60177 Assigned to 63rd MAW Hanoi Taxi
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Do you know how 60177 became the Hanoi Taxi? I heard this from the horse's mouth at the retirement party at Wright-Patt the night before she flew for the last time. The man responsible for choosing this tail number was there.
This pilot (I can't remember his name) was based in the 14th MAS at Norton in the late 1960s and received his aircraft commander upgrade check ride on 60177. By the time 1973 rolled around, he was based in Operations and Planning at 22nd Air Force at Travis, so when the call came down that they needed a special C-141 airframe to bring home the first of the POWs, he thought of his favorite tail number. It was still based at Norton and he stipulated that it be flown by a Norton crew.
Hence, 60177 entered the hallowed halls of MAC history.
Pat Gilmore, MAJ, USAFR Ret.
14 MAS, Norton 1972-1977
730 MAS, Norton 1977-1991
Operational history
Vietnam War Service
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/articles/Hanoi_Taxi
For much of the late 1960s and early 1970s, 66-0177 flew out of Norton Air Force Base, San Bernardino, California with the 63rd Military Airlift Wing (MAW). The Hanoi Taxi flew Bob Hope to USO shows in South Vietnam. Hanoi Taxi was used in 1973, in the final days of the Vietnam War, to repatriate American POWs from North Vietnam.
On February 12, 1973, this particular aircraft, then a C-141A, was flown to Gia Lam Airport, near Hanoi, North Vietnam in the first mission of Operation Homecoming, the repatriation of former American prisoners of war. There were 40 former POWs on that first flight. One of the POWs on the first flight was Navy Commander Everett Alvarez Jr., the first American pilot to be shot down in North Vietnam and, by the war’s end, the second longest-held POW there. (The longest-held was US Army Captain Floyd James Thompson who was released the following month.) Alvarez had spent eight-and-a-half years in captivity.
The Hanoi Taxi's name comes from the writing on the flight engineer's panel by the POWs aboard the plane for the freedom flight. The commander of the first pick‐up jet—No. 60177—was Major James E. Marrott, originally of Provo, Utah. His navigator was Lieutenant colonel James C. Warren, originally of Chicago. Both flew reconnaissance and electronic warfare planes over South Vietnam during the war. On May 5, the Hanoi Taxi repeated the feat by flying approximately 100 former Vietnam POWs to Clark Air Base, The Philippines.
Former naval aviator and senator John McCain, who spent five and a half years as a POW after being shot down by a missile over Hanoi was flown home aboard the Hanoi Taxi upon his release in 1973.
In May 2004, Air Force Major General Edward J. Mechenbier, himself a POW repatriated from Vietnam, flew the Hanoi Taxi back to Vietnam to repatriate the remains of two American service members killed in action during the war.
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The stories of 60177
How 60177 Became The Hanoi Taxi
Paul and Chief Clark:
What a special and precious memory. You all may or may not know some of the behind the scenes concerning The Hanoi Taxi.
I remember it so well. It was either an augmented crew or a 15th crew - Major Jim Marott was the AC. Jim was the 15th Sq Stan Eval chief. He would often come downstairs to run something by the 63d "Experts" and I got to know him pretty well. Tall, sandy hair and mustache. Very nice person all around.
Also, Paul, you may have known Maj/Colonel Skip Griswold. He came from Hunter and was here in "the beginning." He and Maj Bill Hanson hired me to work in Stan/eval. Skip was promoted to 0-6 and was sent to Clark to be the 604th Commander. LtCol Bill Willis from our Wg Plans office was sitting at Gia Lam to coordinate with Skip when the first prisoners would be loaded on the buses preparing for departure. Skip had been in the 63d forever and of course he wanted Jim to be the first to taxi out. The 60th & 62d also had acft parked @ Clark hoping to be the first to taxi when the call came to Skip @ the comd post. Jim, in his GI wisdom, wouldn't let his crew leave the aircraft. So there were some taking naps in the shade of the wings & just generally hanging out 'til time to crank engines. So when Bill called Skip; the 63d crew jumped on board and were taxiing out before the 62d and 60th crews got back from various places on base. Hooray -- The Professionals were on take off roll headed for N. Viet Nam.
After the mission, Jim came downstairs and briefed me on how the first repatriated's response to finally checking out of the "Hilton." ( LtComdr Alvaraz, San Jose; Jeremy Denton, and others who were held for 7yrs and change were on that first flight.)
Jim said when the first arrived (each with escort) they were very quiet; not a word or smile - just silence in the cargo bay. He thought that strange, but went about the normal pre-departure checklist and taxied out for take off. Still no word from the back of acft. After take off and when they departed Viet Nam air space; he announced on the PA "We have left N. Viet Nam airspace." Well that's when all of them cut loose.
Cheers, laughter, jumping in the aisle and so exuberant Jim had to ask them politely to please take their seats as the aircraft was rocking. When calm prevailed, he invited any who would like to come to the cockpit and check out the latest equip on board. Which many did.
Upon arriving at Clark, there were some hilarious stories as to what the former POWs did. One took a shower every 15 minutes. One called his wife and said "honey, the strangest thing happened to me on the way to N. VN.
One thing I remember - even tho the 63d had been involved in Historic, World and life changing events as we know it; was the palpable feeling of almost a reverent, humble pride like a cloud that hung over the base, in bringing out the first POWs released. A feeling of gratitude (not the arrogant pride another "close watch" mission successfully completed would have created) - this was an entirely different type of satisfaction in a job carefully orchestrated and Mission Completed.
I often wondered if John McCain was on board. During his funeral coverage on TV, a friend of his made a statement about his release and it verified that he was, in fact, on the Hanoi Taxi.
So many other missions and events the 63d pulled off in the usual outstanding performance it came to be known for. But This one exceeded all the others by a large margin.
Hope I haven't bored you all to death - but couldn't help but share.
All the best to both -- always good to hear from you. Chief - you take good care.
Love, dede'
(Mrs Dede Rimmer, worked from 1964 to the 1994 in Wing Stan Eval)
By DeDe Rimmer
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