In Memory of .......... Maj. Tommy Emerson Gist.
*** Memorial Burial: Highland Cemetery
Durant, Bryan County, Oklahoma, USA
Plot: Drive 9, Section 1, Lot 0058
* * * Please see FAG #78554486, Created by: TimelessSpirits. Record added: Oct 16, 2011 to see his Memorial headstone photo.
*** On May 18, 1968, he was the bombardier/navigator of a McDonnell Phantom II Reconnaissance Fighter (RF-4C) on a mission over North Vietnam, when his aircraft was hit by hostile fire and crashed. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
You may be gone, no longer living on this earth; but you will live on - in the memories of your family and friends. There will always be a part of you living in those who knew you. You will live on because we remember you!
TOMMY EMERSON GIST - Air Force - MAJ - O4
Age: 34
Race: Caucasian
Date of Birth Oct 29, 1939
From: DURANT, OK
Religion: METHODIST
Marital Status: Married- Sara Gist Bernasconi.(Remarried) and two sons, Michael Gist and wife Stephanie of Flower Mound, TX, and Mark Gist and wife Jill of Pritchard, ID. Grandchildren: Mathew and Charles Gist of Austin, TX; Mitchell Allen Gist of Flower Mound, TX; Mason Franklin Gist of Flower Mound, TX; Whitney Gist Parks of Pryor, OK, and Spencer Cheyenne Gist of Pryor, OK. Parents: Father, Charles Harris Gist (1916 - 1983) and Mother, Viola Ann Emerson Gist (1918 - 1997). Older brother, John C. Gist (1937-2013).
***** Grief Copyright 1994 The Associated Press.
By GEORGE ESPER AP Special Correspondent
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) --
Sara Gist Bernasconi looked at her watch and remembered that chilling moment in time. At 4 p.m., 26 years ago Wednesday, her husband, Air Force Capt. Tommy Gist, was shot down and declared missing over North Vietnam.
At 4 p.m. on May 18, 1994, Mrs. Bernasconi stepped from a van and into a dilapidated, cramped, two-room home in Hanoi. She marked the solemn anniversary with a slight, gray-haired Vietnamese woman and her family over a bowl of noodles, the only thing they could afford.
Mrs. Bernasconi, 52, sat down to dinner with Tran Thi Tien, 55, whose husband has been missing in action since 1970. They shared their sorrow in a home not far from where U.S. bombs fell and American airmen were downed. "It's good that you come to visit Vietnam and you traveled a long distance," Mrs. Tien told Mrs. Bernasconi through an interpreter.
"Today is the anniversary of the shoot-down of my husband," Mrs. Bernasconi said. "How old were you when you met your husband?" "I was married in 1960 in my brother's house in Hanoi. I was 20. My husband went to the South in 1965. I was pregnant when my husband left." "I have two sons about the same age as your sons."
"Your husband's remains found?" "No." "The same with my husband," Mrs. Tien continued. "I only know he died in the South. We want to go find his remains but because of our economic difficulties we cannot go. Your husband died in Dong Hoi." "I don't know. He's missing." "Too many losses for the families. We've suffered too many losses." "Do you feel anger?" "We feel very sorry and we miss him." "We live a world apart and share so many of the same feelings."
Mrs. Bernasconi lives in Albuquerque, N.M., with her second husband, Louis Bernasconi, a former prisoner of war. She is on a weeklong visit to Vietnam with a delegation from the Vietnam Veterans of America, where she serves as co-chairwoman of the national POW-MIA Committee. One of Mrs. Tien's two sons reached into his wallet and presented Mrs. Bernasconi with a small sapphire stone. Her gift to them was some T-shirts inscribed Veterans Initiative. Earlier in the day, American veterans handed over battlefield souvenirs to the Vietnamese in an effort to help their families locate their own loved ones lost in the war.
Vietnamese veterans said they, too, would launch a movement to help gather information for American families. U.S. On the Vietnamese side, 300,000 soldiers are still unaccounted for.
For Mrs. Bernasconi and the veterans, the visit was a step toward healing the anguish of Vietnam. As she left Mrs. Tien's home, she asked if she could have a photo taken with her and her two sons. Mrs. Bernasconi held Mrs. Tien's hand. "Thank you for having us," she said.
***** Uncle Tommy, We love you and miss you and hope one day you will return home to us.
From his niece,
Kelly R. York-Irwin
***** Left for Sara's 2nd Husband upon his death.
I will always remember Louis Bernasconi as "Major," as that was his rank when I first met him. His love and care of the Gist family will never be forgotten. My favorite memory is my trip to Albuquerque when I went with him to help exercise the family's dog, a german shepherd named "Smokey." Major brought a frisbie for Smoke to retrieve. On the first toss, Major yelled,Go get it, Smokey!" The frisbie landed against a tree and Smokey then proceeded to hike his leg on the same tree. He filled the frisbee with pee and came happily back without it. "Oh, God..." was Major's response . The look on his face was priceless! I couldn't stop laughing....My condolences especially to Sara, Michael and Mark. God bless all of you and your beautiful families.
