Courtesy of Bob LaPointe:

"We are going to rescue 70 American prisoners of war, maybe more, from a camp called Son Tay. This is something American prisoners have a right to expect from their fellow Soldiers."

--Colonel Arthur "BULL" Simons, U.S. Army Ground force commander

On 21 November 1970, at Udorn RTAFB 56 US Army Special Forces Troopers (Green Berets) boarded five USAF HH-53s and one HH-3 for a mission deep into North Vietnam to rescue 75 or more Americans held by the North Vietnamese authorities. These Americans, mostly aviators of all services, were being held under conditions that can be best described as horrible in all respects -- torture, diet, lack of medical care and devoid of hope for return to freedom in a timely manner. This mission became known as the Son Tay POW Raid. The official name was “Operation Kingpin” The entire operation included two MC-130s, one HC-130, five HH-53s, one UH-1, one HH-3, and five A-1Es.

Complete details of this famous rescue attempt can be found at http://www.sontayraider.com

During the conduct of the mission, one of the HH-53’s landed at the wrong compound. The remaining force recognized the problem and executed plan green and proceeded to the objective. The raid was not successful in bringing home any American prisoners because they had been moved when the Son Tay River flooded. This forced the prisoners to be moved to a new camp 13 kilometers away. Despite this, the mission was successful from the joint perspective. Unity of command, strong leadership, mass, and training were the deciding factors in removing the cultural barriers between the services, allowing them to function with speed and flexibility. Many people in the US, particularly congress, criticized it for being another failure. But it wasn't a failure, it saved hundreds of lives. It caused the consolidation of all POWs in Hanoi, permitting them to organize, communicate, and care for one another. Prior to the raid, the prisoners were scattered throughout North Vietnam in these little prisons, kept in isolation, deprived of food, and tortured. Almost immediately following the raid, they were collected into two main prison camps, they were allowed to commingle because hundreds of people in two places can't be separated. They were given food and the torture basically stopped, and the rate of prisoners dying, which was sometimes as often as several a week, stopped. The estimate is that hundreds of lives were saved. These results were a byproduct, but nonetheless it is a real outcome and every POW will tell you the same story.

The ARRS members of this mission became some the most heavily decorated men from a single mission in the Vietnam War.

Four Jolly pilots were awarded the AF Cross (click hyperlink to read narrative)
John V. Allison - Pilot - 21 November 1970

Warner A Britton - Pilot - 21 November 1970
Frederic M. Donohue - Pilot - 21 November 1970
|Herbert D. Kalen - Pilot - 21 November 1970

One Jolly FE was awarded the AF Cross
LeRoy Wright - FE - 21 November 1970

Seven PJs were awarded the Silver Star (click hyperlink to read narrative)

JOHN J. ELDRIDGE - 15 May 1975
WAYNE L. FISK - 21 November 1970
DANIEL E. GALDE - 21 November 1970
JON K. HOBERG - 21 November 1970
WILLIAM E. LESTER - 21 November 1970
RANDY S. MCCOMB - 21 November 1970
LAWRENCE WELLINGTON - 21 November 1970