Posted on Apr 1, 2022
Remembering LTJG Norman Elbert Wilkerson, KIA, EC-121 (Beggar Shadow)
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LTJG Norman Elbert Wilkerson
March 30, 1943 – April 15, 1969
Although the Salina Journal Newspaper listed LTjg Wilkerson’s position as a navigator, he served as Air Intelligence Officer, responsible for crew briefings prior to flight. Normally not part of the crew unless the plane was deployed to a forward location (e.g. Osan) where he would be responsible for pre-mission briefs.
March 30, 1943 – April 15, 1969
Although the Salina Journal Newspaper listed LTjg Wilkerson’s position as a navigator, he served as Air Intelligence Officer, responsible for crew briefings prior to flight. Normally not part of the crew unless the plane was deployed to a forward location (e.g. Osan) where he would be responsible for pre-mission briefs.
Remembering LTJG Norman Elbert Wilkerson, KIA, EC-121 (Beggar Shadow)
Posted from stationhypo.com
Cryptology
Intelligence
Flying
North Korea
Posted 2 y ago
Responses: 5
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel May he Rest in Peace.
..."PLAINVILLE – The North Korean Air Force’s attack on a U.S. plane over the Sea of Japan last Tuesday hit home hard for one family in this Rocks county community.
Mr. and Mrs. Merle E. Wilkerson were notified last week their son LT Norman Elbert Wilkerson, was a navigator aboard the EC121 prop-driven reconnaissance plane shot down by the North Korean.
Some wreckage and 2 bodies – neither of them Wilkerson’s – were all that were found after the craft and its 31 crew members plunged into the sea.
Mrs. Wilkerson said her son had written to her in his last letter, postmarked April 10, that he had just been changed to the EC121.
She said last Tuesday’s flight was only his second on the ill-fated plane
Before that his duties had been on jet reconnaissance flights out of Da Nang.
Given up Hope
Because the search for the crewmen has been called off, Mrs. Wilkerson said she and her family have given up hope of ever seeing Norman again.
In a paper, the family approves President Nixon’s action Saturday ordering battleships to the Sea of Japan to project future unarmed reconnaissance flights.
The Wilkerson’s only complaint is that the President did not go far enough.
“I would have retaliated.” said Mrs. Wilkerson, “I have no love for the North Koreans and I think they’ve gone far enough. That’s my husband’s view also.”
She added that she thought the search for the downed EC121 crewmen was called off too soon.
Of course I’m a mother and I would naturally,” she said.
Norman, 26 was a 1961 graduate of Plainville high school and received a business education degree from Fort Hays State college in 1966
He entered Naval officers’ training the same year and was in the top 5 of his graduating class in navigation school at Pensacola, Florida, where he met and married Paula Jones, 25."...
..."PLAINVILLE – The North Korean Air Force’s attack on a U.S. plane over the Sea of Japan last Tuesday hit home hard for one family in this Rocks county community.
Mr. and Mrs. Merle E. Wilkerson were notified last week their son LT Norman Elbert Wilkerson, was a navigator aboard the EC121 prop-driven reconnaissance plane shot down by the North Korean.
Some wreckage and 2 bodies – neither of them Wilkerson’s – were all that were found after the craft and its 31 crew members plunged into the sea.
Mrs. Wilkerson said her son had written to her in his last letter, postmarked April 10, that he had just been changed to the EC121.
She said last Tuesday’s flight was only his second on the ill-fated plane
Before that his duties had been on jet reconnaissance flights out of Da Nang.
Given up Hope
Because the search for the crewmen has been called off, Mrs. Wilkerson said she and her family have given up hope of ever seeing Norman again.
In a paper, the family approves President Nixon’s action Saturday ordering battleships to the Sea of Japan to project future unarmed reconnaissance flights.
The Wilkerson’s only complaint is that the President did not go far enough.
“I would have retaliated.” said Mrs. Wilkerson, “I have no love for the North Koreans and I think they’ve gone far enough. That’s my husband’s view also.”
She added that she thought the search for the downed EC121 crewmen was called off too soon.
Of course I’m a mother and I would naturally,” she said.
