Who Are Those Guys?
by
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Robin Frederick Gatwood, Jr.
First Lieutenant Robin Frederick Gatwood, Jr., 25, was an electronic warfare officer assigned to the 42nd Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron (TEWS) at Korat RTAFB, Thailand. On April 2, 1972, Gatwood was a crewmember on an EB-66C electronic reconnaissance aircraft, BAT 21, that was shot down near Quang Tri, South Vietnam by a surface-to-air missile (SAM) while escorting a B-52 strike during the North Vietnamese' Easter Offensive.
The Douglas EB-66C, Destroyer, was an unarmed, twin engine jet with a crew of six — pilot, navigator, and four electronic warfare officers (EWOs). Their mission was to locate the North Vietnamese antiaircraft artillery and missile sites by monitoring the electronic emissions of the antiaircraft and missile control radars.
Gatwood and the other three EWOs: Anthony Robert Giannangeli, Charles Allen Levis and Henry Muir Serex are missing in action along with the pilot, Wayne Lewis Bolte.
The navigator, Lt. Colonel Iceal "Gene" Hambleton, was the sole survivor of the crew. Hambleton was rescued twelve days later in the largest search and rescue mission in Air Force history. During the rescue, the crew of an HH-53 search and rescue helicopter (James Harold Alley, Allen Jones Avery, John Call, Peter Hauden Chapman, Roy Dewitt Prater, and William Roy Pearson), and the crew of an Army UH-1 (John W. Frink, Byron K. Kulland, and Ronald P. Paschall).1
Gatwood, who was from Hickory, North Carolina, was born on December 5, 1946. He was married.
Originally listed as missing in action, he was declared dead on July 20, 1978. Although he is officially listed as a Captain, Gatwood was a First Lieutenant when he was shot down.
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About the Book
Countless children, students, and adults have gone to Washington, D.C., to stand before the Vietnam Wall. Many others have stood before traveling versions of the wall, but for those who did not lose someone special in the war, the experience might not be as meaningful as it is for others. Thomas Mangan, a Vietnam veteran and longtime journalist, examines the lives of the Americans who died in the war and tells how they paid the ultimate price for freedom in this extensively researched handbook that reveals the people behind the list of names. The book serves as a resource for teachers, schoolchildren, and anyone seeking to make their visit to the wall more educational, meaningful, and inspiring. By reading about those whose names are on the wall, you’ll approach it with a new perspective. Whether you’re a student, a teacher, soldier or a member of a veterans organization, you’ll gain a deeper appreciation for the freedom we enjoy from the stories of bravery and sacrifice in Who Are Those Guys?
About the Author
Thomas Mangan is a Vietnam veteran passionate about issues important to veterans. He is a freelance writer and has more than forty years of experience writing movie reviews, obituaries, research papers, speeches, and articles on numerous topics. He writes a column for www.examiner.com and lives in Brockport, New York.