Richard Fields

Ancestors

Son of Kenneth Charles Fields and Aneita M (Nichols) Fields

Descendants

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Dennis Field [send private message] and Bob Fields [send private message]

Captain, USAF. Fighter pilot. Vietnam veteran - flew B-26 and A1E Skyraider and F-102 with over 2000 hours of flight time. Injured in gyrocopter accident November 12, 1967, died 4 days later. Buried Enid Cemetery, Garfield Co, Oklahoma near his parents and grandparents.

2 years of college, N. W. State College, Alva OK, S2 SH 1957.

Service Record:

Enlisted, Enid OK 20 Dec 54. Active Duty 7 Aug 55 - 21 Aug 55, 4 Aug 56 - 19 Aug 56

Discharged 14 Jan 57, to enlist in regular AF

Enlisted, regular AF 15 Jan 57

Discharged 12 May 58, to accept commission

2nd Lt AF Res 13 May 58

2nd Lt Reg AF 5 Jan 59

1st Lt USAF 13 Nov 59

1st Lt Reg AF 13 May 61

Capt USAF 13 Nov 62

Capt Reg AF 13 May 65

Last duty: Air Force Institute of Technology School of Engineering, Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio.

Foreign service [4th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Misawa Japan] 25 Dec 58 to 25 June 61

[Vietnam] 27 June 63 to 10 Nov 63.

87th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Lockbourne AFB Ohio 1 Jan 62 - 3 Jun 63

Pilot, Tac Bomber (B-26), 602nd Ftr Sq (336), Eglin AFB FL (TAC) 3 Jun 63

Pilot, Tac Ftr, 603rd Ftr Sq (336), Eglin AFB 10 Feb 64.

Instrument Pilot Instructor Training (T-29) 9 Mar 64.

Qualified as a Delta Pilot by flying the F-102 Delta Wing supersonic interceptor, 1 September 1960.

Awarded Air Medal: Captain Richard E. Fields distinguished himself by meritorious achievement while participating in sustained aerial flight as a pilot in the Republic of Vietnam from 5 July 1963 to 7 September 1963. During this period, the airmanship and courage exhibited by Captain Fields in the successful accomplishment of combat support missions, under extremely hazardous conditions including continuous harassment by unfriendly forces, demonstrated his outstanding proficiency and steadfast devotion to duty.

Air Force Commendation Medal: Meritorious service as an Instructor Pilot while assigned to the 4409th Combat Crew Training Squadron from 15 Sep 1964 to 6 May 66. During this period, Captain Fields' outstanding professional skill, knowledge, and leadership aided immeasurably in the extremely successful accomplishments of his organization. Captain Fields excelled not only as an outstanding instructor pilot but as an Instrument Training Officer and Standardization Evaluation Flight Examiner for the Squadron.

Certificate: This is to certify that Captain Richard E Fields 55066A during the period from 5 July 1963 to 8 November 1963 flew sixty-nine sorties and 191:10 hours of combat support time as a member of the AIR COMMANDO Detachment of the Republic of Vietnam. His primary aircraft was the B-26. /s/ Keith Mahan, Wing Deputy Commander for Operations.

Specialties:

Pilot, Fighter Interceptor 14 Dec 61

Pilot, Fighter Interceptor 30 Sep 60

Pilot, Tactical Fighter 17 Jun 63

Pilot, Tactical Bomber 25 Jul 63

Qualified B-26 30 Sep 62

From Capt Raymond G [Gene] Schwartz, 30 Nov 1967: (1) As one of two witnesses to the accident I am submitting this witnessed report on request of the Vance AFB, Oklahoma Personal Affairs Office. (2) Captain Fields and I were on a Weekend Cross Country proficiency flight to Vance AFB OK. We were staying at Captain Fields parents home in Driftwood OK. The date of the accident was 11 Nov 1967. (3) Captain Fields and a neighbor of his parents [Porter Forbes, a WWI pilot] had made a new set of rotor blades for a gyro-copter they had been working on for the past 5-6 years. I was to tow the gyro-copter behind a pickup up to a maximum speed of 30 mph and see if the rotor blades would achieve the revolution necessary for the gyro copter to fly. [This was on the dirt road behind his parents house in Driftwood, leading to the barn.] Captain Fields and I had established hand signals for speed control and he at no time had any intention of going into the air more than several inches. [Captain Fields was not wearing a helmet.] As driver of the pickup I started towing him at a speed of 15 mph and after the rotor appeared to be spinning up good Captain Fields gave me several signals to increase speed. At 25-30 mph the gyro copter suddenly became airborne to a height of approximately 4 feet and drifted to about 10 feet left of towing center line. Captain Fields corrected for this and then went approximately 5 feet right of center line where he then lowered his altitude to about 2 feet. He then touched down from this position in, (from what I could see through the rear view mirrors), a slight right wheel first attitude, however, the touchdown did not appear abnormal judging by the gyro-copters that I have seen fly, the next thing I saw was what appeared to be a very sudden tumbling of the gyro-copter. [The rotor blade struck him from behind at the base of the skull.] I immediately stopped the pickup and Captain Fields' father [Kenneth], who was riding in the back of the pickup, and myself cut Captain Fields loose from the seat and took him in the back of the pickup to a local hospital [in Kiowa Kansas] where he was immediately transferred to Wichita Kansas. He was unconscious from the time of the accident until his death, four days later. [Also present at the accident were Harold and Marcia Rutledge].

Died at 12:45 PM 15 Nov 1967 at St. Francis Hospital, Wichita KS, of multiple basal skull fractures, head struck by whirling helicopter blade. /s/ Robert McDaniels MD 11-20-67. Registrar #641-2476 865x.

Memorial services at First Methodist Church, Cherokee OK, 1:30 PM Saturday Nov 18, 1967. Rev Hiram Cassel, Rev. Guy Millard. Arrangements by Grapes Funeral Home, Cherokee OK. Vance AFB Chapel 19 Nov 1967 - In Memoriam - Chaplain Robert C. Rothman, including flyby (missing man formation). The organ at the Christian Church in Driftwood OK is dedicated to his memory (engraved plaque).

Sources

• Bob Fields firsthand knowledge.

• http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=81427366