|
Date of Birth: October 3, 1938
Killed in Action: October 8, 1966
Home Town: Lawrenceburg, Tennessee
Aircraft Carrier: USS Oriskany CVA-34
Squadron: VA 152
Aircraft: Douglas A-1H Skyraider
Click for more details about Jack
Jack (between his mother Margaret and his brother Larry in the picture on the right) was born October 3, 1938 in the small
town (population 3,000) of Lawrenceburg located in southern middle Tennessee. He was the second child in a family of four
boys and two girls. He spent his pre-school years moving from place to place across the south as his dad worked as a brick
mason building residential and commercial buildings.
At about two years of age he fell out of the second story
window of the house where he lived. Fortunately, he fell onto a roof and rolled into a bush suffering only bruises.
His Dad helped build Reynolds Aluminum plant in Sheffield Alabama about 1940 and when the plant opened he was employed
as a brick mason working on the maintenance of the brick-lined furnaces. Soon he was promoted to Foreman over that area where
he spent the rest of his working career, commuting back and forth daily forty-five miles to Lawrenceburg. He passed
away in December of 1987 and Jack's mother passed away in May of 2001.
Life in Lawrenceburg during the early forties was a lot like living in Mayberry. Most houses were heated with wood stoves.
Just outside town few houses had electricity or running water. The public square had two hitching yards behind the stores
where horses and wagons could be left while shopping. There were several blacksmith shops in town with one just down the
street from Jack's home. And there was a war going on.
Every Saturday Larry and Jack would go to the cowboy movie
at the Princess Theater on the square. Before the movie the newsreels gave reports on the progress of the war. There were
lots of pictures of fighter planes in action. Every kid who watched these newsreels wanted to be a fighter pilot.
Jack attended Sacred Heart School for grades one through eight, walking to school with his brother Larry every day. It was
a three room school, with three Sisters of Mercy teachers. He took his turns as an altar boy at the Catholic church next
door.
He and Larry joined the Cub Scouts as soon as old enough and remained members of the Scouts through high
school. In addition to caving, camping, swimming, and all the things Scouts do, Jack was active in organized sports. When
he moved on to Lawrence County High School in 1952 he was on the baseball team and the football team. In October of 1955
he broke his arm in a football game at Columbia.
While in high school Jack and several friends traveled by rowboats
down Shoal Creek from Lawrenceburg to the Tennessee River near Sheffield Alabama. Jack and other friends also traveled over
a thousand miles by bicycle across several southern states
On graduating from high school in 1956 Jack entered Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville Tennessee majoring in Engineering.
After one year, he went on active duty in the Naval Reserves and attended boot camp at Bainbridge Maryland. After finishing
boot camp he applied for and was accepted for the Naval Aviation Cadet program. While waiting for the next class to begin,
Jack was stationed at Willow Grove Naval Air Station north of Philadelphia where he met and married Susanne Culligan.
.
Left to right. Larry Feldhaus, Jack's wife, Suzanne Colligan Feldhaus, Frank Feldhaus, Kim Holthouse
(cousin), Jack Feldhaus, B.G. "Pop" Holthouse (grandfather), Bob Holthouse (uncle).
Jack and Susanne went to Pensacola Florida where Jack learned to fly while Suzanne lived off base because marriage wasn't
permitted for cadets. Following graduation and receiving his wings, Jack was assigned to VA-122, a Pacific Fleet Training
Squadron at NAS North Island in San Diego. There he flew Skyraiders on bombing, rocket, and gunnery
missions from Brown Field (south of San Diego), NAS El Centro and MCAS Yuma.
Click here to view the histor of VA-122
Following requalification for carrier landings on board the USS Oriskany CVA-34 in the first week of March 1960
Jack was transferred to VA-25 at Mofitt Field near San Francisco, still flying Skyraiders. He was on WesPac cruises aboard
the USS Midway CVG-2 from February 16 to September 28, 1961 and from April 6 to October 20, 1962.
When his tour of duty was up, Jack had to make a decision. Should he leave the Navy and fly commercial jets or stay in
the Navy? He was offered regular Navy status to stay in and that was the only inducement he needed.
Jack's next assignment was with VT-30 in Corpus Christi Texas as an instructor of AD pilots. From July 1960 until
the late 1960's VT-30 was the source of Skyraider pilot training for the US Navy and foreign nations. He was the instructor
for a class from April to August 1963 consisting of the following: Glen Kalember (deceased), Charlie Clydesdale (deceased),
Jim Bean (deceased),one name not remembered, and Scotty Wilkes. The death in combat of his students had a major
impact on Jack and utlimately led him to request a tour of duty in Vietnam.
In 1965 as the Vietnam war was heating up, Jack requested an assignment that would get him to Vietnam and was assigned
to VA-152 in Alameda California, also near San Francisco. By this time Jack and Susanne had four children, two boys and two
girls. One day Susanne had enough of Navy life and loaded the children in the car and drove them to her parent's home in New
Hope Pensylvania, above Philadelphia. While they attempted reconciliation, they divorced later that year. Suzanne never remarried
and passed away in 1990.
Jack departed the US in May of 1966 aboard the USS Oriskany, CVA-34, with VA-152.
Click to learn more about the USS Oriskany CVA-34
Click here to learn more about VA-152.
On August 20 1966 a U.S. Air Force RF-4C Phantom aircraft took a direct hit from ground fire during a night photo run while
dropping flares in North Vietnam. The pilot, Edwin Tiffany Hawks ejected. Jack and his wingman were in the area
and heard his distress signal. Jack made contact with Tiff Hawks who was taking fire from ground troups. Ignoring anti-aircraft
fire, Jack provided air cover for Tiff until he could be rescued by a Navy helicopter.
Picture of Tiff Hawks ----->
Jack and his wingman escorted the helicopter to the safety of the ocean and then returned to search for the other
crewman while heavy anti-aircraft fire continued. The explosion from the ground fire may have incapacitated the other
crew member, Richard M. Milikin III, who was in the rear seat. He was never recovered.
Jack received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his part in this rescue
On October 6, 1966, three days after his twenty eighth birthday, Jack was shot down over North Vietnam when his A-1H Skyraider
was hit in the right wing by 37mm antiaircraft fire. He was listed as missing in action for almost ten years before being
declared killed in action. He was a Lieutenant when he was shot down and was promoted to Commander by the time he was declared
KIA.
Between 1993 and 2001 several joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam teams attempted to locate Jack's crash site and
recover remains. The crash site was tentatively located in 1996 and remains recovered in 2000. After positive identification
of the remains a funeral, with full military honors, was held at Arlington National Cemetery on November 20, 2001. It
was attended by thirty seven friends and family.
|