Cathy Brinck - Ft. Worth, TX - old friend Jul 25, 2010
His tour began on May 18, 1968
Casualty was on May 18, 1967
In , NORTH VIETNAM
Hostile, died while missing, FIXED WING - CREW
AIR LOSS, CRASH ON LAND
Name: Tommy Emerson Gist
Rank/Branch: Major/US Air Force
Unit: 14th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron
Udorn Airfield, Thailand
Date of Birth: 29 October 1939 (Pryor, OK)
Home of Record: Durant, OK
Date of Loss: 18 May 1968
Country of Loss: North Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 173300N 1063500E (XE720390)
Status in 1973: Missing in Action
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: RF4C "Phantom II"
Body was not recovered
Panel 62E - Line 22
Other Personnel In Incident: Terry J. Uyeyama (returned POW)
On 18 May 1968, Capt. Terry J. Uyeyama, pilot, and then Capt. Tommy E. Gist, navigator, comprised the crew of an RF4C, call sign "Vacuum," which was on a single aircraft day airborne alert photo reconnaissance mission over Quang Binh Province, North Vietnam.
Capt. Uyeyama radioed Hillsboro, the airborne command and control aircraft, requesting permission to run the first alternate target in their area of operation. Permission was granted.
Vacuum flight radioed Hillsboro with the report "success on the target." They were given permission by Hillsboro to contact Cricket, the ground control command center, who then assigned them an in-flight target. Further, Cricket advised Vacuums to contact Waterboy, the Forward Air Controller in the area, for flight heading to the new target. Even though they were given the radio frequency for the FAC, no direct contact was even made between them.
At 1520 hours, the last radio communication was made between Cricket and Vacuums flight. Prior to departing the area at the scheduled time of 1545 hours, Terry Uyeyama and Tommy Gist should have made radio contact again, however, that was not done.
At that time electronic and visual searches by the aircraft already on sight was initiated, but none were able to establish voice or beeper contact with either crewman. Likewise, no wreckage or crash site was discovered.
Because of the location of loss, no formal search and rescue operation was possible.
The last radio contact with Vacuum flight placed them 16 nautical miles west of Nakhon Phanom, Thailand, 6 nautical miles (approximately 7 kilometers) west-northwest of the major North Vietnamese port city of Dong Hoi, and 3 kilometers north-northwest of the town of Huu Chung.
Both Terry Uyeyama and Tommy Gist were listed Missing in Action.
********************************
On 13 September 1969 the US government learned that Capt. Uyeyama was in fact a Prisoner of War and his status was changed accordingly. He returned to US control on 14 March 1973 during Operation Homecoming.
In his debriefing, Terry Uyeyama confirmed they were shot down by anti-aircraft artillery fire while flying at an altitude of 500 feet. After being hit, the cockpit filled with smoke and he temporarily went unconscious. Prior to going unconscious, Capt. Uyeyama discovered the intercom between his navigator and himself had been knocked out preventing him from communicating with Tommy Gist. When he halfway regained consciousness, he also regained control of the aircraft and was able to activate the ejection system as the aircraft began to pass over the coastline and out over the Gulf of Tonkin. While he was descending in his parachute, Terry Uyeyama knew the North Vietnamese were shooting at him. He also heard gunfire to the west of his position and thought they were also firing at Tommy Gist.
It took the North Vietnamese about 45 minutes to row out to capture Capt. Uyeyama. Once they pulled him into their small boat and removed his flight helmet, they were terribly surprised to see the face of a Japanese-American staring back at them.
Over the next 10 days, the Vietnamese moved Capt. Uyeyama north toward Hanoi. He sometimes was moved by truck, other times by foot, but was moved only at night. On the fifth day of captivity, a young Vietnamese who was guarding him drew a picture in the sand of an aircraft with two cockpits. He pointed to the front cockpit, then pointed to Terry. He then pointed to the back cockpit, then made a motion with his hand like a gun to his head. He then showed Capt. Uyeyama Tommy Gist's ID card. Terry grabbed the card out of the guard's hand to make sure it really belonged to his navigator. It was Tommy Gist's ID card.
That same ID card was turned over to a Joint Casualty Resolution Center (JCRC) delegation during a meeting in Hanoi 13-16 November 1985 with remarks that the American's "body burned up in the crash of the aircraft." Interestingly, this ID card, which was always carried in his flightsuit breast pocket, was returned in pristine condition indicating it could not possibly have been in a fire. This ID card was one of the first 19 pieces of material evidence provided by the Vietnamese government to our government on missing Americans.
Since the end of the war several reports have surfaced pertaining to the fate of Tommy Gist. It was reported to US intelligence that Capt. Gist in fact ejected his damaged aircraft, landed on the beach near the shoreline injured (believed to be a leg or back injury), that he required, and was given, medical treatment; then later moved to a POW camp located 30 miles southwest of Hanoi near Son Tay.
