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[Page S7154]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO LIEUTENANT COLONEL ALLEN LAMB
Mr. TILLIS. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to Lt.
Col. Allen Lamb, a retired Air Force pilot from the great State of
North Carolina, for his many years of service to his country as a
combat pilot and the important role he played in the development of
U.S. Air Force tactics.
Lt. Col. Allen Lamb selflessly dedicated 20 years of his life to
serving his country in the United States Air Force. During his service,
he saw combat during both the Korean war and Vietnam war, while
piloting a variety of aircraing from propeller-driven heavy bombers to
the most advanced jet fighters of the era. Lieutenant Colonel Lamb had
an uncanny ability of surviving the mid-air accidents that occurred on
a few of the many combat and training missions that he participated in,
and he is notable for successfully ejecting from four-engine, three-
engine, and two-engine airplanes at different points during his career.
From protecting his B-26 bomber as a tail gunner from Soviet MIG pilots
over Korea, to being distinguished as the first American pilot to
successfully destroy North Vietnamese surface to air missile--SAM--
sites in an F-100 Super Sabre fighter jet, Lieutenant Colonel Lamb's
Cold War service consisted of many hazardous and diverse assignments.
Although it is difficult to narrow all of the spectacular and death-
defying accomplishments of Lieutenant Colonel Lamb's career down to one
specific achievement, his participation in the first ``Wild Weasel''
strike against a North Vietnamese SA-2 SAM site is particularly notable
for the significant influence it had on future Air Force tactics. In
1965, early in the Vietnam War, the U.S. Air Force was losing a
considerable number of planes during the strategic bombing campaign in
North Vietnam due to the effectiveness of deadly Soviet-supplied SA-2
SAMs that were strategically scattered throughout the country. As a
result, the Air Force developed a daring solution to counter the SAM
threat that involved using agile F-100 Super Sabre and F-4 Phantom
fighter jets to detect and suppress the missile launching sites. The
innovative Air Force mission'' was soon given the name ``Wild Weasel''
because the anti-SAM mission was reminiscent of the way a hunting
ferret enters the den of its prey to kill it.
In late 1965, Lieutenant Colonel Lamb was given command of leading
the first Wild Weasel mission, Wild Weasel I. On this mission, which
took place just over 50 kilometers from the North Vietnamese capital
Hanoi, Lieutenant Colonel Lamb and his navigator Jack Donovan flew
extremely low on multiple strafing runs and were successful in
destroying a SA-2 SAM site that was not previously known to exist. Both
men were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross by the Air Force for
their efforts. Lieutenant Colonel Lamb respectfully declined receiving
the Silver Star award when he was offered it because his crewman Jack
Donovan was not also included. Wild Weasel I demonstrated that the Wild
Weasel project was an effective method of identifying and eliminating
enemy SAM capabilities, and it was essential in saving the lives of
American bomber pilots as they continued to conduct missions over North
Vietnam until 1973. Lieutenant Colonel Lamb completed the first,
second, and third Wild Weasel kills during the war, and the tactics he
was instrumental in developing during the Wild Weasel missions are
still utilized in modern Air Force operations to suppress enemy air
defenses.
As a U.S. Senator, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee,
and a North Carolinian, I am pleased to recognize and honor Lt. Col.
Allen Lamb for his impressive career of military service, his critical
role in the development of U.S. Air Force tactics, and his steadfast
commitment to our country.
____________________
