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Last Updated on 02/23/99
LRC
in Korea #1 
LRC in Korea #2
LRC was called back to military service for the
Korean Conflict in 1951. I'm not sure that it took a lot of coaxing to
get him back into fighter planes again, since he never looked back at civilian
life again after this. His first assignment in Korea was with the 51st
Interceptor Wing, but he was soon given the opportunity to command the
8th Fighter-Bomber Group which was operating out of Suwon (K-13).
The group was flying F-80 aircraft and charged primarily with bombing
and interdiction missions over both North Korea and South Korea, as well
as close support of ground troops. In contrast to his tours in WWII and
Viet Nam, I have very few photos of him from Korea. Note the 8th
Fighter-BomberGroup insignia on his flying helmet. Probably his most
important combat operations were a series of low level bombing attacks
he led on the NorthKorean capital of Pyonyang on July 11, 1952. He planned
and led three wing-strength sorties through intense flak concentrations,
without any loss of life or aircraft to inflict serious damage on several
military and industrialtargets. He was awarded a second oak leaf cluster to his Silver
Star for a these missions as well as a second bar to
his BritishDistinguished Flying Cross.
Suwon #1
Suwon #2
Suwon #3
Suwon #4
This series of photographs was recently obtained from Mr. Lou Surratt who visited the page and contacted me. Mr. Surratt served as a NCO in the 8th FBG Headquarters at Suwon (K-13) at the time LRC was stationed there. These were taken at the time of the decoration ceremony in which LRC received the second oak leaf cluster to his Silver Star mentioned above. I thank Mr. Surratt for donating the photographs to me.
LRC took his roles as an air force officer, commander
and fighter pilot quite seriously and did not seek publicity. He did not
want to see the serious business of war and military service glamourized
or trivialized. In short, he did not seek the limelight. Unfortunately,
this means that despite his combat record and accomplishments, he was not
as well-known to the public as many other fighter pilots who may have been
covered a bit more by the press (This is not to imply that all other fighter
pilots were or are glory hounds). Nonetheless, occasional pieces
have appeared about LRC in some of the popular magazines. This link will
take you to an article that was written about LRC role in leading several
low-level bombing missions over the heavily defended capital of North Korea
during the Korean conflict. These missions were the basis for the award
of the second oak leaf cluster to his silver star mentioned above.
The Fighting Commander
Following his tour of combat duty in Korea, LRC was assigned as commander of
the 3600th Combat Crew Fighter Training Wing stationed at Luke Air Force Base
near Phoenix, Arizona. He spent approximately three years in this assignment.
The mission of the wing was to train pilots to fly combat missions in several
different fighter planes. This link will take you to a scan of an article
written for either the base or wing magazine and is entitled
"Chase, the Fighting Commander". The article includes some biographical information
as well as the specifics of LRC's command at Luke. Note, however, that a few inaccuracies
are to be found. LRC was born in Cortland, N.Y., not Warwick, N.Y. Also, LRC is now known
not to have been the only american fighter pilot to down planes of all three Axis nations
in WWII, as had been acknowledged for many years. Altogether, three pilots are
now known to have accomplished this feat, and LRC was second.
LRC
and the USAF Thunderbirds
When LRC returned to the United States following
his tour of duty in Korea in 1952, he was reassigned as commander of the
3600th Combat Crew Fighter Training Wing at Luke AFB in Arizona. At this
time, jet aircraft were still relatively new to the Air Force and many
pilots were still a bit nervous about trying to fly them. The USAF Air
Demonstration Squadron, eventually to be known as the "Thunderbirds" was
formed as a response to the situation. The idea was to demonstrate that
jet aircraft could be handled with a high degree of precision. What better
way than close formation acrobatic flying? Legend has it that the idea
was cooked up over cocktails in the living room of our house or a neighbor's
one evening. Brigadier Gen. Charles F. Born was put in charge of organizing
the original group. LRC was given the task of finding the pilots to form
the the first group. The official
Air
Force Thunderbirdshome page gives a detailed history of the group and
is loaded with spectacular graphics. The photograph shown here is from
my collection and is autographed by one of the early Thunderbird
teams.
This is one of my favorite pictures of my Dad, even though he's not in the cockpit of a fighter plane (this is probably a C-130 transport). This picture was taken during our tour in Germany (1960-1964) when we were stationed at Wiesbaden Air Base. LRC commanded the 7499th Support Group, which conducted some interesting intelligence operations close to Soviet air space in the Middle East). There were many trips back and forth to Wheelus AB in Libya in those days, and LRC was rated for piloting many different multi-engine bombers and transports throughout his career.
Col. and Mrs. L.R. Chase outside quarters, Alexandria, Virginia in 1960. LRC was a student at the National War College at the time. They say behind every great man there's a great woman. Never was this more true than in the case of my mother. Mom (The former Jean Strong of Warwick, N.Y.) and Dad were married after LRC graduated from aviation cadet school and he had begun service in the Army Air Corps. She was the quintessential service wife, enduring the loneliness and anxiety of war time separations, the births of six sons, countless moves, and the rigors of 33 years of military life without complaint. In my opinion, military spouses have never been recognized or credited properly for all they have contributed. Here's to you Mom.
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by Thomas E. Chase © 1998 |
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tec1212@brookings.net
