Harr, Charles R.

Charlie Harr flew the F-100 in Vietnam. “You’re supposed to stay 50 to 100 feet above the treetops, but sometimes you do a little gardening to make sure things happen right. In most cases you were doing a lot of good, you were actually saving people on the ground and you could see it.”

At one point in the Vietnam conflict, the enemy was so close that a ground commander told him to drop his bombs on his own troops. Charlie said, “If you just tell me just what side of you they’re coming from, I’m going to be well inside the rules, but I’m not going to hit you on this.” He recalls, “we’re dropping 500 lb bombs, 750 lb napalm cans and 20mm rounds. So you’re exposing yourself to ground fire, but you’re also down there where you can see what’s happening on the ground.”

Charlie saw a lot of heartbreak in Vietnam, losing many friends. He saw his friend Pete Moriarity shot down right in front of him. His combat experience prepared him for his role as Instructor Pilot after he left Vietnam.
(source: Excerpted from an interview with Channel 10 News in Knoxville, TN on July 12, 2018)