da Nang took in two Vietnamese dogs. He described them as small dogs, around a foot tall, with curly tails that became great pets. He recalled landing with his wingman, touching down at 160 mph, the fastest landing speed of any airplane. After entering the parking area chocks were placed under the aircraft's wheels and the pilots would open their canopy and shut the aircraft down. As soon as the pilots opened their canopy "[they] had a dog sitting in [their] lap," said Frasca said and laughed. "They would throw them right up in there. The dogs got used to it."

Frasca added, "This is what I mean by humor. Most of these missions were stressful and this broke up the flight because you would start laughing."

On two separate flights Frasca and his wingman encountered surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). SAMs have radar in the nose and can track a fighter aircraft.

"From a pilot's viewpoint it looks like a telephone pole coming at you," said Frasca.

Frasca and his wingman were able to avoid the SAMs both times by using the tactic of flying directly at the SAM, confusing the radar. As soon as it gets close enough, the pilots broke away and escaped the missile. "The timing has to be perfect," said Frasca.

Frasca remembered a fellow pilot Dave Syer taking ground fire and being hit. "Head for the water was our motto," said Frasca. Syer headed for the water, ejected, got into his raft and the Navy picked him up.

"The night he called back to us," said Frasca, "He said 'Hey guys guess what? I just had a beautiful steak dinner.' We are eating C ratios. When he got back boy did he catch hell."

Frasca said they had a rocket attack nearly every time they were in Da Nang. The 20 plus pilots would pile into the bunker for up to an hour and half until the mortars would stop. Frasca remembers one of the tugs that pulled the fighters around being hit and the largest piece left was the size of a softball.

Christmas Eve of 1967 Frasca and six other pilots, all in their pilot suits, brought toys to a local orphanage just outside of Da Nang. Prior to flying over from the Philippines, the pilots' wives and children loaded their missile bays with toys. Frasca's youngest daughter Betsy donated her tricycle.

"Those kids [at the orphanage] got in line to ride that tricycle around the cement block," said Frasca. "That didn't get in the news."

Each pilot adopted a child from the orphanage for $10 per month. That supplied him or her with everything they needed. The pilots also helped put up the building's frame for the orphanage's church.

Frasca said celebrities would come and visit the bases in Vietnam. Bob Hope visited along with Jimmy Stewart, who flew bombers in World War II, and John Wayne. Frasca said he heard the story of Wayne stopping to speak to one of the squadrons in Vietnam.

"He walked in to see 30 pilots and said, 'You guys are the real heroes.' The tears rolled down his cheeks. John Wayne was something else. The guys loved him. He was real."

While serving in Vietnam, Frasca became a major. In 1968, Frasca and his family returned on a cruise ship. Frasca said it was a real treat for his family. They toured Tokyo, Hong Kong, Hawaii and then docked in San Francisco.

Frasca was chosen for ROTC duty prior to returning to the US. "That's the kiss of death because you don't get to fly anymore," said Frasca. He was able to stay current since he was stationed close to a fighter squadron that let him use their T-33.

Frasca taught at Newark College of Engineering in New Jersey from 1968-1971. He trained 28 Air Force pilots. Most of them went to work in the airlines after their service in the Air Force.

"Out of my whole career, I think I enjoyed working with the young cadets the most," said Frasca. "You get to see what you are molding and producing after three years."

When personnel called Frasca and offered him a position in Great Falls, Mont. "I said yes. We really wanted to come back west and it was the greatest move we ever made."

At Malmstrom AFB, in Great Falls, Frasca was the senior director of semi-automatic ground environment (SAGE). He called the shots with the control teams of aircraft placement prior to the targets arriving. Then he monitored what is going on and corrected anything that was necessary.

Out of nine regions in the United States, the one under Frasca's command at Malmstrom AFB won the Freddie Smith Trophy. Also while at Malmstrom AFB Frasca also made lieutenant colonel.

In 1974, Frasca was again returned to remote Iceland for another one-year tour. He was assigned as the commander of the radar squadron with 135 airmen below him. They intercepted 143 Russian aircraft, primarily bombers.

Following his return from Iceland, Frasca was put in charge of the AWACS, an airborne radar. He was on the battle staff and was still flying the T-33. He was in charge of the operations of seven radars, how they controlled interceptors if the SAGE failed.

Frasca retired in 1979, seven years prior to serving 30 years in the Air Force. Despite his general's disapproval, he decided he did not want to move his family anymore.

"I don't mean to brag," said Frasca. "This is my experience and I'm proud of everything I did in the Air Force. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity because not many people do."

While Frasca said he loved everything about flying, he especially enjoyed the time during takeoff when the afterburners would ignite in the F-102 and "man you would go." He said the beautiful scenery he saw while flying and the "nice and calming feeling" of flying an airplane was why he did it for so many years.

"When I speak of veterans, I speak of veterans who have been in combat because they put their life up for their country. Those are the guys that really count," said Frasca. "But when you honor veterans you want to honor all the vets because what you see in the states supports what is happening overseas and it all works together. I'm proud of all veterans. Humor is the balance."