***********************************************
.
*** Memorial Burial: Highland Cemetery
Durant, Bryan County, Oklahoma, USA
Plot: Drive 9, Section 1, Lot 0058
* * * Please see FAG #78554486, Created by: TimelessSpirits. Record added: Oct 16, 2011 to see his Memorial headstone photo.
*** On May 18, 1968, he was the bombardier/navigator of a McDonnell Phantom II Reconnaissance Fighter (RF-4C) on a mission over North Vietnam, when his aircraft was hit by hostile fire and crashed. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
You may be gone, no longer living on this earth; but you will live on - in the memories of your family and friends. There will always be a part of you living in those who knew you. You will live on because we remember you!
TOMMY EMERSON GIST - Air Force - MAJ - O4
Age: 34
Race: Caucasian
Date of Birth Oct 29, 1939
From: DURANT, OK
Religion: METHODIST
Marital Status: Married- Sara Gist Bernasconi.(Remarried) and two sons, Michael Gist and wife Stephanie of Flower Mound, TX, and Mark Gist and wife Jill of Pritchard, ID. Grandchildren: Mathew and Charles Gist of Austin, TX; Mitchell Allen Gist of Flower Mound, TX; Mason Franklin Gist of Flower Mound, TX; Whitney Gist Parks of Pryor, OK, and Spencer Cheyenne Gist of Pryor, OK. Parents: Father, Charles Harris Gist (1916 - 1983) and Mother, Viola Ann Emerson Gist (1918 - 1997). Older brother, John C. Gist (1937-2013).
***** Grief Copyright 1994 The Associated Press.
By GEORGE ESPER AP Special Correspondent
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) --
Sara Gist Bernasconi looked at her watch and remembered that chilling moment in time. At 4 p.m., 26 years ago Wednesday, her husband, Air Force Capt. Tommy Gist, was shot down and declared missing over North Vietnam.
At 4 p.m. on May 18, 1994, Mrs. Bernasconi stepped from a van and into a dilapidated, cramped, two-room home in Hanoi. She marked the solemn anniversary with a slight, gray-haired Vietnamese woman and her family over a bowl of noodles, the only thing they could afford.
Mrs. Bernasconi, 52, sat down to dinner with Tran Thi Tien, 55, whose husband has been missing in action since 1970. They shared their sorrow in a home not far from where U.S. bombs fell and American airmen were downed. "It's good that you come to visit Vietnam and you traveled a long distance," Mrs. Tien told Mrs. Bernasconi through an interpreter.
"Today is the anniversary of the shoot-down of my husband," Mrs. Bernasconi said. "How old were you when you met your husband?" "I was married in 1960 in my brother's house in Hanoi. I was 20. My husband went to the South in 1965. I was pregnant when my husband left." "I have two sons about the same age as your sons."
"Your husband's remains found?" "No." "The same with my husband," Mrs. Tien continued. "I only know he died in the South. We want to go find his remains but because of our economic difficulties we cannot go. Your husband died in Dong Hoi." "I don't know. He's missing." "Too many losses for the families. We've suffered too many losses." "Do you feel anger?" "We feel very sorry and we miss him." "We live a world apart and share so many of the same feelings."
Mrs. Bernasconi lives in Albuquerque, N.M., with her second husband, Louis Bernasconi, a former prisoner of war. She is on a weeklong visit to Vietnam with a delegation from the Vietnam Veterans of America, where she serves as co-chairwoman of the national POW-MIA Committee. One of Mrs. Tien's two sons reached into his wallet and presented Mrs. Bernasconi with a small sapphire stone. Her gift to them was some T-shirts inscribed Veterans Initiative. Earlier in the day, American veterans handed over battlefield souvenirs to the Vietnamese in an effort to help their families locate their own loved ones lost in the war.
Vietnamese veterans said they, too, would launch a movement to help gather information for American families. U.S. On the Vietnamese side, 300,000 soldiers are still unaccounted for.
For Mrs. Bernasconi and the veterans, the visit was a step toward healing the anguish of Vietnam. As she left Mrs. Tien's home, she asked if she could have a photo taken with her and her two sons. Mrs. Bernasconi held Mrs. Tien's hand. "Thank you for having us," she said.
***** Uncle Tommy, We love you and miss you and hope one day you will return home to us.
From his niece,
Kelly R. York-Irwin
***** Left for Sara's 2nd Husband upon his death.
I will always remember Louis Bernasconi as "Major," as that was his rank when I first met him. His love and care of the Gist family will never be forgotten. My favorite memory is my trip to Albuquerque when I went with him to help exercise the family's dog, a german shepherd named "Smokey." Major brought a frisbie for Smoke to retrieve. On the first toss, Major yelled,Go get it, Smokey!" The frisbie landed against a tree and Smokey then proceeded to hike his leg on the same tree. He filled the frisbee with pee and came happily back without it. "Oh, God..." was Major's response . The look on his face was priceless! I couldn't stop laughing....My condolences especially to Sara, Michael and Mark. God bless all of you and your beautiful families.
