A Pilot's Legacy

Hal Miller Scrugham - father, and Richard (Rick) Throop Scrugham -son, each volunteered their service to their country during World War II and the Vietnam War. Hal joined the Army Air Corps in October 1941, two months before the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. While transporting a plane load of Sikh soldiers over the Japanese-besieged Imphal Valley of Burma, his C-47 was attacked by a Japanese Zero. After a mid-air collision downing the aggressive Zero, Hal and his co-pilot, Al Jost, were able to maneuver their damaged C-47 over the next hour for a safe landing at a British Royal Air Force field in Sylhet, India. Hal would be the only C-47 transport pilot credited with a Japanese Zero kill during World War II. Like his father before him, Rick joined the Army in January 1969. As Chief Warrant Officer, he flew in the largest helicopter airborne assault since the June 6,1944, D-day invasion. A force of over 120 helicopter and 40 gunships transporting three infantry battalions of South Vietnamese forces, attacking enemy forces along the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos. During missions "across the fence" into North Vietnam and Laos, Rick would hover 1500 feet above tree canopy and drop retrieval ropes down to special operations spy units being pursued by the enemy. After the war, he would serve in the Tennessee Army National Guard for 26 years, and later as a corporate pilot accumulating 9300 hours of flying. Surviving war veterans can share their experiences after fulfilling their duties to their country. But most go untold or undocumented. Their adventures fall through the cracks of recorded history. This book documents the experiences this father and his legacy son have chosen to share.