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Steven Loomis (SaigonShipyard), IC3
to remember
Egnor, Russell Darrell (Russ), JOCS USN(Ret).
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Contact Info
Home Town Glen White, W.Va., and Detroit, MI.
Last Address A memorial service was held June 25 at the Post Chapel, Fort Myer, followed by interment at Arlington National Cemetery.
Date of Passing Jun 17, 1997
Location of Interment Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia
JOSC RUSSELL DARRELL EGNOR
USN AND USNR, KOREA AND VIET-NAM
Russell D. Egnor, 60, director of the Navy's news photo division, a Manassas resident and a retired Navy Reserve senior chief journalist, died of leukemia June 17 at Fairfax Hospital.
Mr. Egnor reported the story of Navy operations around the world in words and pictures for more than 43 years.
He was born in Glen White, W.Va., and grew up in Detroit. He enlisted in the Navy in 1954 at age 17. He served on active duty as a Navy journalist for 15 years.
While assigned to the news and news photo divisions at the Pentagon, he was on board the first world cruise by nuclear-powered surface ships - the USS Enterprise, USS Bainbridge and USS Long Beach - and prepared features and hometown articles for the historic naval operation.
In the late 1960s, Mr. Egnor received advanced training at the Syracuse University School of Journalism and served as a photojournalist with the Pacific Fleet Combat Camera Group. He spent six weeks in Seoul and Panmunjom covering negotiations for the release of the USS Pueblo and her crew from North Korean captivity.
In 1969 he joined the Navy Reserve, serving with public-affairs units. He retired as a senior chief journalist after more than 34 years of active and reserve naval service.
Mr. Egnor then began a civilian Navy career in Washington, serving in various public-affairs offices. He was recently recognized for his contributions to military photojournalism around the world with a National Citation of Excellence from the National Press Photographers Association.
His military decorations include the Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy Commendation and Achievement Medals, Combat Action Ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for Korean Service (USS Pueblo*) Good Conduct Medal with three stars, Naval Reserve Meritorious Service Medal with one star, Vietnam Campaign Medal with three stars and RVN Service Medal Gallantry Cross and Civil Actions Unit Awards.
*USS Pueblo: In 1968, the AFEM was awarded for Naval operations in defense of the USS Pueblo, which was seized by North Korea, as well as for Korean Service. Egnor spent six weeks in Seoul and Panmunjom covering negotiations for the release of the USS Pueblo and her crew from North Korean captivity.
It was noted in his civilian performance evaluation, "Mr. Egnor's ability to make decisions without hesitation makes his one of the most independent and functional divisions in this command. His leadership skills contributes directly to the Navy being on the cutting edge of electronic digital photography."
A memorial service was held June 25 at the Post Chapel, Fort Myer, followed by interment at Arlington National Cemetery. A graveside award was given to JOSC Egnor's mother: The Secretary of the Navy's Distinguished Civilian Service Award was presented to his mother. Yet another testimony to Russ' treasured service to the Navy.
In an award he was to receive from the prestigious National Press Photographers Association in July (1997), Russ was being recognized for: "Leading the way in military digital imaging with the establishment of a worldwide network of Navy photographers based on ships at sea and naval stations capable of receiving images from major military operations 24 hours a day through a vast computer network for instant release."
Other Comments:
JOSC RUSSELL DARRELL EGNOR namesake:
The Russell Egnor Navy Media Awards
– formerly the CHINFO Awards –
The program promotes excellence in Navy journalism, photography, videography and graphic arts among Navy commands and their Public Affairs and Visual Information (PA/VI) specialists, and recognizes outstanding achievement in Navy media products.
JOSC Russ Egnor was a member of the United States Navy League, Fleet Reserve Association, U.S. Naval Institute, Association of Naval Aviation, U.S. Navy Public Affairs Association (USNPAA), and a charter member of the Association of Naval Photography (NANP).
Vietnam War/Counteroffensive Phase IV Campaign (68)
From Month/Year
April / 1968
To Month/Year
June / 1968
Description This Campaign period was from 2 April to 30 June 1968. The Naval air and gun fire support to operations such as Operation Silver Mace gave ground units the needed firepower while AirForce units were moved to air operations over Laos, Cambodia and North Vietnam. From 7 to 18 April, ground, air, and naval units from each of the American services, the Vietnamese Navy, and the Vietnamese Marine Corps conducted Silver Mace II, a strike operation in the Nam Can Forest on Ca Mau Peninsula. The enemy avoided heavy contact with the allied force, but his logistical system was disrupted.
Enemy air defenses caused aviators more concern for by 1968 the Communists had developed a defensive system that was well-armed, coordinated, and supported. On the ground throughout North Vietnam, South Vietnam, and Laos, the enemy trained skyward thousands of small arms, automatic weapons, and antiaircraft artillery. North Vietnam alone contained 8,000 weapons of many calibers, concentrated around key targets. Beginning in early 1965, surface-to-air missiles (SAM) were added to this defensive arsenal, and by early 1968 over 300 SAM sites dotted the North Vietnamese countryside. The entire defensive system was tied together with a sophisticated network of communications, air alert stations, and early warning, ground control-interceptor, and fire control radars. New and replacement weapons and ammunition were amply supplied by sympathetic Communist countries. The loss in Southeast Asia of 421 fixed-wing aircraft from 1965 to 1968 attested to the strength of these defenses. The aviators killed, missing, or made prisoner totaled 450. The operating environment was especially dangerous in North Vietnam, where 382 Navy planes were shot down, 58 of them by SAMs.
Although only accounting for eight of the Navy's aircraft during this three-year period, the North Vietnamese air units posed a constant threat to U.S. operations, thus requiring a diversion of vital resources for protection. The enemy air force varied from 25 to 100 MiG-15, MiG-17, MiG-19, and MiG-21 jet fighters. The country's jet-capable airfields included Gia Lam, Phuc Yen, Cat Bi, Kep, Kien An, Yen Bai, Son Tay, Bai Thuong, Hoa Lac, and Vinh. The U.S. Navy engaged in its first air-to-air encounter of the war on 3 April 1965, when several MiG-15s unsuccessfully attacked a flight of F-8 Crusaders near Thanh Hoa. On 17 June, two Midway F-4 Phantoms registered the first kills in the long conflict when they downed two MiG-17s south of Hanoi.
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
April / 1968
To Month/Year
June / 1968
Last Updated: Mar 16, 2020
Personal Memories
Memories PHOTO: February 1968 - Saigon, Vietnam -- Vietnamese children watch as Journalist 1st Class (JO1) Russell D. Egnor of Pacific Fleet Combat Camera Group (PFCCG) relaxes in front of a villa on Phan Dinh Phung Street with a monkey that was captured from a Viet Cong village in the Mekong Delta. (Official U.S. Navy Photo by PHC V.O. McColley/ Released)