George ‘Bud’ Day, the first jet pilot to survive a ‘parachute-less’ ejection

In the search for an appropriate call sign for the Commando Sabre sorties, Maj. George ‘Bud’ Day remembered a song he had liked in a Las Vegas nightclub in 1958. Johnny Mathis’ ‘Misty’ provided the squadron’s sentimental, but highly respected, label

Although USAF planning called for withdrawing the F-100 from frontline units by 1970, the aircraft carried out one of the most important roles in its final wartime years in Vietnam. By 1967, the region north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), known as “Tally Ho,” had become too dangerous for the light, slow forward air control (FAC) aircraft. Over the course of the war, 282 O-1 and O-2 aircraft were shot down, and 177 pilots were killed, most of them from early 1967 onward. The growing number of SA-2 surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) and anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) sites along the Ho Chi Minh Trail also increased the danger to strike aircraft and to B-52s flying Arc Light missions. When the Soviet Union began supplying SA-7 ‘Strela’ man-portable SAMs to North Vietnamese forces, conditions for propeller-driven FAC and rescue combat air patrol (RESCAP) aircraft deteriorated even further. The loss of O-1E 51-12102 and its pilot, Lt Col Lester Holmes, to an SA-2 near the DMZ on May 22, 1967, accelerated the move to establish the Fast FAC program.

As described by Peter E. Davies in his book F-100 Super Sabre Units of the Vietnam War, there was a need for a faster forward air control aircraft to lessen vulnerability to ground fire, and the F-100F met this need by combining high speed with a rear cockpit that provided excellent visibility for an airborne observer.

F-100F aircraft were taken from the shrinking pool of jets available at the various F-100 bases in the region. After a short initial period at Phan Rang in May 1967, they were consolidated at Phu Cat on June 15, 1967, as Detachment 1 of the 612th Tactical Fighter Squadron. Aircrews were assigned to the detachment on four‑month temporary tours from other units, flying F-100Fs mostly borrowed from the 416th TFS, which also provided the detachment’s buildings and support facilities.

Operating under the official title Operation Commando Sabre, the unit was established at Phu Cat — the F-100 base closest to North Vietnam — in July 1967 with 16 volunteer pilots, four of whom were O-1 FACs. Col Ray Lee, vice commander of the 37th TFW, determined that the unit needed its own commander and dedicated facilities. The Seventh Air Force’s director of operations then selected Maj George “Bud” Day to lead it, a forceful and energetic officer who had previously served as a Marine Corps gunner in World War II, flown F-84 Thunderjets in Korea, and later served with the 55th Bomb Squadron at RAF Wethersfield from 1955, flying the F-84F Thunderstreak.

At RAF Wethersfield, he survived a remarkable emergency bail-out from an F-84F with a reputation for being unreliable, nicknamed “Atom Bum,” after its engine broke apart during the landing approach. Forced to eject below 300 ft while the aircraft was rolling inverted, Day plunged through trees when his parachute failed to open, yet escaped with only a broken ankle—becoming the first jet pilot to live through an ejection without a functioning parachute. After converting to the F-100D with the 20th TFW, Day was assigned to the 309th TFS at Tuy Hoa in April 1967, by which time he had logged over 5,000 flying hours. On June 25, 1967, he was appointed commanding officer of Detachment 1, 416th TFS, even though he had told the director of operations that he believed using F-100Fs as FAC aircraft was “a very bad idea.”

Despite his initial doubts, “Bud” Day threw himself into developing tactics for the new, highly secret operation and had Det 1 ready for combat within two weeks. While looking for a suitable callsign for Commando Sabre missions, he recalled a song he had enjoyed at a Las Vegas nightclub in 1958. Johnny Mathis’s “Misty” was chosen as the squadron’s sentimental yet well‑regarded name.

One of Day’s missions in August 1967 perfectly showcased his skill and the effectiveness of the Misty concept. Spotting an irregularity in the jungle landscape, he concentrated on a small patch of ground and discovered a concealed road and a small truck emerging from the trees. Approaching the vehicle head-on, ‘in the weeds,’ he fired a marker rocket that blew it up. Day then called in a flight of F-105Ds but also made a second pass over the suspect area, firing another rocket into the trees. His hunch proved right: the rocket triggered 28 major secondary explosions that ripped away camouflage netting from a truck park and a SAM site, revealing numerous additional targets for the F-105Ds.

Tragically, “Bud” Day’s time leading the Misty unit ended on August 26, 1967. On his 139th mission, flying F-100F 56-3954—an aircraft known for its loose rear-seat harness that made violent evasive maneuvers especially uncomfortable—he was evaluating Capt. Corwin Kippenham, who was on his first FAC mission when they received last-minute orders to find a SAM site near Thon Cam Son. Skimming in at very low altitude at nearly 500 knots toward the suspected location, they drew exceptionally intense anti-aircraft fire, although Day believed he had identified an SA-2 launcher. After topping up their fuel from a Blue Anchor tanker, Kippenham and Day turned back toward the area on a different course to take another look.

At about 550 knots and an altitude of 1,000 ft, they flew into another wall of 37 mm anti-aircraft fire, and their F-100F suffered a serious hit in the rear fuselage just as Day spotted the SA-2 launchers. They engaged afterburner and pulled up hard in an effort to gain altitude, since they were only ten miles from the coast, but the damage to the Super Sabre’s hydraulic system proved catastrophic, and by 3,000 ft the aircraft could no longer be controlled. Kippenham ejected and was rescued by an HH-3E helicopter, but Maj Day—knocked unconscious and suffering a broken arm, a dislocated knee, and a badly swollen left eye—was captured by local villagers. His final glimpse of freedom was of the HH-3E, with Kippenham visible in the doorway, searching for him until intense small-arms fire forced the helicopter to withdraw.

Despite his serious wounds, Day managed to escape and stayed at large for two weeks as he tried to make his way to South Vietnam. Sadly, just after he crossed the border, he was discovered and captured again by a Viet Cong patrol, then imprisoned in Hanoi until March 14, 1973. In recognition of his daring escape and his outstanding leadership and defiance throughout years of brutal torture and mistreatment as a prisoner, Day received the Medal of Honor.

F-100 Super Sabre Units of the Vietnam War is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by U.S. Air Force and This Day In Aviation