Today in History – July 22, 1968 – 1Lt Lynn Arthur Hoffman’s F-100 is hit by lightning and crashes. He is KIA.

July 22, 1968 – 1Lt Lynn Arthur Hoffman was born on February 21, 1943. He lived in Sewickley, PA, and entered the USAF via the Reserves.

“Lynn, a happy-go-lucky jock from Pennsylvania’s Slippery Rock College with a hound named John the Basset, returned to his base on a stormy night in July after weather aborted his mission. Two miles of wet runway weren’t enough to stop an F-100 landing at 160 knots with all its bombs still on board. He ran off the end, flipped over, and slid through the minefield at the perimeter fence, setting off a gruesome sound and light show…” (1)

Lynn is interred at Mount Nebo United Presbyterian Cemetery – Sewickley, Pennsylvania. His name can be found at the Vietnam Wall of Honor Coordinates 51W 032.

Source: J.D. Wetterling, ‘Still the Noblest Calling, The Wall Street Journal 1996, posted on http://www.freerepublic.com May 27, 2002.

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