This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Shaun Thomas (Underdog), OSC
to remember
Sperling, David John (Silverstar)(ret), CAPT.
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Born at St. Ann’s Hospital; went from K-12 at Juneau schools graduating in 1947. Accepted at the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis and commissioned Ensign in 1952. One year in Destroyers. Flight training Florida and received my wings in 1954. Married Judy Perry in 1957. Had three children, Mike, Michelle, and Douglas. Flight instructor Pensacola 1957-60, career tail hook pilot; two combat tours Viet Nam, stationed with family in Europe/Mediterranean 1970-77; promoted to Captain in 1973; Naval Attache Egypt, 1980-83 (in the viewing stands with Judy when Saddat was killed). Retired in 1983 after 31 year commissioned service. Currently reside in Pensacola, Florida.
About Juneau: delivered Daily Alaska Empire papers while in grade school. Boy Scouts with civil defense at night following bombing of Dutch Harbor. Drove truck for Jack McDaniel’s White service. Worked in summer at Pelican Cold Storage with several high school classmates (Roy Gray, Denny Merritt and Bob Larsen). Forest Service summer trail crew Kenai Peninsula with Jack O’Connor and Bob Larsen. During winter months, helped grandparents with janitorial chores at the high school and Behrends Bank. Broke leg sliding down 9th Street hill (body cast 6-8 weeks), usurped sister’s room and became spoiled brat. Early summers a Halm country farm out-the-road complete with “2-holer.” Skiing on Douglas Island with what amounted to plain skis with a strap to insert foot held in place by rubber bands cut from inner tubes. Some deer hunting on the island without much luck, but hell on wheels shooting ducks on the flats outside of town. I often accompanied my Dad on his frequent inspection trips in SE Alaska. Always by air on chartered seaplanes from Shell Simmons (source of my love for flying I guess). High school? Nothing big, worked on school paper, on the basketball team, theater projectionist and ticket taker. First and only love was Shasta Hatten who moved to Port Angeles, Washington. My time in Juneau ended after my Dad’s death, except for the memorable 50th class reunion.
Other Comments:
Name of Award
Silver Star
Year Awarded
1967
Details behind Award:
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Commander David John Sperling (NSN: 0-555189), United States Navy, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action as the Pilot of a jet aircraft while attached to Attack Squadron ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-THREE (VA-153), embarked in U.S.S. CORAL SEA (CVA-43). On 25 October 1967, Commander Sperling flew as a major group leader in a coordinated Air Wing assault on the Phuc Yen Air Base near Hanoi, North Vietnam. Being the prime operating base for MiG fighter aircraft, Phuc Yen was defended by the most concentrated and formidable array of surface-to-air missiles, anti-aircraft artillery and automatic weapons to be found in all of North Vietnam. Courageously leading his group of attack aircraft over 120 miles of hostile territory into this bastion of defensive armor, Commander Sperling exhibited outstanding airmanship and unwavering determination while maneuvering for the highly vulnerable attack position. In spite of the unprecedented barrage of surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft fire, he calmly established the essential bombing pattern and delivered his ordnance with exceptional accuracy on the revetted enemy airplanes to destroy or damage several parked MiG aircraft. His resolute actions and professional skill set the tone for the remainder of his force and succeeded in turning a potentially disastrous situation into a highly successful assault on the enemy. Commander Sperling's gallant and inspirational leadership upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
Action Date: October 25, 1967
Service: Navy
Rank: Commander
Company: Attach Squadron 153
Division: U.S.S. Coral Sea (CVA-43)
Vietnam War/Tet Counteroffensive Campaign (68)/ Yankee Station, North Vietnam
From Month/Year
January / 1968
To Month/Year
April / 1968
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 / 1968
To Month/Year
April / 1968
Last Updated: Dec 22, 2023
Personal Memories
Memories On 7 February 1965, aircraft from Coral Sea, along with those from Ranger and Hancock, blasted the military barracks and staging areas near Dong Hoi in the southern sector of North Vietnam. The raids were in retaliation for a damaging Viet Cong attack on installations around Pleiku in South Vietnam. On 26 March, the Seventh Fleet units began their participation in Operation Rolling Thunder, a systematic bombing of military targets throughout North Vietnam.
