For Memorial Day I'd like to remember three pilots who flew A-4's with my Dad (MJ Chewning) in squadron VA-55 and were killed in Vietnam.
January to July 1966 was a very costly time to be flying A4's over N. Vietnam.
If not for a few inches, I'd be remembering my dad too. Fortunately he was wounded instead of being killed. (June 3 1966) He's still playing tennis 5 days a week, age 96. He was skiing until age 90 when he moved to Florida.
March 1, 1966: Lt(jg). David Joseph Woloszyk. Woloszyk launched as the number two aircraft A-4E Skyhawk BuNo 152057 side number NK 401) in a flight of four on an armed reconnaissance mission and disappeared after losing contact with his flight leader in poor visibility shortly after crossing the coast about 40 miles SE of Vinh. He reported that he was climbing above the cloud base and had sighted another section of Skyhawks an was going to join them. The leader then climbed above the cloud base and neither he or the other section of Skyhawks saw Woloszyk. No sign of him or his aircraft were found despite an intensive three day search.
May 2, 1966: LCdr. Walter Sutton Wood ejected from A-4E Skyhawk BuNo 151034, side number NK 412, and was killed while returning from an armed rec. mission and made an attack on Hon Ngu island off the coast near Vinh as he had one rocket left in a LAU-3 pod. His parachute was observed to come down in the sea near the island, but he was not seen to move or separate from his chute and his body disappeared beneath the surface 10 minutes after he ejected. Rocket disintegration was suspected.
July 15, 1966: Lt. J. Connell flying A-4E Skyhawk BuNo 151024 side number NK 410 was shot down by AAA anti-aircraft over North Vietnam. Lt. Connell ejected and was captured and made Prisoner-Of-War by the North Vietnamese. Lt. Connell was killed by the North Vietnamese while in captivity.
You can read more about the squadron VA-55 at this site.
http://skyhawk.org/article-unit/va55
Here's the aircraft type they were flying, and a picture of the squadron patch -- the Warhorses.