In 1972, amid the heat of the Vietnam War, two aviators became the last aces of the United States Navy. Flying an F-4 Phantom II, Lieutenants Duke Cunningham and Billy Driscoll shot down five North Vietnamese fighters, becoming legends in the fighter pilot community.
Graduates of the TOP GUN school – immortalized by the homonymous films starring Tom Cruise –, the two received several decorations, but in Duke's case, the story had a tragic end after convictions for corruption, during his career as a congressman.
In 2021, almost 50 years after achieving Ace status in Southeast Asia, Duke once again had his name widely mentioned by the media, when he received a pardon from Donald Trump, in his final moments as US president.
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Randall Harold Cunningham was born in Los Angeles on December 08, 1941, the day after the Pearl Harbor attacks. Before serving in the military, he trained as a physical educator, later earning a master's degree in education. In the meantime, he worked as a swimming teacher.
In 1967, Cunningham ed the Navy and was commissioned as an aviator. It was in the Navy that he received the nickname Duke, by which he is still known today. After training, he was trained as a fighter pilot, able to fight aboard the F-4 Phantom. Originally developed for the Navy itself, the Phantom II was the main fighter aircraft of the United States at the time, and was also used by the Air Force and Marine Corps.
After a combat tour aboard the aircraft carrier USS America, Duke returned to the United States to attend the Navy Fighter Weapons School, the famous TOP GUN. At the time located at Miramar Air Force Base in San Diego, TOP GUN welcomed fighter pilots from all over the Navy to hone their skills and prepare them to face the main aerial threats in Vietnam, the Soviet fighters MiG-17 Fresco, MiG-19 Farmer and MiG-21 Fishbed.
After completing his studies, Duke was sent back to Vietnam, this time aboard the aircraft carrier USS Constellation (CV-64), where he was attached to the VF-96 Fighting Falcons squadron. Along with his Radar Intercept Officer (RIO), Lieutenant William “Willy Irish” Driscoll, he flew an F-4J fighter, codenamed Showtime 100.
indomitable aces
Duke and Irish's streak of kills began on January 19, 1972. While on patrol in the DMZ at Quang Tri, Irish picked up a target on his radar. It was a pair of North Vietnamese MiG-21 fighters.
Duke and Irish were a few miles behind the MiGs, a distance at which the weapon they were targeting would be the AIM-7 Sparrow, a medium-range radar-guided missile. At the time, the missiles were not very reliable. Duke opted to use the AIM-9 Sidewinder, a short-range heat-seeking missile, contrary to the advice of his RIO/co-pilot.
The Vietnamese pilot managed to evade the first AIM-9 fired, but was not so lucky with the missile that came right after. Duke and Irish thus achieved their first kills in the conflict.
After a hiatus, the second victory came on May 08 of that same year, during the massive bombing campaign of Operation Linebacker. Duke and Irish were in an escort package for A-6 Intruder attack jets, which were dropping naval mines on the port of Haiphong, Vietnam's third largest city.
During the mission, a MiG-17 began engaging the F-4 piloted by his wingman, Lieutenant Brian Grant. Duke immediately scrambled to , and a dogfight ensued; then two MiGs ed the party. The first MiG fired a missile at Grant's F-4, which he managed to dodge.
At the same time, Duke and Irish maneuvered to defend their partner, firing the first AIM-9. The MiG-17 maneuvered hard to evade the first missile, but without power, it was unable to escape the second Sidewinder. Second victory secured, but without an advantage in the fight, Cunningham had to use the power of the F-4 to evade the other two MiGs.
Three Kills
Two days later, Duke and Irish would make history, entering their names into the hall of legends of aerial combat. Once again flying the showtime 100, they were participating in a bombing mission, carrying AIM-7 and AIM-9 missiles and CBU-100 Rockeye cluster bombs. The target was the Hai Dong railway marshalling yard, a strategic position well defended by North Vietnamese fighter aircraft and anti-aircraft defense.
Bombs dropped, Cunningham and Driscoll climbed to cover the attack by A-7 Corsair II jets, when they received a request for from another F-4, which was in the middle of a fight with several MiG-17s. Immediately, two MiGs “tailed” Cunningham, who went into a defensive position. Hearing his wingman Grant, Cunningham maneuvered and the MiG overtook the F-4, turning the game in favor of the American; Cunningham launched a Sidewinder that exploded the Vietnamese jet. 3-0 for Duke and Irish.
