While on a combat patrol in Four Corps South Vietnam we attacked our assigned area. It was known for it`s many automatic weapons. On this night all of them were there !  I was the visual navigator riding in the nose section. Jim Britts and James Jones were the ATS. Al Doggett was the tailgunner . This was the back end crew.

On our first pass we got a lot of ground fire but it was mostly small arns. Between passes we viewed our films to see what was damaged and what to look for on the next pass. When we came in on our second pass they were ready for us ! We received more small arm fire and a lot of larger stuff !  From the nose cone it looked like the whole area was lite up with tracers ! I could see forward, sidewards and by looking under the plane, I could see behind us.

I called out the larger stuff to the tail gunner. I could see he only fired a few rounds on this pass. The tail gunner discourages the big guns from firing. Their tracers give their positions away and he eats them up with the twin twenty millimeter cannons !

The reason the tail guns were not firing is that they were jammed ! Because of the danger of a jam the 20mm canons are only cleared on the ground in daylight. We needed those guns badly ! Al charged the right gun and it exploded in the chamber. Again he recharged the gun and again it exploded ! Al again recharged the gun and again it exploded ! On the fourth try he got a shell in the chamber. Then he recharged the left gun. It exploded on the first and second try ! On the third try he had the guns firing again.

On our third pass there was more tracers than I saw at anytime in my tour in Vietnam ! When I called out the large gun positions, Al Doggett would shut them down ! This was the first flight where all amunition for the tail guns was expended. After that third pass we went feet wet out over the ocean. Lights were turned on and we inspected the plane for damage. Al came out of the tail gun with his flight suit charred and smoking ! He had been burned and nicked with shell fragments ! His helmet and face shield had protected his face. His hands and arms looked like Hell ! Our trip back to CRB was uneventful. Thanks to Al Doggett we didn`t take too many hits that night ! That flight was one of the harriest of my time in Vietnam. For his actions that night Al Doggett was recommended for and received a Bronze Star. - Story submitted by ADR1 S. Sam Gore, Plane Captain Crew 1.