Cathy Brinck - Ft. Worth, TX - old friend Jul 25, 2010
His tour began on May 18, 1968
Casualty was on May 18, 1967
In , NORTH VIETNAM
Hostile, died while missing, FIXED WING - CREW
AIR LOSS, CRASH ON LAND
Name: Tommy Emerson Gist
Rank/Branch: Major/US Air Force
Unit: 14th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron
Udorn Airfield, Thailand
Date of Birth: 29 October 1939 (Pryor, OK)
Home of Record: Durant, OK
Date of Loss: 18 May 1968
Country of Loss: North Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 173300N 1063500E (XE720390)
Status in 1973: Missing in Action
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: RF4C "Phantom II"
Body was not recovered
Panel 62E - Line 22
Other Personnel In Incident: Terry J. Uyeyama (returned POW)
On 18 May 1968, Capt. Terry J. Uyeyama, pilot, and then Capt. Tommy E. Gist, navigator, comprised the crew of an RF4C, call sign "Vacuum," which was on a single aircraft day airborne alert photo reconnaissance mission over Quang Binh Province, North Vietnam.
Capt. Uyeyama radioed Hillsboro, the airborne command and control aircraft, requesting permission to run the first alternate target in their area of operation. Permission was granted.
Vacuum flight radioed Hillsboro with the report "success on the target." They were given permission by Hillsboro to contact Cricket, the ground control command center, who then assigned them an in-flight target. Further, Cricket advised Vacuums to contact Waterboy, the Forward Air Controller in the area, for flight heading to the new target. Even though they were given the radio frequency for the FAC, no direct contact was even made between them.
At 1520 hours, the last radio communication was made between Cricket and Vacuums flight. Prior to departing the area at the scheduled time of 1545 hours, Terry Uyeyama and Tommy Gist should have made radio contact again, however, that was not done.
At that time electronic and visual searches by the aircraft already on sight was initiated, but none were able to establish voice or beeper contact with either crewman. Likewise, no wreckage or crash site was discovered.
Because of the location of loss, no formal search and rescue operation was possible.
The last radio contact with Vacuum flight placed them 16 nautical miles west of Nakhon Phanom, Thailand, 6 nautical miles (approximately 7 kilometers) west-northwest of the major North Vietnamese port city of Dong Hoi, and 3 kilometers north-northwest of the town of Huu Chung.
Both Terry Uyeyama and Tommy Gist were listed Missing in Action.
********************************
On 13 September 1969 the US government learned that Capt. Uyeyama was in fact a Prisoner of War and his status was changed accordingly. He returned to US control on 14 March 1973 during Operation Homecoming.
In his debriefing, Terry Uyeyama confirmed they were shot down by anti-aircraft artillery fire while flying at an altitude of 500 feet. After being hit, the cockpit filled with smoke and he temporarily went unconscious. Prior to going unconscious, Capt. Uyeyama discovered the intercom between his navigator and himself had been knocked out preventing him from communicating with Tommy Gist. When he halfway regained consciousness, he also regained control of the aircraft and was able to activate the ejection system as the aircraft began to pass over the coastline and out over the Gulf of Tonkin. While he was descending in his parachute, Terry Uyeyama knew the North Vietnamese were shooting at him. He also heard gunfire to the west of his position and thought they were also firing at Tommy Gist.
It took the North Vietnamese about 45 minutes to row out to capture Capt. Uyeyama. Once they pulled him into their small boat and removed his flight helmet, they were terribly surprised to see the face of a Japanese-American staring back at them.
Over the next 10 days, the Vietnamese moved Capt. Uyeyama north toward Hanoi. He sometimes was moved by truck, other times by foot, but was moved only at night. On the fifth day of captivity, a young Vietnamese who was guarding him drew a picture in the sand of an aircraft with two cockpits. He pointed to the front cockpit, then pointed to Terry. He then pointed to the back cockpit, then made a motion with his hand like a gun to his head. He then showed Capt. Uyeyama Tommy Gist's ID card. Terry grabbed the card out of the guard's hand to make sure it really belonged to his navigator. It was Tommy Gist's ID card.
That same ID card was turned over to a Joint Casualty Resolution Center (JCRC) delegation during a meeting in Hanoi 13-16 November 1985 with remarks that the American's "body burned up in the crash of the aircraft." Interestingly, this ID card, which was always carried in his flightsuit breast pocket, was returned in pristine condition indicating it could not possibly have been in a fire. This ID card was one of the first 19 pieces of material evidence provided by the Vietnamese government to our government on missing Americans.
Since the end of the war several reports have surfaced pertaining to the fate of Tommy Gist. It was reported to US intelligence that Capt. Gist in fact ejected his damaged aircraft, landed on the beach near the shoreline injured (believed to be a leg or back injury), that he required, and was given, medical treatment; then later moved to a POW camp located 30 miles southwest of Hanoi near Son Tay.