In a brief “pause” they regain the altitude advantage, when Duke observes that an F-4, piloted by his deputy commander, Dwight Timm, is being chased by three MiGs. He quickly goes to help, maneuvering violently against the MiGs. Cunningham instructs the superior officer to maneuver, to allow engagement with the AIM-9. Duke fires and the missile hits the MiG squarely. 4-0 for Duke and Irish, who decide to return to the aircraft carrier.
Flying towards the sea, the crew of the showtime 100 They spot another MiG, flying directly at them. Duke takes the F-4 to the intersection, but the MiG starts firing at the American, who dodges. A fierce fight begins, with one MiG pilot much more skilled than the others. Between vertical and horizontal maneuvers, the advantage in the dogfight alternated between Duke and the Vietnamese aviator. For each maneuver, there was a counter-response, each seeking to gain the advantage that would lead to the downing.
In a bold maneuver, Duke brought the F-4 into a low-speed condition, a condition in which the smaller and more agile MiG had an advantage. However, the Fresco overtook the F-4, which was nearly stalled. Even so, Duke was able to target the MiG and fire a Sidewinder, which hit the enemy jet.
5-0. Immediately, Cunningham and Driscoll became aces, the last aviators to achieve this title in the US Navy and the first to do so using only missiles.
Dejected
Recovered from the fight, Duke and Irish headed for the coast, but their ordeal would only get worse. Flying over Nam Dinh, the F-4 was hit by an anti-aircraft missile. Duke managed to control the F-4, which limped into the sea. The order was to eject, but if they abandoned the jet over the country, they would certainly become prisoners of war, the greatest fear of any aviator fighting in Vietnam.
Finally, the showtime 100 took his last breath and lost control. With the plane in a flat spin, ejection was the only way out. Sure enough, Driscoll commanded the ejection, exiting first, with Duke ejecting from the F-4 shortly after. As they parachuted down toward the sea, they saw Vietnamese Navy boats, which prompted Duke to draw his pistol and fire to ward off the enemy.
In the water, they await rescue, which came shortly afterward via a Navy helicopter, which took them back to the aircraft carrier Constellation. Received with great celebration, the pilot and his companion soon recovered.
For their actions in the Vietnam War, Duke Cunningham and Willie Driscoll received the Navy Cross, Purple Heart, Silver Star, and Air Medal.
Politics, corruption, prison and forgiveness
Returning to the United States as a legend, Cunningham became an instructor at TOP GUN. Flying fighters such as the F-5, F-16 and A-4, he served as an enemy against American pilots who were learning to combat the threats of the time. As he advanced in his career, he held command and management positions in several Navy branches until retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1987.
The F-4 ace now worked as a consultant and commentator, where his fame began to attract the attention of Republican politicians in San Diego. In 1990, he ran against Democrat Bill Lowery, winning the race for the U.S. House of Representatives after a scandal that tarnished his opponent's reputation.
A conservative Republican, Duke served on several subcommittees on issues such as defense, security, education and human development. Despite his controversial statements, especially on LGBT issues, the former military man was a very popular politician in San Diego.
After six reelections, Cunningham's political career would come to an end after a report in the San Diego Union Tribune newspaper, which exposed a bribery agreement between Duke and security companies. Duke received bribes in cash to favor defense contractors in government contracts. An FBI operation seized several pieces of evidence, including a note detailing when he would win from a company to obtain million-dollar contracts.
Cornered, he accepted a plea deal with the courts and in November 2005 pleaded guilty to conspiracy, mail and wire fraud, tax evasion and bribery. In December, he resigned from his seat in the United States House of Representatives. In tears, Duke announced his resignation at a press conference, saying: “I have broken the law, concealed my conduct, and dishonored my high office. I know that I will lose my freedom, my reputation, my material possessions, and most importantly, the trust of my friends and family.”
Finally, in March 2006, Duke Cunningham was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his crimes, plus a $1,8 million fine. After appeals from his legal team, the sentence was reduced to eight years, after the judge took into his age, his delicate health (Cunningham was battling prostate cancer) and his service to the country.
Most of his sentence was served at a prison in Tucson, Arizona, where Cunningham demonstrated good behavior and helped other inmates study to reduce their sentences. In June 2013, Duke was released from prison and moved to Arkansas.
After being reintegrated into society, Cunningham was living with the restrictions imposed on ex-convicts, such as being denied the right to purchase firearms. But eight years after leaving prison, Cunningham received a conditional pardon from Donald Trump, in the final moments of the businessman's presidential istration. According to the pardon, the former fighter pilot will still have to pay $3,6 million to the government in restitution and forfeiture.
