GODFREY, JOHNNY HOWARD
Name: Johnny Howard Godfrey
Branch/Rank: United States Air Force/O3
Unit:
Date of Birth: 17 January 1934
Home City of Record: PHOENIX AZ
Date of Loss: 11 January 1966
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 94710 North 1055305 East
Status (in 1973): Killed In Action/Body Not Recovered
Category: 2
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: A1H
Missions:
Other Personnel in Incident:
Refno: 0230
Source: Compiled by P.O.W. NETWORK from one or more of the following: raw
data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA
families, published sources, interviews and CACCF = Combined Action
Combat Casualty File. Updated 2000.
REMARKS:
CACCF/CRASH/PILOT/12 YRS United States Air Force/SA XUYEN
No further information available at this time.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
P.O.W. NETWORK NOTE:
The following was received in our office. If you have ANY information that
can support the following statement as it might relate to Johnny Godfrey -
or information that will say the incident was NOT Godfrey's, please contact
us at Your help is appreciated.
[March 19, 2000 SEE FAMILY NOTE BELOW]
From - Fri Oct 08 08:05:22 1999
Hi Folk, my name is T.C. I am a 2 tour Vietnam Veteran. I served with the
5th SF 1965-66 and was involved in a rescue attempt of Johny Howard Godfrey
possibly. Here is what happened; I hitch a Helicopter ride with a Command
Sgt. Major of the Big Red One from Quin Nhon headed for the Saigon-Bien Hoa
area. As we were traveling South a Aircraft proceeded to pass to our front
from left to right flaming out from being hit by something. The Pilot
ejected and his parachute deployed and he was sailing towards to ground when
we got to him and let him know by way of hand signals that we were going to
get him once he hit the ground. He signal back to us with a Thumb-Up and
then we began receiving small arms fire from the ground. The Chopper pilot
inform the Door Gunners and they told us me and the Sgt Major that we had to
land a ways back from where it looked like the pilot was going to land
because the Bush was to dense. We set down in a small open area the Sgt
Major and I existed the Chopper and started for the Pilot who was under fire.
The Helicopter also started back for the area in which we thought that he
went down. The chopper was very loud for one minute and then the sound of
the engine and Rotor blades were muffled, the Sgt Major and I could figure
what was going on but we kept moving towards the area where we though they
were. The chopper then rises above the trees to our front at a very severe
angle to the ground and flies back over our heads headed in the direction of
the LZ. The shooting stops and the Sgt Major and I decided that they must
have gotten him and we start back.
When we clear the tree line we see that the Chopper Crew is trying to console
one of the Door Gunners that is screaming uncontrolably that he lost him,
that he had him by the hand and he lost him. We load up and we because the
VC are getting closer decide to fly to Bien Hoa Airbase to report what had
happened.
The Pilot was trying to get away from the VC and ran into a canal filled with
deep mud. The chopper crew saw what was happening and went in between the
trees on both sides of the canal and one of the Door Gunners standing on the
skids manage to grab the pilots hand but then the rotors started to hit the
trees and the vibration of the Helicopter caused the pilot and the Door
Gunner grip to slip. The pilot fell back into the muddy canal and went
under. This is what I remember the Sgt Major and I were told once we got
back to the Chopper and enroute to Bien Hoa. The Award Orders read
differently but this the way I remember the incident. Also on the Orders the
date is 9 January 1966 and when I was awarded the medal I told my Commander
that the date was not 9 January but 11 January. I just got the urge a day
or two ago to try and find something on POW-MIA on computer and came upon
your site after entering Keyword POW-MIA.
Now for the question, could this Pilot have been Johnny Howard Godfrey? We
were somewhere between Oui Nhon and Saigon - Bien Hoa. I wonder if it were
possible to trace the origin of the initial write up which was done I think
by the Big Red One Sgt. Major using the Order number. Possibly we could get
the straight of this incident.
They are not forgotten!
=====================================
From - Wed Mar 15 08:11:10 2000
From: "PJ Guess"
Subject: Update re: Capt Johnny H. Godfrey/KIA/NRR
After discovering the POW Network Home Page and, as the sister of a USAF
flyer lost in Vietnam in 1966, I have attached a response to you, detailing
all the family has been informed of regarding the loss of Capt. Johnny H.
Godfrey.......this info disputes the info listed in the bio by someone who
thought perhaps he knew the details of the loss of Capt. Godfrey.
I would like the information which I forwarded to you be placed into the bio
so that anyone who knew him would be aware of the facts his family received.
Perhaps someone else out there would have more info regarding the downing of
his plane.
Please respond to me at this email address: itzpjz@hotmail.com
Thank you for your consideration. PJ Chase, sister of
Capt. Johnny H. Godfrey (Major posthumously)
======================
....you see, we've only just received all of this. I am sending you what
the family has received as far as actual events...
CASUALTY MESSAGE, DEATH REPORT
GODFREY JOHNNY HOWARD, CAPTAIN
DET 10, 1131 USAF SPG ACTY SQ, APO SF 96309
W/DY STA AFAT 2 APO SF 96227
SEVENTY-FIVE MILES (75) SOUTH OF SAIGON, 15 MILES WEST NORTH WEST OF SOC
TRANG, RVN
11 JANUARY 1966, 1821 HOURS LOCAL
MULTIPLE INJURIES RECEIVED AS RESULT OF AIRCRAFT CRASH.
ON CLOSE AIR SUPPORT MISSION FOR FRIENDLY GROUND FORCES, CREW IPOSITION,
PILOT OF NUMBER THREE AIRCRAFT IN A FORMATION OF FOUR
VNAF AIH AIRCRAFT MADE FIVE BOMBING PASSES ON UNFRIENDLY
GROUND FORCES POSITIONS. SIXTH PASS WAS A STRAFING RUN. AIRCRAFT
WAS APPARENTLY SHOT DOWN BY HOSTILE GROUND FIRE. USAF ADVISOR, PILOT
OF NUMBER FOUR AIRCRAFT, OBSERVED AIRCRAFT ON SIXTH PASS
ALL THE WAY AS IT STRUCK THE GROUND AT A THIRTY DEGREE ANGLE AND
DISINTEGRATED. CAPTAIN GODFREY WAS NOT OBSERVED TO LEAVE THE AIRMG
CRAFT. DEATH WAS APPARENTLY INSTANTANEOUS.
Even though the above was as was observed by the fourth pilot, Capt. Godfrey
remain on the POW/MIA list as no remains have ever been recovered. As we,
the family, understand it, recovery efforts continue and we have been
promised notification should anything ever be found.
Thanks for your ongoing efforts...........pj
Use your Browser's BACK function to return to the PREVIOUS page