UPDATE: CGAS Detroit held a memorial ceremony on 9 June 2010.
Fallen Coast Guard hero remembered
Friday, June 11, 2010
Written by: Christopher Lagan
LT Jack C. Rittichier stands beside his aircraft in this U.S. Coast Guard photo.
The women and men of Air Station Detroit marked a somber anniversary earlier this week and honored the memory of a fallen hero. On June 9, 1968, Lieutenant Jack C. Rittichier was shot down and killed in action while performing a search and rescue mission in “one of the most heavily defended areas in Southeast Asia.”
Rittichier, a plank owner of Air Station Detroit – where the main hangar bears his name, was serving as an exchange pilot with the Air Force 37th Air Rescue and Recovery Squadron (ARSS) when his helicopter was shot down while trying to save a fellow aviator. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for his gallantry and devotion to duty during the mission.
LT JACK C RITTICHIER, United States Coast Guard, distinguished himself by gallantry in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force as Rescue Crew Commander of an HH-3E helicopter in Southeast Asia on 9 June 1968. On that date, LT RITTICHIER attempted the rescue of a downed pilot from one of the most heavily defended areas in Southeast Asia. Despite intense accurate hostile fire which had severely damaged another helicopter, LT RITTICHIER, with undaunted determination, indomitable courage, and professional skill, established a hover and persisted in the rescue attempt until his aircraft was downed by the hostile fire. By his gallantry and devotion to duty, LT RITTICHIER reflected great credit upon himself and the United Station Coast Guard. (Silver Star citation for Jack C. Rittichier.)
On the anniversary of the mission, members of Air Station Detroit were joined by Bill Forsyth of Joint Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Command (JPAC); retired Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Jim Loomis; and Allan Kaupinen, a Kent State University classmate of Rittichier to honor the memory of the highly decorated Coast Guard hero.
U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Detroit holds a memorial service for Lt. Jack C. Rittichier. Commemorating the event at the air station are (left to right): Cmdr. Daniel Travers, the station's commanding officer; Rear Adm. Michael N. Parks, Ninth Coast Guard District commander; Bill Forsyth of Joint Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Command (JPAC); Lt. Cmdr. (Ret.) Jim Loomis; and Allen Kaupinen, a Kent State University classmate of Rittichier. Also shown are personal effects of Rittichier and a rotor blade belonging to his downed helicopter. The rotor and other related crash site items were recovered in 2002 by an archaeological team led by Forsyth. (U.S. Coast Guard Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Chuck Reinhart)
Few Pterodactyls were aware of this, but Jack was a hero in every sense of the word. During his college football career with the “Golden Flashes,” his 90-yard touchdown run in the final minutes of the October 1954 Homecoming Game against Bowling Green secured the win and propelled Kent State to their first bowl game in the school’s history. Throughout the year, he averaged 8.4 yards per carry and was named to the Second Team All Mid-American Conference. Jack was not only the team’s punter for all three of his varsity seasons, but was Captain of the 1955 football team and 1956 track team. The leadership skills he developed on the athletic field would go on to serve him well in his military career.
Upon graduation in 1956, Jack was commissioned as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force, flying B-47 strategic bombers. As a result of his strong admiration for the lifesaving mission of the Coast Guard, he applied and was accepted for the Coast Guard Direct Commissioned Aviator program upon completion of his Air Force obligation. Assigned at Air Stations Elizabeth City and Detroit as a helicopter pilot, he participated in many rescue missions in the Tidewater and Great Lakes regions and subsequently volunteered to serve on a unique Coast Guard program featuring “exchange” duty with the Air Force in Viet Nam. Rittichier flew combat rescue missions in the Air Rescue and Recovery Service “Jolly Green Giant” helicopters, bringing invaluable experience to his squadron and accomplishing several dramatic rescues of downed pilots. On June 9th, 1968 he and his three Air Force crewmen made the supreme sacrifice in a heroic attempt to rescue a Marine Corps pilot who had been shot down along the infamous and heavily defended Ho Chi Minh trail, North Viet Nam’s main supply route to their guerilla and regular forces fighting in South Viet Nam. Jack Rittichier was the sole Coast Guard aviator to be killed in action in that war. His remains and those of his crew were not recovered until 2002, thirty-four years after they were shot down. LT Rittichier was buried on Coast Guard Hill at Arlington National Cemetery on October 6th, 2003 with full military honors.
Kent State University would be pleased to honor Jack Rittichier’s memory by awarding the JACK COLUMBUS RITTICHIER AWARD annually to their Most Valuable Player. It will be a permanent four foot by two foot bronze plaque, a bas relief image of Jack’s 1954 touchdown run, mounted on a 6 foot high granite base at the university’s football stadium. Each recipient’s name will be engraved on the plaque each year and he will receive a miniature replica. The plaque will be commissioned by a firm that has considerable expertise, having recently cast a commemorative plaque honoring former National Football League player Sgt. Pat Tillman, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2004. Jack Rittichier will be honored twice this year: on September 26th at a football game “Heroes Day,” and again on October 10th when Kent State honors the famed 1954 and 1972 teams.
INSCRIPTION FOR THE RITTICHIER TROPHY
(Side One of Base)
This award is presented annually by the United States Coast Guard in memory of:
LT JACK COLUMBUS RITTICHIER UNITED STATES COAST GUARD
LT Rittichier, with his three United States Air Force crewman, CPT Dick Yeend, SGT Jim Locker and SGT Eric Holder, perished in South Vietnam on June 9th, 1968 while attempting the heroic rescue of an American pilot who had been shot down deep in hostile territory. Jack Rittichier was the only Coast Guard aviator to perish in the war and was posthumously awarded the Silver Star medal for gallantry in action.
(Side Two of Base)
This trophy depicts Jack Rittichier’s 90-yard touchdown run which defeated the Bowling Green Falcons during the waning minutes of the football game played on Saturday, October 30th, 1954. This victory propelled the team to victories in their remaining games, earning the Golden Flashes their first bowl game bid in the school’s history. Jack was also Captain of the 1955 team as well as Captain of the 1956 track team.
(Side three of base)
(Side Four of Base)
KENT STATE UNIVERSITY
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
NAME OF PLAYER
YEAR
The award was unveiled at the Kent State game on “Heroes Day,” September 26th, 2009
One of our members has made an extremely persuasive case to me to raise funds to support a commemorative trophy at LT Jack Rittichier’s Alma Mater, Kent State University.
If each of our 1,300 plus members could spare just $10, we would have enough money to launch this initiative. We are also asking for donations from the Air Force Association, The Marine Corps Aviation Association, the Jolly Green Association and “PJ” (Pararescuemen) Association. Your cash contribution should be made payable and sent to:
COAST GUARD AVIATION ASSOCIATION
P.O. BOX 222905
Chantilly, VA 20153-2905
Please indicate on check ATTN: “RITTICHIER TROPHY”
Or Donate Here: