USS Oriskany Returns From Vietnam (1968)

KRON news footage from January 31st 1968 with reporter Gordon Graham featuring the return of the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany from 7.5 months of combat service in the Vietnam War (her 3rd combat cruise in that conflict). Includes an interview with Captain Billy D. Holder, who states: "It has been my privilage this year to live among heroes." Also views of the Oriskany sailing under Golden Gate Bridge, interviews with her crew waiting to disembark at Alameda naval base and scenes of the crew reuniting with families and loved ones on dockside. The pilots of Carrier Air Wing 16 (CVW-16) flew over 9000 combat missions over North Vietnam for this tour of duty and lost half of their assigned planes – 29 to combat damage and another 10 to operational causes. They had 20 pilots killed and another 9 taken prisoner, in service of their country. It should be noted that the Oriskany originally set sail from New York in 1950 and on May 17th 2006, a team of Navy personnel sank this ship off the Florida coast at Pensacola, to become an artificial reef. It is now considered to be one of the top wreck diving sites in the world. Opening graphic designed by Carrie Hawks.