Norman, 26 was a 1961 graduate of Plainville high school and received a business education degree from Fort Hays State college in 1966
He entered Naval officers’ training the same year and was in the top 5 of his graduating class in navigation school at Pensacola, Florida, where he met and married Paula Jones, 25."...
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This was the entire crew:
LCDR James Howard Overstreet 1310 Electronic Warfare Aircraft Commander
LT Peter Philip Perrottet 1315 Copilot
LTjg Joseph Richard Ribar* 1315 Copilot
AEC LaVerne Albert Greiner Flight Engineer
ADRC Marshall Harry McNamara Flight Engineer
ADR1 Ballard Franklin Connors, Jr. Flight Engineer
LTjg Robert Joseph Sykora 1325 Navigator
LTjg Norman Elbert Wilkerson 1355 Navigator
ATN3 David Monroe Willis Radio Operator
CTO2 Steven Joseph Tesmer Secure Communicator
LT John Halleck Singer 1325 Senior Evaluator (SEVAL)
LT Dennis Baird Gleason 1325 Evaluator
LT John Dzema 6802 Evaluator
LT Robert Frank Taylor 1100 Communications Evaluator (COMEVAL)
AT1 Bernie Joel Colgin Airborne Electronics Supervisor (AES)
AT1 Richard Edson Sweeney, Jr.* EW Operator (EWOP)
AT1 Stephen Curtis Chartier EW Operator (EWOP)
ATR2 Dennis Joseph Horrigan EW Operator (EWOP)
AT1 James Leroy Roach Radar Operator
ATR2 Timothy Harlan McNeil Radar Operator
ATR3 Gene Kenneth Graham Radar Operator
ATN2 Richard Henry Kincaid Crew Leader
ADR2 Louis Francis Balderman Mech
AN Richard Thomas Prindle Plane Captain
CTIC Frederick Arthur Randall Russian Linguist
CTIC Richard Earl Smith Chinese or Korean Linguist
CTI1 John Howard Potts Korean Linguist
SSGT Hugh Michael Lynch Korean Linguist
CTI3 Philip David Sundby Korean Linguist
CTR3 John Alexander Miller, III Morse Operator
CTR3 Gary Ray DuCharme Morse Operator
LCDR James Howard Overstreet 1310 Electronic Warfare Aircraft Commander
LT Peter Philip Perrottet 1315 Copilot
LTjg Joseph Richard Ribar* 1315 Copilot
AEC LaVerne Albert Greiner Flight Engineer
ADRC Marshall Harry McNamara Flight Engineer
ADR1 Ballard Franklin Connors, Jr. Flight Engineer
LTjg Robert Joseph Sykora 1325 Navigator
LTjg Norman Elbert Wilkerson 1355 Navigator
ATN3 David Monroe Willis Radio Operator
CTO2 Steven Joseph Tesmer Secure Communicator
LT John Halleck Singer 1325 Senior Evaluator (SEVAL)
LT Dennis Baird Gleason 1325 Evaluator
LT John Dzema 6802 Evaluator
LT Robert Frank Taylor 1100 Communications Evaluator (COMEVAL)
AT1 Bernie Joel Colgin Airborne Electronics Supervisor (AES)
AT1 Richard Edson Sweeney, Jr.* EW Operator (EWOP)
AT1 Stephen Curtis Chartier EW Operator (EWOP)
ATR2 Dennis Joseph Horrigan EW Operator (EWOP)
AT1 James Leroy Roach Radar Operator
ATR2 Timothy Harlan McNeil Radar Operator
ATR3 Gene Kenneth Graham Radar Operator
ATN2 Richard Henry Kincaid Crew Leader
ADR2 Louis Francis Balderman Mech
AN Richard Thomas Prindle Plane Captain
CTIC Frederick Arthur Randall Russian Linguist
CTIC Richard Earl Smith Chinese or Korean Linguist
CTI1 John Howard Potts Korean Linguist
SSGT Hugh Michael Lynch Korean Linguist
CTI3 Philip David Sundby Korean Linguist
CTR3 John Alexander Miller, III Morse Operator
CTR3 Gary Ray DuCharme Morse Operator
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