This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Joe Johnston, RM2
to remember
Bartocci, John Eugene, LCDR.
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John Bartocci had a bright future when he graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1958. He was married the same year and began a family. His and Barbara's marriage was right out of a storybook. Barbara later said it was a "happy-ever-after dream."
John's Navy career moved the family from base to base until he was ultimately sent to Vietnam. In Vietnam, Bartocci flew the Vought F8 "Crusader". The Crusader was used exclusively by the Navy and Marine air wings and represented half or more of the carrier fighters in the Gulf of Tonkin during the first four years of the war. The aircraft was credited with nearly 53% of MiG kills in Vietnam.
LCDR John E. Bartocci perished while attempting to land aboard the USS Hancock (CVA-19) of the coast of Vietnam, 31 August 1968. Flying the F-8H (tail no. 147897), assigned to VF-24, his aircraft struck the aft ramp, broke into two pieces, and exploded.His body was never recovered.
Other Comments:
Has 2 Memorial Headstones. One at Ft Rosecrans in San Diego CA and on in Arlington National Cemetery.
Vietnam War/Counteroffensive Phase V Campaign (68)
From Month/Year
July / 1968
To Month/Year
November / 1968
Description This campaign was from 1 July to 1 November 1968. During this period a country-wide effort was begun to restore government control of territory lost to the enemy since the Tet offensive. The enemy attempted another such offensive on 17-18 August but his efforts were comparatively feeble and were quickly overwhelmed by Allied forces.
In the fall of 1968 the South Vietnamese government, with major U.S. support, launched an accelerated pacification campaign. All friendly forces were coordinated and brought to bear on the enemy in every tactical area of operation. In these intensified operations, friendly units first secured a target area, then Vietnamese government units, regional forces/popular forces, police and civil authorities screened the inhabitants, seeking members of the Viet Cong infrastructure. This technique was so successful against the political apparatus that it became the basis for subsequent friendly operations. Government influence expanded into areas of the countryside previously dominated by the Viet Cong to such an extent that two years later at least some measure of government control was evident in all but a few remote regions.