Class of 1963
Park George Bunker
"Park"
d 1970
| Service United States Air Force |
|
|
| Highest Rank Captain |
Years of Service 7 |
Combat Yes |
Click for:
Click for:
Biography as of: Oct 29, 2013
Park lettered 3 years in football and was president of the student council in his high school at Harvey, IL. At the Academy, he was on the Dean's List several semesters and earned the award for being the outstanding grad in Electrical Engineering (EE). After graduation Park was off to UPT, a tour flying B-52s, then to the Air Force Test Pilot School in 1969. In 1970 he became a FAC in Vietnam, with a follow-on assignment to grad school in EE.
While serving as a FAC at Duc Hoa between Saigon and the Cambodian border, Park volunteered for the Steve Canyon program. In a few months Park turned in his Air Force uniform and began flying as a Raven FAC in civilian clothes in Laos. Lt. Craig Deuhring was a lieutenant with Park in both places.
"Park was a breath of fresh air - a laid back, quiet guy who was in charge of the pool of lieutenants assigned to cover Duc Hoa operations and a filter of common sense between us and the unpredictable lieutenant colonel . . .. Park was older than we were, probably pushing 30 years old. . .. He was mature and easy going, and we all liked him instinctively."
Craig's welcome to Park as a new Raven included a wild descent through low clouds to get into the legendary Laotian airfield known as Lima Site 20-Alternate. Most Raven flight operations bore little resemblance to USAF standards. While at 20-Alternate Park sometimes worked with the famed Lao-Hmong General Vang Pao.
On 9 September 1970 flying by Raven standards put Park and his Birddog into the trees while trying to slip through a mountain pass under clouds too close to those trees. Minor cuts and bruises - much less than Park would later suffer when snagging his wedding ring came close to severing a finger.
In November Park came back home for a 30 day leave to visit Janet and son, Gary. He returned to Laos to complete his tour due to end in early February 1971.
On 30 December Craig was flying when he heard Raven 23 was down on the PDJ (Plaines des Jars). A Raven FAC had spotted part of a tank under the edge of some trees. FACs always wanted to destroy enemy armor, but the Raven was almost out of gas. Park was nearby and happy to take over the target and some inbound A-1 Skyraiders. Sadly the tank was the bait in a flak trap designed to kill a Raven. Hidden antiaircraft guns spewed fire at Park's Birddog and knocked out his engine. He set up for a crash landing in an open area with trees lining 3 sides. Parts of the ambush forces were in those trees, and Park was under fire almost immediately. Park later reported he was hit several times, had tried to surrender, but they wouldn't stop shooting.
About the time Park would have entered the graduate Electrical Engineering program, Janet wrote to Colonel Wakin asking that the Academy consider naming the Outstanding Cadet in Electrical Engineering Award for Park. Now the cadet who receives that award during graduation week is told that the award is given "in memory of Park G. Bunker."
In another of the many interconnections in these stories, nearly 40 years later Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne picked Craig Duehring to be his Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
Click for:
Click for: