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This Sailor has an (IMO) In Memory Of Headstone in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA
Commander Doyle W. Lynn was a Navy Crusader pilot. Lynn was not a green pilot. He had participated in the early Yankee Team operations in central Laos in 1964. In the spring of 1964, Pathet Lao and North Vietnamese forces launched attacks against Neutralist forces on the Plain of Jars in Xiangkhoang Province, Laos. Air Force and Navy photoreconnaissance jets began gathering intelligence information in May 1964 in Laos, and the result was a number of photos showing the Plain of Jars bristling with newly installed anti-aircraft guns.
Ambassador Leonard Unger obtained approval from the Johnson Administration to release the fuses on previously delivered U.S. bombs, for use by the Royal Lao Air Force. Prince Souvanna Phouma also authorized the use of U.S. fighters to accompany the unarmed reconnaissance jets over Laotian
territory, and these missions became code-named Yankee Team.
CDR was at that time assigned to Fighter Squadron 111 and on June 7 flew an F8D as escort on a Yankee Team reconnaissance mission over central Laos. His aircraft was shot down that day, but fortunately, he was rescued the following day. The rescue operations of this period laid the groundwork for the most successful combat rescue missions in history. The following year, May 27, Lynn was still in combat. During a combat mission over Nghe An Province, North Vietnam near the city of Vinh, his aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire while he was in the target area and crashed. No parachute was seen, and little hope was held that Cdr. Lynn survived. He was listed Killed/Body Not Recovered.
Other Comments:
An Outstanding Crusader Pilot. POSTED ON 3/8/02 BY CDR VERN JUMPER USN, RET - VJUMPER2@COX.NET. I was CDR Bud Lynn's Landing Signal Officer aboard the USS Midway in 1965. The F8U Crusader, which he flew in VF-111, was a difficult jet to land aboard a carrier but he was one of the few that I ever saw that could make the Crusader appear to be "on rails" as he came aboard. He was an outstanding carrier pilot and Naval Officer.
He received 4 Distinguished Flying Crosses. Click on the ribbon bar above to see ther rest,
Name of Award
Distinguished Flying Cross
Devices
Gold Letter V
Awarded for distinguished actions in combat (valor)
Year Awarded
1965
Details behind Award:
Distinguished Flying Cross
Awarded posthumously for actions during the Vietnam War
The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting a Second Gold Star in lieu of a Third Award of the Distinguished Flying Cross (Posthumously) to Commander Doyle Wilmer Lynn, United States Navy, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight for leading a flight of four aircraft on an anti-aircraft suppression mission against the Vinh Railroad Yards, North Vietnam, on 27 May 1965. Commander Lynn initiated the Air Wing attack with his flight in the face of intense anti-aircraft fire. His aircraft received fatal damage on the first run, entered uncontrolled flight, and crashed within the target complex. Commander Lynn's leadership, courageous fighting spirit and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
General Orders: All Hands (September 1966)
Action Date: May 27, 1965
Service: Navy
Rank: Commander
Company: Fighter Squadron 111 (VF-111)
Division: U.S.S. Kitty Hawk (CVA-63)
Description Yankee Station was a point in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of Vietnam used by the U.S. Navy aircraft carriers of Task Force 77 to launch strikes in the Vietnam War. While its official designation was "Point Yankee," it was universally referred to as Yankee Station. Carriers conducting air operations at Yankee Station were said to be "on the line" and statistical summaries were based on days on the line. The name derived from it being the geographic reference point "Y", pronounced "Yankee" in the NATO phonetic alphabet. In turn the term Point Yankee derived from the launch point for "Yankee Team" aerial reconnaissance missions over Laos conducted in 1964. It was located about 190 km due east of Dong Hoi, at 17° 30' N and 108° 30' E.
During the two periods of sustained air operations against North Vietnam (March 2, 1965-October 31, 1968 and March 30, 1972-December 29, 1972) there were normally three carriers on the line, each conducting air operations for twelve hours, then off for twelve hours. One of the carriers would operate from noon to midnight, another from midnight to noon, and one during daylight hours, which gave 24-hour coverage plus additional effort during daylight hours, when sorties were most effective. However at the end of May, 1972, six carriers were for a short period of time on the line at Yankee Station conducting Linebacker strikes.
The first aircraft carrier at Yankee Station was USS Kitty Hawk, which was ordered there in April 1964 for the Yankee Team missions. Kitty Hawk was joined by Ticonderoga in May and Constellation in June, two months prior to the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. Ticonderoga and Constellation launched the first bombing missions from Yankee Station on August 5, 1964. Constellation was also the last carrier conducting operations at Yankee Station on August 15, 1973. USS Forrestal suffered a major accident while at Yankee Station when a series of fires and explosions on her deck killed 134 men and injured another 161.
A corresponding Dixie Station in the South China Sea off the Mekong Delta was a single carrier point for conducting strikes within South Vietnam from May 15, 1965 to August 3, 1966.
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
January / 1964
To Month/Year
December / 1965
Last Updated: Mar 16, 2020
Personal Memories
Memories Shot down, 7 June 1964: Cdr Doyle Wilmer Lynn, ejected, rescued following day by an Air America helicopter.
Shot down, 27 May 1965, MIA North Viet-Nam. Declared dead, Killed in Action.
