Fighter-bomber pilot from Warren died on takeoff in Thailand | News, Sports, Jobs

Times Observer photo by Josh Cotton
Maj. Shattuck’s name on the Vietnam Wall in Washington D.C.

When one hears the phrase “combat mission,” it’s reasonable to assume that the most dangerous element of such a sortie is the combat piece, the actual time over enemy airspace.

For Maj. Fred W. “Ted” Shattuck, Jr., that turned out to be anything but the case.

A comment from a colleague on Shattuck’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Page: “I was on duty with the 355th Security Police along the runway that day. The memory stays with me to this day, the fire trucks responding and foaming the plane and the Major being pulled out. Prayed and hoped that he would be alright but that was not to be.”

That day was July 19, 1969.

Shattuck’s death was announced here on July 21. The announcement takes up a small portion of the bottom of the front page.

Public domain photo
A F105 Thunderchief was what Maj. Fred Shattuck flew during the Vietnam conflict.

That’s because that edition covered one of the most historic moments of the century – the Apollo 11 moon landing.

The headline cut to the point: “Shattuck Dies of Injuries Received in Thailand.”

“Major Fred. W. ‘Ted’ Shattuck, USAF, 38, died in Yokohama, Japan on July 19 from burns and injuries received while taking off for a combat mission in Thailand on July 17,” the paper reported. “According to reports, his F105 jet fighter exploded as it left the ground.”

Shattuck was born in Warren on March 5, 1931, the oldest son of Fred W. and Martha Matis Shattuck.

He was a stellar athlete – football and basketball – and graduated with the Warren High School Class of 1949.

Photo from the Warren Times Mirror and Observer
This image of Maj. Fred Shattuck was included in the paper when his death was announced in the July 21, 1969 edition.

He then played college football at Penn State before he entered the Air Force in 1952, the paper reported. A young Joe Paterno joined the staff at PSU as an assistant in 1950.

Shattuck earned his wings in 1954 at Connally Air Force Base in Texas and then served in Okinawa for a year and Japan for three years before returning for state-side service.

He was promoted to the rank of major in Dec. 1965 and left for combat duty in April 1969.

According to honorstates.org, he was part of the 333rd Tactical Fighter Squadron, 355th Tactical Fighter Wing, 7th Air Force when the accident occurred.

It appears that this tour may not have been his first as part of the Vietnam conflict.

The Military Times’ Hall of Valor Project states that Shattuck had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Gross in Jan. 1966 “for heroism while participating in aerial flight in Southeast Asia on 12 September 1965.”

His grave marker indicates that he was awarded two Oak Leaf Clusters, which would have been presented in lieu of additional awards of the DFC.

According to the National Museum of the Air Force, the F-105 Thunderchief flew from the 1950s into the 1980s.

The fighter-bomber first appeared in Vietnam in the wake of the Tonkin Gulf incident in 1964. It could carry over 12,000 pounds of bombs, more than a World War II B-17.

Cruising speed was 778 mph while max speed was nearly double that, 1,390 mph.

The 355th Tactical Fighter Wing – Shattuck’s unit – was activated in 1962, according to information from the David-Monthan Air Force Base.

“By November 1965 the unit had transferred to Takhli Royal Thai Air Base, Thailand,” that source details. “Before inactivating on 10 December 1970, the 355 TFW amassed more than 101,300 sorties over North Vietnam, delivered 202,596 tons of bombs, and destroyed 12,675 targets.”

“Maj Fred Shattuck, Jr. was the pilot of an F-105D that blew a tire and crashed while taking off from Takhli RTAB, Thailand on 17 July 1969,” a comment from a comrade on thewall-usa.com details. “Maj Shattuck died from burns received in the crash.

“I served with Major Shattuck at Langley AFB VA where he was assigned to TAC HQ while I was next door in the TAC Forecast Center. We both then had assignments to Takhli AFB Thailand where I was glad to see a familiar face. I recall him from both assignments as a fine officer who was always courteous and friendly to those of us who were in briefing roles. He made the transition from staff work to combat duty and his death from a take-off accident was a sad occasion which occurred early in my Takhli tour. I attended the memorial service for Maj Shattuck at the Takhli Base Chapel.”

That was one of three memorial services held in the wake of his death.

The Times Mirror and Observer reported that Shattuck’s remains were returned to Warren for services and burial and a funeral was held in late July that included a fly-by of jets out of Niagara Falls.

He was survived by his wife, four children and his mother in addition to four brothers and a sister.

“Major Gerard F. Pranger of McChord Air Force Base, Washington, was escorted for the body of Major Shattuck and presented the American flag to” his wife at the funeral.

He’s buried at Oakland Cemetery.

That same day a memorial service was held at Langley Air Force Base where Shattuck had been stationed prior to his overseas service.