Former Vietnam enemies share reconciliation story

Hartford Courant: Former Vietnam enemies share reconciliation story
EAST HARTFORD, Conn.— On the morning of April 16, 1972, in the midst of the Vietnam War, U.S. Air Force Major Daniel Cherry awoke at the Royal Thai Air Force Base in Udorn, Thailand, ate breakfast, and was briefed on his daily mission.

Cherry, an F4-D Phantom pilot, was to be part of a group that was to escort B-52 bombers in a raid over North Vietnam.

About the same time, North Vietnamese Air Force Pilot First Class Nguyen Hong My, an MiG-21 pilot, was preparing to take off to intercept them after intelligence learned of the bombing raid.

When the B-52s were late arriving, Cherry's Phantoms were already in the sky approaching the target area. Because of the high fuel consumption rate of the F-4s, a decision was made to scrap the mission and go hunting for MiGs instead.

It was a decision that would have a significant impact on the lives of both Cherry and My.

Recently, at the Pratt & Whitney Hangar Museum, Cherry and My stood on the stage together and told their incredible tale of combat, survival, and reconciliation that brought two former enemies together, 36 years after it happened.

On that April day, it wasn't long before Cherry and My were locked in deadly aerial combat about 30 miles southwest of Hanoi, the capital of North Vietnam.

For four minutes, both of their planes looped, turned, dived, and did barrel rolls so each of them could maneuver into a position for a clear shot at the other.

My had evaded five air-to-air missiles that had been fired at him -- but his luck was about to run out.

"One of my radar-controlled missiles ripped into his MiG," Cherry said. "It tore his right wing off."

As My ejected from the cockpit, a malfunction in the suppression straps broke both of his arms and compressed three of his discs in his spine, he told the packed audience through a translator.

As My's parachute aimlessly drifted to earth, Cherry came to within a few hundred feet of him as he flew his Phantom back to Thailand.

"While Cherry was drinking champagne over his victory, I was lying in a jungle," My said. "The thing I feared the worst was a tiger jumping out and attacking me. I couldn't move my arms."

After six months in a hospital, My returned to flying but broke his arm again and had to be permanently grounded due to his injuries.

My retired as an insurance salesman in Vietnam after the war, married, and raised a family.

Cherry retired a brigadier general from the Air Force with a host of awards, including two Silver Star medals, two Legion of Merits, and 10 Distinguished Flying Crosses.

Fate, however, was about to intervene in both their lives.

While visiting the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, Cherry learned that his Phantom he flew that day was on display at a Veterans of Foreign Wars post outside of the city.

"It was a very emotional experience seeing my plane again," he said. "It was also very sad. There was grass growing all around her and she had suffered significant bird abuse."

Cherry knew it was his Phantom because of the number, 550, and the red star painted on the aircraft that represented the MiG he had shot down.

After working with the local VFW and the Air Force, Cherry was able to have the plane dismantled and brought back to Aviation Heritage Park, in his hometown of Bowling Green, Kentucky, for restoration.

The park pays tribute to the history of aircraft and her crews dating back to World War II, Cherry said.

While the Phantom was being restored, Cherry said he began to think about the fate of the pilot he had shot down on that April day.

Cherry began to investigate and finally wrote a letter to a female Vietnamese news anchor, who hosts a popular television show in Vietnam, explaining the situation.

To his surprise, two weeks later he received a response saying they had found My and invited Cherry to Vietnam to be on the program to talk about his experiences.

Cherry made the long trip to Vietnam and as he sat and explained to her what had transpired, My appeared from behind the curtain.

"I was very apprehensive, I didn't know what to expect," Cherry said. "As he approached me, he looked like a warrior. He shook my hand and said `I hope we can be friends."'

Since that initial meeting, My and Cherry's friendship has "blossomed." My has also visited the U.S. and even sat in the cockpit of the Phantom that shot him down that day.

Cherry wrote a book on his experiences titled "My Enemy, My Friend" with all proceeds going to Aviation Heritage Park.

"I want Vietnam veterans to move on and forget the past," Cherry said. "Ours is a message of reconciliation."