Family and Friends Recollections
The Live-saving CO2 Canister
This canister played a big part in Lyle’s (and by extension) the life of his family.
This story is told by son Paul on 9/5/2018, just days after the death and funeral of a noteworthy American Hero, John McCain. That the CO2 canister is under the pilot, and took the shrapnel, thus saving Lyle’s life is implicit in Paul’s telling:
A little more on John McCain and Lyle’s connection with October 26, 1967: It came up in casual conversation while on a visit maybe a year or two after he had given us a copy of his memoir. I think McCain had just made a trip back to Vietnam and the story was in the Tucson paper.
Years earlier mom went with a tour to Vietnam and Dad had no desire to join her - "last time I went there all they did was shoot at me!" or something to that effect. McCain I think had been back to Vietnam a few times - even meeting the guy that pulled him out of the lake when he crashed, essentially saving his life.
Anyway that’s when Dad said McCain got shot down the same day he took all the shrapnel in his plane and showed me his mount/plaque with the date on it as a reminder. Dad said his mission was at an airfield north of Hanoi (written out in his memoir) while McCain’s was right over Hanoi when he was shot down . The two were part of a joint (Air Force and Navy) mission to take out designated area targets. Dad was there to take pictures assessing damage from the day before in his RF-4 (from his Thailand base) and McCain in his carrier-based A-4 Skyhawk to take out specific targets on the day. Since it was day 2, the NV we re waiting this time. Have attached a picture of the plaque (date is on it - shrapnel is adhered in the top right corner) which hangs in my office.
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