Hi CC: We were saddened to hear that Hervey Stockman passed away
today, one day short of his 89th birthday. He was born Feb 23, 1922.
He
was preceeded in death by his wife, Sally. Hervey Studdiford Stockman
was the pilot of a F4C, 64-0786, from the 390 TFS, 366 TFW, Da Nang,
SVN when downed over NVN on 6/11/67. His back seater was Ron Webb.
He and Ron were released 3/4/73 from Hanoi during Operation
Homecoming.
Hervey was the CO of the 366th TFW when he and another F4C piloted by
Maj Donald Martin Klemm and 1Lt Robert Harvey Pearson collided at
14,000 feet about 10 miles northeast of Kep during a MigCAP mission.
Klemm and Pearson were KIA. Hervey was flying his 310th combat
mission.
During the Second World War Lt Col Stockman had flown P-51 Mustangs
from England with the Eigth Air Force while Capt Webb had been a
navigator in KB-50 tankers in the early 1960s.
Hervey was a P-51 pilot in WW II, 504 FS. WW II missions 68. Hervey
was
one of the first six pilots trained to fly the high-altitude
reconnaissance craft,
the U-2 for the CIA. Carmine Vito is the only U-2 pilot to fly directly
over
Moscow. His flight was the third operational flight over potentially
hostile
territory, or what the pilots called "hot" flights. Carl Overstreet flew
the first
such flight of the U-2 on 20 June 1956. The mission covered Poland and
East Germany. Then Hervy Stockman flew over Soviet territory on 4 July,
going as far north as Leningrad to photograph naval shipyards and then
west to the Baltic States to cover jet bomber bases. The fourth, fifth,
and
sixth missions were flown by Marty Knutson, Glen Dunaway, and Jake Kratt.
All were successful. Vito died 8-27-03.
Erich Anderson writes the following Tribute to Hervey:
Hervey Stockman was born February 24, 1922 in Andover, New Jersey. He
attended Princeton University for two years before enlisting in the
Aviation
Cadet Program of the U.S. Army Air Forces on September 17, 1942.
Stockman was commissioned a 2d Lt and awarded his pilot wings on
August 30, 1943. He was assigned to the 504th Fighter Squadron of the
339th Fighter Group in England during World War II, flying the P-51
Mustang. During the war, Lt Stockman was credited with destroying 2
enemy aircraft in aerial combat and flew 68 combat missions before
leaving
active duty and joining the Air Force Reserve on November 5, 1945. He
then
attended the Pratt Institute of Art Shool, where he majored in
Industrial
Design, followed by work at General Motors as an automotive design
stylist.
Stockman was recalled to active duty on April 1, 1951, and was assigned
to
the 561st Fighter-Escort Squadron of the 12th Fighter-Escort Wing (later
redesignated the 561st Strategic Fighter Squadron and the 12th Strategic
Fighter Wing) at Bergstrom AFB, Texas, where he flew F-84 Thunderjets
until May 1953. Stockman then transferred to the 522nd Strategic Fighter
Squadron of the 27th Strategic Fighter Wing, also at Bergstrom, where he
served until January 1956, when he became one of the six original U-2
pilots, flying clandestine CIA missions over the Soviet Union between
1956
and February 1958, including the very first mission over the USSR on
July 4,
1956. He next flew F-102 Delta Daggers with the 95th Fighter Interceptor
Squadron at Andrews AFB, Maryland, from February to July 1958, followed
by duty with the 482nd Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Seymour Johnson
AFB, North Carolina, from July 1958 to February 1961. Stockman next
attended Armed Forces Staff College at Norfolk, Virginia, from February
to
July 1961, and then served with the 1141st Special Activity Squadron at
Ramstein AB, West Germany, from July 1961 to August 1964. He served
with the 435th Tactical Fighter Squadron of the 479th Tactical Fighter
Wing
at George AFB, California, from August 1964 to December 1966, when he
began flying combat missions in Southeast Asia with the 366th Tactical
Fighter Wing at DaNang AB in the Republic of Vietnam. Col Stockman was
made commander of the 390th Tactical Fighter Squadron at DaNang in May
1967, and he was forced to eject From his F-4 Phantom II over North
Vietnam and was taken as a Prisoner of War while flying his 310th combat
mission on June 11, 1967. After spending 2,093 days in captivity, Col
Stockman was released during Operation Homecoming on March 4, 1973.
He recovered from his injuries at Malcolm Grow Medical Center at Andrews
AFB until August 1973, when he began Air War College at Maxwell AFB,
Alabama. After graduating in August 1974, Col Stockman served with NATO
in Europe followed by service as Director of Joint Test and Evaluation
with
the Air Force Test and Evaluation Center at Kirtland AFB, New Mexico,
where he retired from the Air Force on December 31, 1978.
His 1st (of 2) Silver Star Citation reads:
Lieutenant Colonel Hervey S. Stockman distinguished himself by gallantry
in
connection with military operations against an opposing armed force as
an
F4C Aircraft Commander over Southeast Asia on 11 June 1967. On that
date, Colonel Stockman successfully protected five flights of F-105
aircraft
from hostile attack while they were delivering ordnance on an important
military target in this dangerous and highly defended area. By his
gallantry
and devotion to duty, Colonel Stockman has reflected great credit upon
himself and the United States Air Force.
MM