The Rescue of Streetcar 304: A Navy Pilot’s Forty Hours on the Run in Laos

Author(s): Kenny Wayne Fields

Location(s): Laos

Genre(s): Nonfiction

Era(s): 1968

On 31 May 1968, Lt. Kenny Fields catapulted off USS America in his A-7 for his first combat mission. His target was in Laos, which at the time was officially off limits for US attacks. What the planners did not know was that Fields and his wingman were en route to a massive concentration of AAA gun sites amidst an entire North Vietnamese division. Fields, who used the call sign Streetcar 304 , was the first to roll in, and he destroyed his target with a direct hit. Three AAA guns began to fire, but, following his wingman, he rolled in again. This time many more AAA guns opened up fire and Fields was shot down. The Rescue of Streetcar 304 is Fields’ exhilarating narrative of the 40-hour ordeal that followed, and what turned out to be one of the largest air rescues of the Vietnam War. Fields recounts close encounters with Phatet Lao guerillas, and nearly being killed time and again by friendly bombs. He describes in riveting detail the radio chatter between participants, and the stress effects of coping with fear, no food, the jungle heat, wild animals and sleep deprivation. Before it was over, the US Air Force had flown 189 sorties to rescue Fields and in the process, four pilots had ejected, seven planes were lost or heavily damaged, and one pilot became a POW for five years. Fields draws on Air Force radio logs, after-action reports and extensive interviews with all participants including the wives at home to tell the story from all perspectives. The result is a gripping tale of courage and brotherhood on both battlefield and home front.

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