July 25, 1966 – Capt J.G. Farrell was flying out of Phan Rang while serving with the 366TFW. On a mission over SVN, Panther 1’s F-100 #553739 was hit in the fuselage by automatic weapons. Farrell ejected and was rescued by an Army Helo. He sustained minor injuries.
On July 25, 1968, Capt Joseph Andre L’Huillier was flying F-100 #541912 as “Fuzzy 1” with the 136th TFS out of Tuy Hoa AB, Vietnam.
“The 136th suffered its first combat loss on 25 July 1968 when Captain Joseph A. L’Huillier was fatally injured after he ejected from his disabled aircraft west of Chu Lai. Immediately after a high angle dive bomb delivery, Captain L’Huillier’s aircraft was believed to have been hit by ground fire. Captain L’Huillier relayed that his aircraft controls were failing and then pulled up into a cloud deck and ejected. No one observed his ejection but his parachute was spotted on the ground a short while later. A rescue helicopter picked him up within 30 minutes but he died before he could be hospitalized. His fatal injuries were probably incurred upon ejection or landing, with improver chute opening or seat involvement suspected.”(1)
Joseph Andre L’Huillier is buried or memorialized at Arlington National Cemetery. This is a National American Cemetery administered through the Department of the Army.
Joseph is honored on the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial in Washington DC. Name inscribed at VVM Wall, Panel 50w, Line 7. (2)
(1) Source: AU/ACSC/08-8361/AY06, Air Command and Staff College, Air University, Forgotten Heroes – U.S. ANG Fighter Squadrons of Vietnam by Joseph B. Speed, Major, USAF, A Research Report Submitted to the Faculty In Partial Fulfillment of the Graduation Requirements, Instructor: Dr. Michael E. Weaver, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, April 2006, https://www.afresearch.org.
(2) HonorStates.org