***********************************************
.
In Memory of .......... Maj. Tommy Emerson Gist.
*** Memorial Burial: Highland Cemetery
Durant, Bryan County, Oklahoma, USA
Plot: Drive 9, Section 1, Lot 0058
* * * Please see FAG #78554486, Created by: TimelessSpirits. Record added: Oct 16, 2011 to see his Memorial headstone photo.
*** On May 18, 1968, he was the bombardier/navigator of a McDonnell Phantom II Reconnaissance Fighter (RF-4C) on a mission over North Vietnam, when his aircraft was hit by hostile fire and crashed. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
You may be gone, no longer living on this earth; but you will live on - in the memories of your family and friends. There will always be a part of you living in those who knew you. You will live on because we remember you!
TOMMY EMERSON GIST - Air Force - MAJ - O4
Age: 34
Race: Caucasian
Date of Birth Oct 29, 1939
From: DURANT, OK
Religion: METHODIST
Marital Status: Married- Sara Gist Bernasconi.(Remarried) and two sons, Michael Gist and wife Stephanie of Flower Mound, TX, and Mark Gist and wife Jill of Pritchard, ID. Grandchildren: Mathew and Charles Gist of Austin, TX; Mitchell Allen Gist of Flower Mound, TX; Mason Franklin Gist of Flower Mound, TX; Whitney Gist Parks of Pryor, OK, and Spencer Cheyenne Gist of Pryor, OK. Parents: Father, Charles Harris Gist (1916 - 1983) and Mother, Viola Ann Emerson Gist (1918 - 1997). Older brother, John C. Gist (1937-2013).
***** Grief Copyright 1994 The Associated Press.
By GEORGE ESPER AP Special Correspondent
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) --
Sara Gist Bernasconi looked at her watch and remembered that chilling moment in time. At 4 p.m., 26 years ago Wednesday, her husband, Air Force Capt. Tommy Gist, was shot down and declared missing over North Vietnam.
At 4 p.m. on May 18, 1994, Mrs. Bernasconi stepped from a van and into a dilapidated, cramped, two-room home in Hanoi. She marked the solemn anniversary with a slight, gray-haired Vietnamese woman and her family over a bowl of noodles, the only thing they could afford.
Mrs. Bernasconi, 52, sat down to dinner with Tran Thi Tien, 55, whose husband has been missing in action since 1970. They shared their sorrow in a home not far from where U.S. bombs fell and American airmen were downed. "It's good that you come to visit Vietnam and you traveled a long distance," Mrs. Tien told Mrs. Bernasconi through an interpreter.
"Today is the anniversary of the shoot-down of my husband," Mrs. Bernasconi said. "How old were you when you met your husband?" "I was married in 1960 in my brother's house in Hanoi. I was 20. My husband went to the South in 1965. I was pregnant when my husband left." "I have two sons about the same age as your sons."
"Your husband's remains found?" "No." "The same with my husband," Mrs. Tien continued. "I only know he died in the South. We want to go find his remains but because of our economic difficulties we cannot go. Your husband died in Dong Hoi." "I don't know. He's missing." "Too many losses for the families. We've suffered too many losses." "Do you feel anger?" "We feel very sorry and we miss him." "We live a world apart and share so many of the same feelings."
Mrs. Bernasconi lives in Albuquerque, N.M., with her second husband, Louis Bernasconi, a former prisoner of war. She is on a weeklong visit to Vietnam with a delegation from the Vietnam Veterans of America, where she serves as co-chairwoman of the national POW-MIA Committee. One of Mrs. Tien's two sons reached into his wallet and presented Mrs. Bernasconi with a small sapphire stone. Her gift to them was some T-shirts inscribed Veterans Initiative. Earlier in the day, American veterans handed over battlefield souvenirs to the Vietnamese in an effort to help their families locate their own loved ones lost in the war.
Vietnamese veterans said they, too, would launch a movement to help gather information for American families. U.S. On the Vietnamese side, 300,000 soldiers are still unaccounted for.
For Mrs. Bernasconi and the veterans, the visit was a step toward healing the anguish of Vietnam. As she left Mrs. Tien's home, she asked if she could have a photo taken with her and her two sons. Mrs. Bernasconi held Mrs. Tien's hand. "Thank you for having us," she said.
***** Uncle Tommy, We love you and miss you and hope one day you will return home to us.
From his niece,
Kelly R. York-Irwin
***** Left for Sara's 2nd Husband upon his death.
I will always remember Louis Bernasconi as "Major," as that was his rank when I first met him. His love and care of the Gist family will never be forgotten. My favorite memory is my trip to Albuquerque when I went with him to help exercise the family's dog, a german shepherd named "Smokey." Major brought a frisbie for Smoke to retrieve. On the first toss, Major yelled,Go get it, Smokey!" The frisbie landed against a tree and Smokey then proceeded to hike his leg on the same tree. He filled the frisbee with pee and came happily back without it. "Oh, God..." was Major's response . The look on his face was priceless! I couldn't stop laughing....My condolences especially to Sara, Michael and Mark. God bless all of you and your beautiful families.
