About this episode
Baron joins us to tell of a harrowing story of survival during his first tour in Vietnam. After an engine exploded mid-flight, shrapnel tore through the aircraft, leaving the crew struggling to maintain altitude. With one engine failing and the other insufficient to keep them airborne, they made an emergency landing at Camp Eagle, narrowly avoiding disaster. The episode then explores how this veteran’s career in aviation began in high school, leading to an unexpected detour with the Marine Corps, and his path to becoming a helicopter pilot. Hear a gripping first-hand account of pivotal moments, including his experiences flying heavy-lift and a mission that ended in disaster in the Iranian desert in April of 1980. A Famous Neighbor! Claude Akins