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I was at NASSIG when this happened, so I have additional perspectives on the amazing event. Unfortunately, it's in the AOC private group on Facebook, so I may not post a link to that.
I have waited so long to hear first hand accounts like this and in the years since the mission I have agreed from someone who wanted to hear the operational details to someone who felt moved to tears by his clear love for his family who had to ensure the uncertainty and concern for fellow service members and their families.
I can only add that I was an F-111 Flight Control & Instrument specialist, stationed at RAF Upper Heyford, when this went down. We were in a Local Salty Nation (LSN) exercise, I was in the 55th Aircraft Maintenance Unit attached to the 55th Tactical Fighter Squadron. We (I) didn't know about this until, as Colonel Franklin says, until the "next morning", and knew that the EF-111A's on Heyford flew in support of EL DORADO CANYON. We went to a real alert thereafter should the F-111E's be needed. I am so glad and fulfilled watching this interview!!!!
Bad luck for your friend fernando dominici unfortunately for him our SAM 200 by then was able to down his F111 6 miles offshore we recovered the body and gave it back to his family as decent Libyans do but for Lorance we found his helmet and plane debris but no sign of him guess he was eaten by the fish by the time we arrived it was too late to recover it So next time the US wants to bomb Libya better think twice because remember we are the only nation in Africa who’s capable to put up a fight with you even after you guys killed gaddafi still we managed to revive the army and now we are rolling hard on US proxies We didn’t cross the ocean to attack America It’s America who came all the way here to attack us I have family in the military and most of them say we didn’t provoke the US the US provoked us by testing our patience when they got into our waters with a carrier we had to fight no hate here we love our country and we shall protect it Bless you all and hope all wars stop so we can all love each other and have peace
Col. Arnie Franklin, my father, Col. Franklin’s #2 during the raid always speaks so very highly of what a wonderful person and leader Col. Franklin was and is. He’s the guy that said, “I think they got the boss” and also along with Brad Insley has the most logged hours in the F-111. Should interview him one of these days. Can’t wait for everyone to read the book on Operation El Dorado Canyon that Col. Franklin has coming out because it’s the best and most detailed story of the lead up to, during, and after the Raid. What an amazing aircraft a group of Pilots and WSOs that pulled off such a long and exhausting mission. Fun fact I never knew until a few years ago that it was during Operation El Dorado Canyon is here my father also got his call sign “Downtown”
Wow, this was very moving (and made me well up). We may have met at Lakenheath, Arnie. (I was there from Dec '82 - Nov '84. Cataracts kept me grounded so I managed the WOMIS computer system development. We may have spoken one afternoon in the tower at RAF Scunthorpe while the runways were being resurfaced at Lakenheath.) Anyway, thanks so much for sharing this moving, classy and well deserved tribute.
Wow. I was a 12-year-old at the time and read all the news articles I could find. To listen to this story by the mission commander all these years later is quite something for me.
Worked on and around the F-111 for 15 years (Thud for the rest!), both Fuel Systems (2 years), Avionics the rest, retiring as a Pro Super. Colonel Franklin is a legend in the F-111 world and was proud to be in his units over a couple of times. saw him last at the F-111 memorial dedication at the USAF Air Museum, last October. Was Avionics Logistics manager at 5th AF, Yokota Japan (yes, weird place for an F-111 guy!) in 1986, worked for one of the smartest Maintenance Officers I knew, Colonel Rogelio Ramos, tons of respect for the man. On that morning, while reading Stars and Stripes in the office, Col Ramos came out while we were discussing the strike, and the loss, he asked who was lost, told him, and he had a sad look on his face and told us he had taken Major Ribas-Dominicci's first oath into the USAF in Puerto Rico, and knew him well. Small World...
I started paying attention to the stars and stripes news because of the bombings, I was stationed in Germany. I knew it was serious because the next night I was on guard duty, we were given ammo and radios that worked. The instructions were shoot anything that doesn't identify itself. That's when I grew to love President Reagen, Colonel thank you for what you did! Sincerely, Respectfully, Alan Espinoza
When he was choking up about family not knowing if he was in his way back or lost, I choked up as well. My wife was “key wife” in one of my squadrons. A formal command function to support the families if/when deployed whether temporary training, peace time deployment, or combat. We only had one incident and it was the serviceman needing to return home to support his wife and family after a tragic accident in which his wife stuck a child that ran out in front of her car. The key wife system got the message to the field at the same time as the official comms did. So systems are I. Place but they do need much more including routine official comms/briefings to the families. In this era I think it’s only a matter of time, if it hasn’t already happened, before a serviceman or woman is in a cell phone when they get hit. We need to make sure there are policies in place to prevent that.