Cathy Brinck - Ft. Worth, TX - old friend Jul 25, 2010
His tour began on May 18, 1968
Casualty was on May 18, 1967
In , NORTH VIETNAM
Hostile, died while missing, FIXED WING - CREW
AIR LOSS, CRASH ON LAND
Name: Tommy Emerson Gist
Rank/Branch: Major/US Air Force
Unit: 14th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron
Udorn Airfield, Thailand
Date of Birth: 29 October 1939 (Pryor, OK)
Home of Record: Durant, OK
Date of Loss: 18 May 1968
Country of Loss: North Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 173300N 1063500E (XE720390)
Status in 1973: Missing in Action
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: RF4C "Phantom II"
Body was not recovered
Panel 62E - Line 22
Other Personnel In Incident: Terry J. Uyeyama (returned POW)
On 18 May 1968, Capt. Terry J. Uyeyama, pilot, and then Capt. Tommy E. Gist, navigator, comprised the crew of an RF4C, call sign "Vacuum," which was on a single aircraft day airborne alert photo reconnaissance mission over Quang Binh Province, North Vietnam.
Capt. Uyeyama radioed Hillsboro, the airborne command and control aircraft, requesting permission to run the first alternate target in their area of operation. Permission was granted.
Vacuum flight radioed Hillsboro with the report "success on the target." They were given permission by Hillsboro to contact Cricket, the ground control command center, who then assigned them an in-flight target. Further, Cricket advised Vacuums to contact Waterboy, the Forward Air Controller in the area, for flight heading to the new target. Even though they were given the radio frequency for the FAC, no direct contact was even made between them.
At 1520 hours, the last radio communication was made between Cricket and Vacuums flight. Prior to departing the area at the scheduled time of 1545 hours, Terry Uyeyama and Tommy Gist should have made radio contact again, however, that was not done.
At that time electronic and visual searches by the aircraft already on sight was initiated, but none were able to establish voice or beeper contact with either crewman. Likewise, no wreckage or crash site was discovered.
Because of the location of loss, no formal search and rescue operation was possible.
The last radio contact with Vacuum flight placed them 16 nautical miles west of Nakhon Phanom, Thailand, 6 nautical miles (approximately 7 kilometers) west-northwest of the major North Vietnamese port city of Dong Hoi, and 3 kilometers north-northwest of the town of Huu Chung.
Both Terry Uyeyama and Tommy Gist were listed Missing in Action.
********************************
On 13 September 1969 the US government learned that Capt. Uyeyama was in fact a Prisoner of War and his status was changed accordingly. He returned to US control on 14 March 1973 during Operation Homecoming.
In his debriefing, Terry Uyeyama confirmed they were shot down by anti-aircraft artillery fire while flying at an altitude of 500 feet. After being hit, the cockpit filled with smoke and he temporarily went unconscious. Prior to going unconscious, Capt. Uyeyama discovered the intercom between his navigator and himself had been knocked out preventing him from communicating with Tommy Gist. When he halfway regained consciousness, he also regained control of the aircraft and was able to activate the ejection system as the aircraft began to pass over the coastline and out over the Gulf of Tonkin. While he was descending in his parachute, Terry Uyeyama knew the North Vietnamese were shooting at him. He also heard gunfire to the west of his position and thought they were also firing at Tommy Gist.
It took the North Vietnamese about 45 minutes to row out to capture Capt. Uyeyama. Once they pulled him into their small boat and removed his flight helmet, they were terribly surprised to see the face of a Japanese-American staring back at them.
Over the next 10 days, the Vietnamese moved Capt. Uyeyama north toward Hanoi. He sometimes was moved by truck, other times by foot, but was moved only at night. On the fifth day of captivity, a young Vietnamese who was guarding him drew a picture in the sand of an aircraft with two cockpits. He pointed to the front cockpit, then pointed to Terry. He then pointed to the back cockpit, then made a motion with his hand like a gun to his head. He then showed Capt. Uyeyama Tommy Gist's ID card. Terry grabbed the card out of the guard's hand to make sure it really belonged to his navigator. It was Tommy Gist's ID card.
That same ID card was turned over to a Joint Casualty Resolution Center (JCRC) delegation during a meeting in Hanoi 13-16 November 1985 with remarks that the American's "body burned up in the crash of the aircraft." Interestingly, this ID card, which was always carried in his flightsuit breast pocket, was returned in pristine condition indicating it could not possibly have been in a fire. This ID card was one of the first 19 pieces of material evidence provided by the Vietnamese government to our government on missing Americans.
Since the end of the war several reports have surfaced pertaining to the fate of Tommy Gist. It was reported to US intelligence that Capt. Gist in fact ejected his damaged aircraft, landed on the beach near the shoreline injured (believed to be a leg or back injury), that he required, and was given, medical treatment; then later moved to a POW camp located 30 miles southwest of Hanoi near Son Tay.
