Class of 1963
Wayne Ellsworth Newberry
"Newb"
d 1968
| Service United States Air Force |
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| Highest Rank Captain |
Years of Service 6 |
Combat Yes |
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Biography as of: Oct 29, 2013
While in high school in Tipton, IA, Wayne earned 7 letters in football, basketball, and track. He would later earn 3 letters in track at the Academy. After graduating from high school in 1956, Wayne enlisted in the Air Force. He was assigned to a Tactical Missile Wing equipped with Matador missiles in Bitburg, Germany.
At the academy, he was on the Commandant's Merit List 6 semesters and the Superintendent's List once. He served as Squadron Commander for 12th Squadron. Following pilot training, he was an Instructor Pilot in T-38s at Reese AFB, TX. After checking out in A-1 Skyraiders at Eglin AFB, FL, he was assigned to the 6th Special Operations Squadron. He arrived at Pleiku AB in the central highlands on about 30 August 1968. A-1 Skyraiders were a favorite aircraft of forward air controllers, Jolly Green Giant helicopter crews, and any friendlies in trouble and outnumbered on the ground. A-1s carried lots and lots of ordnance, could hang around for a long time, and could put their bombs where needed.
Wayne's early missions would have been to support ground troops, to attack targets discovered by FACs, and to provide air cover when people on the ground needed to be rescued. On 29 September Wayne and another A-1 pilot were scrambled from Pleiku to attack enemy troops approximately 30 miles west of Kham Duc, SVN. Various reports give different ideas about just what kind of mission Wayne was on. One suggested he might have been on a SAR (Search and Rescue). A-1s routinely proved support for the Jolly Greens, but I'd never seen such missions characterized as going out to attack enemy troops.
I found a major clue when a posting by Wayne's brother, Gary, said USAF letters to Wayne's father indicated the two Skyraiders ". . . were supporting friendly ground forces that had been surrounded in enemy territory." Kham Duc is 17 miles east of the Laotian border, so enemy forces had surrounded friendlies 13 miles into Laos. Since in 1968 we had no friendlies officially on the ground in Laos, Wayne likely had been scrambled to support the emergency extraction of a surrounded and heavily outnumbered Special Forces team.
The two A-1s attacked under very low clouds, probably in a mountainous jungle-covered area. Such attacks were dangerous because of restricted airspace for maneuvering between the clouds and trees. Aircraft stayed closer to perhaps massed troops with AK-47s and automatic weapons, and were an easier target when silhouetted against low clouds. Such attacks are generally avoided - except when friendlies are in danger on the ground.
Wayne's A-1 was hit on his second pass and rolled into the trees with little time or altitude to bail out. No chute was seen; no beeper was heard.
As I said in the introduction, the emergency extraction of Special Forces teams became a top priority of FACs, helicopter crews, and attack pilots. It appears Wayne willingly took great risks to save the lives of others in danger and gave his life in the finest tradition of the US Air Force.
"There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about you. You knew that I always looked up to you and I want you to know how very proud I am of what you did and the ultimate sacrifice you paid. You may be gone but you are never forgotten. Love, Gary"
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