A Fighter Pilot Confronted His Enemy Decades After Their Face-Off And Got An Unanticipated Response

A deadly battle once raged over the skies of Vietnam between two skilled fighter pilots. Dan Cherry of the United States eventually came out on top, as he shot down Nguyen Hong My’s plane. But decades on from the war, the pair were brought together again in the most unlikely of circumstances. How would they react to seeing each other?

The Vietnam War

It’s a fair question to ponder because the Vietnam War was especially brutal and lasted for roughly 20 years between 1955 and 1975. Over three million of the country’s inhabitants lost their lives during that time, while close to 60,000 American soldiers didn’t make it back home.

Dan’s story

And on one fateful morning in April 1972, Dan and Hong My were very nearly added to those numbers. So what about the American pilot? How long had Dan been in Vietnam at that time, and what type of plane was he flying for the armed forces?

Leaving America

Well, Dan recounted his story in great detail while writing for Air & Space magazine in May 2009. He was stationed at Florida’s Homestead Air Force Base with an F-4 aircraft, in 1971. The pilot eventually left the Sunshine State and touched down in Thailand going into the summer months.

The 13th Tactical Fighter Squadron

When Dan got to the Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base, he joined the 13th Tactical Fighter Squadron. Now, one of their jobs was to provide protection for reconnaissance planes flying to North Vietnam. MiG planes, which were used by the enemy, were always on the look-out for these intelligence gatherers, so the likes of Dan needed to be on their toes.