***********************************************
.
*** Memorial Burial: Highland Cemetery
Durant, Bryan County, Oklahoma, USA
Plot: Drive 9, Section 1, Lot 0058
* * * Please see FAG #78554486, Created by: TimelessSpirits. Record added: Oct 16, 2011 to see his Memorial headstone photo.
*** On May 18, 1968, he was the bombardier/navigator of a McDonnell Phantom II Reconnaissance Fighter (RF-4C) on a mission over North Vietnam, when his aircraft was hit by hostile fire and crashed. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
You may be gone, no longer living on this earth; but you will live on - in the memories of your family and friends. There will always be a part of you living in those who knew you. You will live on because we remember you!
TOMMY EMERSON GIST - Air Force - MAJ - O4
Age: 34
Race: Caucasian
Date of Birth Oct 29, 1939
From: DURANT, OK
Religion: METHODIST
Marital Status: Married- Sara Gist Bernasconi.(Remarried) and two sons, Michael Gist and wife Stephanie of Flower Mound, TX, and Mark Gist and wife Jill of Pritchard, ID. Grandchildren: Mathew and Charles Gist of Austin, TX; Mitchell Allen Gist of Flower Mound, TX; Mason Franklin Gist of Flower Mound, TX; Whitney Gist Parks of Pryor, OK, and Spencer Cheyenne Gist of Pryor, OK. Parents: Father, Charles Harris Gist (1916 - 1983) and Mother, Viola Ann Emerson Gist (1918 - 1997). Older brother, John C. Gist (1937-2013).
***** Grief Copyright 1994 The Associated Press.
By GEORGE ESPER AP Special Correspondent
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) --
Sara Gist Bernasconi looked at her watch and remembered that chilling moment in time. At 4 p.m., 26 years ago Wednesday, her husband, Air Force Capt. Tommy Gist, was shot down and declared missing over North Vietnam.
At 4 p.m. on May 18, 1994, Mrs. Bernasconi stepped from a van and into a dilapidated, cramped, two-room home in Hanoi. She marked the solemn anniversary with a slight, gray-haired Vietnamese woman and her family over a bowl of noodles, the only thing they could afford.
Mrs. Bernasconi, 52, sat down to dinner with Tran Thi Tien, 55, whose husband has been missing in action since 1970. They shared their sorrow in a home not far from where U.S. bombs fell and American airmen were downed. "It's good that you come to visit Vietnam and you traveled a long distance," Mrs. Tien told Mrs. Bernasconi through an interpreter.
"Today is the anniversary of the shoot-down of my husband," Mrs. Bernasconi said. "How old were you when you met your husband?" "I was married in 1960 in my brother's house in Hanoi. I was 20. My husband went to the South in 1965. I was pregnant when my husband left." "I have two sons about the same age as your sons."
"Your husband's remains found?" "No." "The same with my husband," Mrs. Tien continued. "I only know he died in the South. We want to go find his remains but because of our economic difficulties we cannot go. Your husband died in Dong Hoi." "I don't know. He's missing." "Too many losses for the families. We've suffered too many losses." "Do you feel anger?" "We feel very sorry and we miss him." "We live a world apart and share so many of the same feelings."
Mrs. Bernasconi lives in Albuquerque, N.M., with her second husband, Louis Bernasconi, a former prisoner of war. She is on a weeklong visit to Vietnam with a delegation from the Vietnam Veterans of America, where she serves as co-chairwoman of the national POW-MIA Committee. One of Mrs. Tien's two sons reached into his wallet and presented Mrs. Bernasconi with a small sapphire stone. Her gift to them was some T-shirts inscribed Veterans Initiative. Earlier in the day, American veterans handed over battlefield souvenirs to the Vietnamese in an effort to help their families locate their own loved ones lost in the war.
Vietnamese veterans said they, too, would launch a movement to help gather information for American families. U.S. On the Vietnamese side, 300,000 soldiers are still unaccounted for.
For Mrs. Bernasconi and the veterans, the visit was a step toward healing the anguish of Vietnam. As she left Mrs. Tien's home, she asked if she could have a photo taken with her and her two sons. Mrs. Bernasconi held Mrs. Tien's hand. "Thank you for having us," she said.
***** Uncle Tommy, We love you and miss you and hope one day you will return home to us.
From his niece,
Kelly R. York-Irwin
***** Left for Sara's 2nd Husband upon his death.
I will always remember Louis Bernasconi as "Major," as that was his rank when I first met him. His love and care of the Gist family will never be forgotten. My favorite memory is my trip to Albuquerque when I went with him to help exercise the family's dog, a german shepherd named "Smokey." Major brought a frisbie for Smoke to retrieve. On the first toss, Major yelled,Go get it, Smokey!" The frisbie landed against a tree and Smokey then proceeded to hike his leg on the same tree. He filled the frisbee with pee and came happily back without it. "Oh, God..." was Major's response . The look on his face was priceless! I couldn't stop laughing....My condolences especially to Sara, Michael and Mark. God bless all of you and your beautiful families.
