CHARLES  H.  FIELD

Major, USAF, Ret.

 

Who’s Who in the 18th

This biography  was first published in Status Report # 20, Aug. 2000

 

Text Box: Chuck Field 1997 Text Box: Lt. Field – Mar ‘51 Lt. Charles H. ‘Chuck’ Field was not actually a part  of the 18th Fighter Wing ... he ‘supported’ the fighter crews in a way that few others could possibly match.  Chuck Field regularly stuck his neck out ‘far above and beyond the call’  to pick crashed Mustang pilots from behind enemy lines and bring them safely back to friendly terrain.  His reporting command was 3rd Air Rescue Sq., but among his greatest admirers were the pilots of the 18th Fighter Wing.

Chuck Field’s rescue mission on 30 April 1951, managed to save the injured Lt. Piet Celliers, for which he was ultimately awar­ded the well-deserved Silver Star; it was just one of many saves ... two of which involved SAAF pilots, for which he earned the deep gratitude of  SAAF 2 Squadron members and all of the pilots of the 18th Fighter Wing.

Text Box: Headquarters, Far East Air Forces General Order 446 21 September 1951 I. AWARD OF THE SILVER STAR. By direction of the President, under the provisions of the Act of Congress, 9 July 1918 and pursuant authorities, the Silver Star for gallantry in action is awarded to the following officer: First Lieutenant CHARLES H. FIELD, Jr., AO1908319, USAF. Lt. Field distinguished himself by gallantry in action on 30 April 1951 as pilot of a highly vulnerable helicopter on a mission to rescue a South African Air Force flyer who had bailed out near Sinmak, Korea. Arriving in the area Lieut. Field located the pilot who was flashing a signal mirror near a hilltop. When he discovered that the man was wounded he let down immediately to prevent his capture by encircling enemy troops. As the helicopter landed, enemy forces who had remained concealed from the fighter cover, opened up with intense small arms fire. Although the aircraft was hit in the engine section, Lt. Field remained at the radio and directed fighters to neutralize enemy positions and to strafe enemy soldiers rushing his aircraft as the wounded pilot was assisted aboard. The enemy continued firing at the helicopter as Lt. Field took off and until he was several miles from the pick-up point. Although the aircraft was trailing smoke from a severed oil line and engine failure was threatened, Lt. Field flew safely back to friendly territory. Lieut. Field’s gallantry in risking his own life to save another was in keeping with the highest traditions of the service, and reflected great credit upon himself, the Far East Air Forces, and the United States Air Force. OFFICIAL - BY COMMAND OF GENERAL WEYLAND: : Fields made another  noteworthy rescue very soon after, on 11 May 1951, when he received word by radio from Major Jan Blaauw, flying  as wingman  for a down­­ed SAAF Mustang flown by Lt. Vernon Kruger.  Blaauw advised that he was so short of fuel that he would have to crash land near Kruger, and that there would be two pilots to be picked up.  Field told the him that the Chopper’s center of gravity would be too far off ... and asked Blaauw to collect about 40 pounds of rocks when he got down, which they could then use for ballast  on take off.

After his intentional belly-landing, he raced over and applied  first-aid to Kruger’s burned hands and a shoulder broken during bail-out, then, while sporadic sniper fire hit the area –Kruger was amazed to see  Blaauw  dashing from one place to another picking up a col­lection of rocks.  Kruger had been shocked to see Blaauw’s crash-landing, but thought the man had then completely ‘flipped’ and was planning to defend themselves by throwing rocks  at the approa­ching enemy soldiers!

For twenty minutes or so, U.S. fighters had con­tin­ued to patrol and strafe the surround­ing enemy troops, and finally, after what seemed an eternity, Field’s H-5 helicopter came ‘beating’ into sight and made a quick vertical ‘auto-rotation’ style landing close by.

Blaauw helped Kruger toward the chopper, where Field and his medical assistant, Corporal Spellman Patterson, of Olympia, WA, lifted them in, then as the Major started to toss rocks into the baggage area, Field said “Get aboard – they’re shooting at us.”  He added full power for a maximum, vertical take-off as several bullets hit the fuselage, and they quickly left the area.  Field landed at a US medical facility behind friendly lines, where Kruger was given further medical treatment, then flown to Chinhae the follow­ing day, and on to an Australian hospital in Hiroshima, Japan ... where he was to share a room with his friend, Piet Celliers, another of Chuck Field’s ‘saves’.

Text Box: H-5 Helicopter as used by 3ARS in Korea USAF H-5 helicopter of FEAF’s 3rd Air-Sea Rescue Sq. Major Blaauw mused for a long while about what the Chinese Communists must have thought the SAAF pilots intended to do with their  pile of rocks.

Text Box: Lt.Gen. Vernon Kruger & Chuck Field Cape Town, South Africa Sep ‘97 In September 1997, long after the Korean War, 18FWA assoc­iate member Chuck Field agreed to join the 18th FWA retiree group flying to Cape Town, South Africa to partici­pate in SAAF’s annual re­union.  Unknown to him, SAAF coor­din­­ator Lt. Colonel (Ret) Jan Bolitho and other vets from  2 Sqdn made sure that both Piet Celliers and Vernon Kruger planned to attend the reunion ... without informing them  that their 1951 rescuer would also be there.  The shocked look of surprise and joy on the faces of the three ‘ancient airmen’ was a sight to behold ... and a memory that the three will cherish for the rest of their days.

Who says that ancient macho fighter pilots can’t shed an involuntary tear, when face to face  with their rescuers...?   We saw it happen .. in Cape Town, in September 1997.