Ready to Be Sent Packing After an Incredible Tally
Karl kept flying missions into North Vietnam and Laos, many of which put him in the teeth of what has been described as the most intense air defense network ever created by man. Flying incredibly risky missions didn’t bother him though. Karl Richter completed his 200th mission and returned safely to Khorat in July of 1967. The Seventh Air Force was ready to send him packing. 200 missions. A MiG kill. Karl’s knowledge would have been a valuable asset were he able to share more of it with new pilots and crews coming in-country. The war, although nobody knew it at the time, still had a long way to go.
Already Wanting to Learn Yet Another Different Kind of Mission
But Karl was determined to fly a tour in North American F-100 Super Sabres and another tour as a FAC after that. When asked why, he would say that if he added those in-country tours to the experience he already had he would become the most qualified expert in the Air Force in the kind of air war being fought in Southeast Asia. Perhaps then he would have gone back to “the world” and passed along all that knowledge. But on July 28th 1967 Richter, then 24 years old, was flying over Route Package I (supposedly a relatively safe area) with a new pilot when Karl sighted a bridge. Karl told his wingman, along for his initial check ride, to orbit and observe.
The Final Mission
Karl rolled in on the bridge. An unseen AAA emplacement found the range quickly and hit Karl’s Thud hard. Richter initiated a climb to egress south of the DMZ but the F-105D just wasn’t going to make it back to Korat. His May Day call was received loud and clear. Forced to eject, Richter made it out of his stricken jet and was under a good chute when he disappeared under a low cloud deck. Karl’s beeper was operational and the Sandys and Jolly Greens that scrambled when his May Day call went out were on-scene quickly. The terrain into which Richter descended in his chute was rocky and as best as can be determined Karl W Richter was severely injured, breaking his neck, when he landed. Although the Jolly Green pulled him out he passed away on the way back to the hospital.
Richter’s Dedication Inevitably Led to Sacrifice
When First Lieutenant Karl Richter died he had flown 198 missions into North Vietnam- more than any other airman at the time. Karl was always willing to do the hard thing; the thing worth doing. He exemplified the kind of selfless dedication to his fellow airmen and comrades in arms that had become so rare during that time. Karl was posthumously awarded the 1969 Air Force Jabara Award for Airmanship. In 2005 he was named the Exemplar for the Air Force Academy Class of 2008, thereby joining some elite company. Other Academy Class Exemplars have included men like Jimmy Doolittle, Billy Mitchell, Lance Sijan, Dick Bong, Eddie Rickenbacker, George Patton, Tooey Spaatz, and Gus Grissom.
A Legacy Worthy of a Hero
Lieutenant Richter’s decorations and service awards include the Air Force Cross, Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross with three oak leaf clusters, Bronze Star, Air Medal with 21 oak leaf clusters, and the Purple Heart. A cafeteria located in Arnold Hall, the cadet social center at the Air Force Academy, is named in honor of Lieutenant Richter. The schools administration building in Karl’s hometown of Holly, Michigan was named after him. Statues of Karl Richter have been erected on the Mall of Heroes at the Air Force Academy and at Maxwell AFB in Alabama. At Maxell the statue is inscribed: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Here am I. Send me.” (Isaiah 6:8). No quotation could be more appropriate for First Lieutenant Karl Richter United States Air Force.
Air Force Cross Citation
On April 20, 1967, First Lieutenant Richter was awarded the Air Force Cross. His citation reads: “The President of the United States of America, authorized by Title 10, Section 8742, United States Code, awards the Air Force Cross to First Lieutenant Karl W. Richter for extraordinary heroism in military operations against an opposing armed force as the leader of a flight of F-105s on a mission over North Vietnam on 20 April 1967. The target, a very important railroad facility, was defended by several hundred antiaircraft artillery emplacement and SA-2 missiles. Lieutenant Richter’s mission was to destroy or limit fire from these defenses immediately before a strike on this facility by fighter bombers. Arriving over the approach to the target, he found clouds obscuring navigational references and increasing the danger from unobserved SAM launches. Despite weather conditions, Lieutenant Richter, with great professional skill and undaunted determination, led his flight through a barrage of missiles to the target. Braving the heavy concentrated fire of the antiaircraft artillery, he positioned his flight and attacked the defenses, causing heavy damage. As a result of his efforts, the fighter bombers of the main strike force encountered only limited defensive fire and destroyed this vital railroad facility. Through his extraordinary heroism, superb airmanship, and aggressiveness in the face of hostile forces, First Lieutenant Richter reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.”
Here’s a short video segment uploaded by Aviation Technology Space Channel about Thuds in Vietnam.
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