Cathy Brinck - Ft. Worth, TX - old friend Jul 25, 2010
His tour began on May 18, 1968
Casualty was on May 18, 1967
In , NORTH VIETNAM
Hostile, died while missing, FIXED WING - CREW
AIR LOSS, CRASH ON LAND
Name: Tommy Emerson Gist
Rank/Branch: Major/US Air Force
Unit: 14th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron
Udorn Airfield, Thailand
Date of Birth: 29 October 1939 (Pryor, OK)
Home of Record: Durant, OK
Date of Loss: 18 May 1968
Country of Loss: North Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 173300N 1063500E (XE720390)
Status in 1973: Missing in Action
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: RF4C "Phantom II"
Body was not recovered
Panel 62E - Line 22
Other Personnel In Incident: Terry J. Uyeyama (returned POW)
On 18 May 1968, Capt. Terry J. Uyeyama, pilot, and then Capt. Tommy E. Gist, navigator, comprised the crew of an RF4C, call sign "Vacuum," which was on a single aircraft day airborne alert photo reconnaissance mission over Quang Binh Province, North Vietnam.
Capt. Uyeyama radioed Hillsboro, the airborne command and control aircraft, requesting permission to run the first alternate target in their area of operation. Permission was granted.
Vacuum flight radioed Hillsboro with the report "success on the target." They were given permission by Hillsboro to contact Cricket, the ground control command center, who then assigned them an in-flight target. Further, Cricket advised Vacuums to contact Waterboy, the Forward Air Controller in the area, for flight heading to the new target. Even though they were given the radio frequency for the FAC, no direct contact was even made between them.
At 1520 hours, the last radio communication was made between Cricket and Vacuums flight. Prior to departing the area at the scheduled time of 1545 hours, Terry Uyeyama and Tommy Gist should have made radio contact again, however, that was not done.
At that time electronic and visual searches by the aircraft already on sight was initiated, but none were able to establish voice or beeper contact with either crewman. Likewise, no wreckage or crash site was discovered.
Because of the location of loss, no formal search and rescue operation was possible.
The last radio contact with Vacuum flight placed them 16 nautical miles west of Nakhon Phanom, Thailand, 6 nautical miles (approximately 7 kilometers) west-northwest of the major North Vietnamese port city of Dong Hoi, and 3 kilometers north-northwest of the town of Huu Chung.
Both Terry Uyeyama and Tommy Gist were listed Missing in Action.
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On 13 September 1969 the US government learned that Capt. Uyeyama was in fact a Prisoner of War and his status was changed accordingly. He returned to US control on 14 March 1973 during Operation Homecoming.
In his debriefing, Terry Uyeyama confirmed they were shot down by anti-aircraft artillery fire while flying at an altitude of 500 feet. After being hit, the cockpit filled with smoke and he temporarily went unconscious. Prior to going unconscious, Capt. Uyeyama discovered the intercom between his navigator and himself had been knocked out preventing him from communicating with Tommy Gist. When he halfway regained consciousness, he also regained control of the aircraft and was able to activate the ejection system as the aircraft began to pass over the coastline and out over the Gulf of Tonkin. While he was descending in his parachute, Terry Uyeyama knew the North Vietnamese were shooting at him. He also heard gunfire to the west of his position and thought they were also firing at Tommy Gist.
It took the North Vietnamese about 45 minutes to row out to capture Capt. Uyeyama. Once they pulled him into their small boat and removed his flight helmet, they were terribly surprised to see the face of a Japanese-American staring back at them.
Over the next 10 days, the Vietnamese moved Capt. Uyeyama north toward Hanoi. He sometimes was moved by truck, other times by foot, but was moved only at night. On the fifth day of captivity, a young Vietnamese who was guarding him drew a picture in the sand of an aircraft with two cockpits. He pointed to the front cockpit, then pointed to Terry. He then pointed to the back cockpit, then made a motion with his hand like a gun to his head. He then showed Capt. Uyeyama Tommy Gist's ID card. Terry grabbed the card out of the guard's hand to make sure it really belonged to his navigator. It was Tommy Gist's ID card.
That same ID card was turned over to a Joint Casualty Resolution Center (JCRC) delegation during a meeting in Hanoi 13-16 November 1985 with remarks that the American's "body burned up in the crash of the aircraft." Interestingly, this ID card, which was always carried in his flightsuit breast pocket, was returned in pristine condition indicating it could not possibly have been in a fire. This ID card was one of the first 19 pieces of material evidence provided by the Vietnamese government to our government on missing Americans.
Since the end of the war several reports have surfaced pertaining to the fate of Tommy Gist. It was reported to US intelligence that Capt. Gist in fact ejected his damaged aircraft, landed on the beach near the shoreline injured (believed to be a leg or back injury), that he required, and was given, medical treatment; then later moved to a POW camp located 30 miles southwest of Hanoi near Son Tay.
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