Name: Tommy Leon Callies
Rank/Branch: O3/US Air Force
Unit:
Date of Birth: 31 May 1943
Home City of Record: Howard SD
Date of Loss: 01 August 1969
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 145936N 1082847E (BS281589)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 2
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: F4E
Other Personnel In Incident:
Douglas G. Burd (missing)
Source:
Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 June 1990 from one or more of the
following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with
POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews.
REMARKS:
SYNOPSIS:
On August 1, 1969, just four years after he graduated from the Air
Force Academy, Capt. Tommy Callies found himself in the Vietnam war as the pilot
of an F4E Phantom fighter/bomber jet. On this day, 1LT Douglas Burd was his
back-seater, having charge of navigation and bombing. It was Callies' dream to
become a career pilot, and he and Burd were flying one of the most exciting
aircraft of the time.
The Phantom, used by Air Force, Marine and Navy air wings, served a multitude of functions including fighter-bomber and interceptor, photo and electronic surveillance. The two man aircraft was extremely fast (Mach 2), and had a long range (900 - 2300 miles, depending on stores and mission type). The F4 was also extremely maneuverable and handled well at low and high altitudes. The F4 was selected for a number of state-of-the-art electronics conversions, which improved radar intercept and computer bombing capabilities enormously. Most pilots considered it one of the "hottest" planes around. It was equipped with Skyspot radar, which helped ground radar track the plane.
When the Phantom flown by Callies was in Quang Ngai Province, South Vietnam, just about 25 miles southwest of the city of Quang Ngai, the Skyspot was put to test. The plane was shot down.
Observers feel that Tommy Callies and Doug Burd died in the crash of their plane, and circumstances surrounding the area of crash indicate a very good chance the enemy knew what happened to them. The two are on the rolls of the missing because their bodies are in enemy hands.
For the nearly 2400 other Americans unaccounted for, simple explanations are not so easy. Experts now believe that hundreds of Americans are still alive, held captive by a long-ago enemy. While Callies and Burd are not, evidently, among this number, one can imagine their willingness to fly one more mission for their missing comrades. Why have 15 years gone by without our bringing these men home?