I was USMC when this happened (as well as the Israeli mission against the Iraqi reactor). Kudos to the Iraqis. AND Muhammar was a serious problem before this strike. And SILENT after he realized he shouldn’t be screwing with the US and Ronnie Raygun. Mission accomplished!!!!
Fing French...what an ally...not surprising though unfortunately. Probably be the same today with the appeasor Macron. I remember when he assured the world-he really believed Putin desired peace. Great breakdown though-thank you for your service.
What a great story and story teller! Had to hear it all before turning off the machine. What great detail and the human side of the event. Thanks so much for sharing!
His story proves an adage I have always felt, used and passed on. Plans, in and of themselves are usually worthless, however, planning is invaluable. I can’t even enumerate how many finished & polished plans I have delivered to a boss, commander or operations officer only to get it handed back to me and told, I need you to factor in this this new variable! As a planner, by trade, I always made sure that I was in the operations center whenever the missions I planned were executed, I know it sounds narcissistic, however, but the bad guys ALWAYS get a vote and when/if it became a requirement to alter the “plan” I always felt I was the best one to make the recommendations, alterations or the decisions needed to deal with an unexpected event. Why? As the planner, I was already intimately familiar with all of the available assets, restrictions or capabilities and was best equipped to make rapid changes with minimal information. Probably why I find myself writing essay answers to yes/no questions!😂
Told only as a true, unselfish, caring warrior commander could tell it…. I believe one of the missing crew’s helmet washed up on shore, but that is all I think that was ever recovered by the US. It would not surprise me if there wasn’t, or hasn’t been an effort by someone to locate the aircraft in the water.
A past friend, USAF Avionics Tech, stationed in the US, was awakened a day or so before this by an Officer and Air Police who was attached to him as he packed a 3 day bag. He was taken to an Avionics Cage, security clearances stated, Black Boxes signed out, Envelopes with Instructional Orders marked classified were signed for. It was a gaggle of them. All marched on to the Transport, Airmen stored their bags while they marched on to the ship with one black box in each hand. They did not know where they were until they landed and saw the tail letters on the F-111's and were immediately taken to their respective aircraft per their individual mission instructions. Black Boxes were pulled and the ones they brought were installed. The boxes removed were logged into the Avionics cage checking in the removed boxes. They were taken to a barracks and remained under guard, their bags already delivered to the barracks. A day or so later, they were marched to the Avionic Cage, then the flight line, and went to the same plane, except for one of them, as there was no plane, and they removed the boxes, re-installed the original boxes, and were marched on to the transport with the classified Mission Black Boxes. That was El Dorado Canyon.
Awesome story. Thank you for your service. I remember all this conflict, and went into the Navy in 1988. Really wish I would have went into the air force.
A ridiculous story in which he tries to beautify the ugly face of US imperialism... There is no evidence that Libya is the one that blew up the La Belle nightclub, but in return you took revenge on the children and the elderly in Libya... What a barbarism... You think that you are a classy race that is different from The rest of the human beings, and that the planet Earth is your right only, and the rest of the human beings are just insects that do not deserve to live.. In the end, Leader Gaddafi was martyred as a historical hero in the most wonderful historical epic against Western imperialism led by the leader of global terrorism, the United States of America
This guy gonna take 12 years to tell this story..probably not even supposed to speak about this.. I worked on all those AC ..I was so proud to see my planes doing this. As a Air Force crew guy I got informed about kadufii that he was a nut back in 1977 by a SS guy.
Great story! I was in the Med on USS America assembling bombs as part of a rapid rearm team. Had no idea what was going on until after my shift. Captain Allen gets on the 1MC to announce the raid. I was proud for my little role in this operation
I was remote at King Salmon AK when this raid took place. I remember we were very surprised they used 111's all the way from England when they had F-16s much closer in Italy. We assumed, and I still do, that perhaps the US couldn't get permission from the Italians to launch from there. I know there was still some tension between the US and Italy over the Archille Lauro affair so that may have been a contributing factor.
We're extremely fortunate to have the Colonel and his fellow airmen in service to our country. Nearly as fortunate as his family is in having him as a husband and father.
We went on a Upper Heyford safety day for GA in 89. Pilot in a bunker told what a fiasco the raid turned into. Planes having nav. faults, missing tankers.
I was an A shop avionics SSgt working a redball that evening during the launch- the aircrew realigned the INS and taxied- we heard the bbc later that morning that Libya was on fire- but sad that we lost an aircrew- will always remember them - if your wings don’t sweep you ain’t shit! I have now worked on the F22 22 years now, but 15 years on the F111 was awesome especially my incentive ride At Zaragoza Spain with Major Loucks - FCF pilot who gave me the best ride of my life- Cheers and remember all who flew the Aardvark!
