RFT 028: Combat Rescue Pilot Brigadier General Dale Stovall

Dale Stovall was an All-American athlete at the United States Air Force Academy and, after Undergraduate Pilot Training, flew the C-141. When he was drafted into helicopter operations, he thought it was worst thing that could have happened to him. Then, after a stateside assignment, he was assigned to Southeast Asia as combat rescue helicopter aircraft commander. Dale conducted 12 combat rescues, many in North Vietnam, and was the pilot on June 2, 1972 on the most famous rescue mission of the Vietnam War: the rescue of Roger Locher.In this podcast, you will hear a mesmerizing account of what it was like to be flying a low, slow helicopter and be attacked by enemy MiG aircraft. What it was like to fly a totally unauthorized maneuver to avoid being shot down. What it was like to forever impact the lives of twelve fellow airmen and their families.Dale retired as a Brigadier General and followed his military service with a career as a pilot for FEDEX.