The Downing of an American Ace

Randy Cunningham's story may be closer to home than we all realize.

Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham at TOPGUN, 1992.

(SALEM) - Randy 'Duke' Cunningham's story runs a parallel course with the nation he served. The first pilot to earn the distinction of 'ace' in the Vietnam War, this retired Naval Aviator shot down North Vietnam's leading ace, 'Colonel Tomb', or 'Colonel Toon', who according to unconfirmed reports, shot down 13 U.S. planes.

Vertical Duel by William Arance Click to order

According to Wikipedia 'Nguyen Toon' may not have actually been a real person; some suggest that it was a leading ace's call sign, and others claim the entire story about 'Colonel Toon/Tomb was propaganda generated out of North Vietnam, and that neither name are Vietnamese.

In fact clouding the story even more, is the Wikipedia page Vietnam People's Air Force, which contains significant information about North Vietnam's aviation history. According to this data, the highest-scoring Ace for their country was Nguyen Van Coc, who flew the MiG-21 fighter with the 921st Fighter Regiment from 1967-69.

But two planes associated with this legendary pilot Colonel Toon were identified during this period, one was a MiG-21 and one was a MiG-17, the number of that particular aircraft (bort number 3020) reportedly matched the number of the plane shot down on the 10th of May in 1972, by the U.S. Navy crew of the F-4 Phantom "Showtime 112": pilot Lt. Randy "Duke" Cunningham and radar operator Lt.(jg) William "Irish" Driscoll.

It really was a hell of a fight. The Soviet MiG-17 is a small, extremely maneuverable jet fighter that dates back to the 1950's, a period that also saw the emergence of the U.S. F-4 Phantom, a loud, aggressive jet fighter that was considerably larger and faster than the MiG. The MiG-17 can turn in a really tight space, and the Phantom needs more. Cunningham and Driscoll thought their best chance to lay waste to the MiG was to let it flee, at which time they could easily catch up and blast it from the sky.

The F-4 Phantom jet "Showtime 112" flown by Cunningham and Driscoll                           MiG-17 fighter similar to the one flown by 'Colonel Toon' McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom Length: 63 ft 0 in (19.2 m)                                                 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 Length: 11.26 m (36 ft 11½ in) Max speed: Mach 2.23 (1,472 mph, 2,370 km/h) at 40,000 ft                                                   Max speed: 1,145 km/h (618 knots, 711 mph) at 10,000 ft

John W. Warner, Secretary of the Navy, Lt. Randall H. Cunningham, Lt. JG William P. Driscoll, and Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt. Jr., (left to right), June 1972, in a ceremony honoring the Navy's only Vietnam War air "Aces". - Wikipedia

Instead, the pilot history remembers as Colonel Nguyen Toon engaged the F-4 in a close quarters dog fight, where the MiG was right at home. Maneuvering all over the sky, the pilots of the aircraft made several attempts to shoot at one another, and it lasted until the MiG made that final run for home, almost certainly low on fuel. The U.S. Navy pilots were able to score a shot that lit the North Vietnamese plane on fire. No parachutes were observed by either Cunningham or Driscoll.

When I read the story about Cunningham, I feel like I am going over a review of the movie Top Gun - only set in the Vietnam War period. The two aviators on this fateful, historic day didn't even make it back to their aircraft carrier, their plane was shot down as they cleared the coastline of Vietnam on their final run home. A Navy helicopter was immediately dispatched to the scene and pulled the two men out of the water, when they landed aboard the ship several hundred crew members came onto the deck to cheer their accomplishment and return, again just like Top Gun.

Both men are and always will be, military heroes of the highest order, listed in any number of books about military aviation, their names are entered in the records forever and their personal service to their country was extremely honorable to say the least.

However Randy Cunningham would change over the years, and after completing a 20-year career in the Navy, 'Duke' Cunningham became a CNN commentator where his background was especially valuable, as this took place at the start of the first Gulf War.

Cunningham was in Congress from Jan 3, 2003 – Dec 6, 2005

Later, after gaining national exposure through CNN, Cunningham was asked to run for office as a California Republican Congressional Candidate, in what was then the 44th District, one of four that divided San Diego. Cunningham won the Republican nomination in 1990 and defeated the incumbent Democrat by an extremely narrow margin.

Then, over a period of five years, the former Congressman secured $70-80 million in earmarks from the House Intelligence Committee. These earmarks were for his two co-conspirators in one of the largest bribery schemes in recorded congressional history, according to the About.com page, What Is The Randy Cunningham Scandal?.

According to Wikipedia

In 1997, Cunningham pushed the Pentagon into buying a $20 million document-digitization system created by ADCS Inc., one of several defense companies owned by Wilkes. The Pentagon did not want to buy the system. When it had not done so three years later, Cunningham angrily demanded the firing of Lou Kratz, an assistant undersecretary of defense he held responsible for the delays. It later emerged that Wilkes reportedly gave Cunningham more than $630,000 in cash and favors.

Cunningham was a unique guy, one thing he was criticized for, was for selling merchandise on his personal website, such as a $595 buck knife featuring the official Congressional seal. Because he failed to obtain permission to use the seal, he faced yet another federal offense.

Also according to Wikipedia, Cunningham became synonymous with intemperate outbursts. For example:

• Making a comment about gay Congressman Barney Frank, where he called the rectal examination for prostate cancer "just not natural, unless maybe you’re Barney Frank."
• Displaying his middle finger to a constituent and "for emphasis, [shouting] the two-word meaning of his one-finger salute" during an argument over military spending.
• Suggesting that the Democratic House leadership should be "lined up and shot" — a call he'd previously made about Vietnam War protesters.
• Referring to gay soldiers as "homos" on the floor of the House of Representatives when he said backers of an environmental amendment were "...the same people that would...put homos in the military." Congresswoman Pat Schroeder asked if he would yield the floor, but Cunningham told her, "No, I will not." When Congressman Bernie Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, attempted to object, Cunningham said, "Sit down, you socialist." He later apologized for his comments.

Finally, in the Washingtonian feature "Best & Worst of Congress" of 2004, Cunningham was rated (along with four other House members) as "No Rocket Scientist" by a bipartisan survey of Congressional staff.

A Wall Street Journal article would later report that beyond the favors, gifts and money Cunningham received from defense contractors who wanted his help in obtaining contracts, Cunningham may have been provided with prostitutes, hotel rooms and limousines.

Though Cunningham was extraordinarily defiant and for some time, clung to earlier statements that everything he had done was right, it all came out in the wash that his crimes were myriad, and they were paraded across the public landscape when his trial began in 2005.

On 28 November 2005 he entered a guilty plea to Tax evasion, Conspiracy to Commit Bribery, Mail Fraud and Wire Fraud.

Even in prison, Cunningham supported fellow Republican Newt Gingrich

At his trial in San Diego federal court, the bribes Cunningham admitted receiving included:

• House sale at an inflated price,
• The free use of the yacht
• A used Rolls-Royce
• Antique furniture
• Persian rugs
• Jewelry
• $2,000 contribution for his daughter's college graduation party.

The attorney representing Cunningham, Mark Holscher, would later admit that the government's evidence was so overwhelming that he had no choice but to recommend a guilty plea.

Cunningham faced a maximum of 10 years; if he caught the case and lost, he could have been sentenced to prison for the rest of his life, so he took a plea.

As part of his guilty plea, Cunningham agreed to forfeit his $2.55 million home in Rancho Santa Fe, and also more than $1.8 million in cash, antiques, rugs, and other items.

Cunningham also agreed to help the government investigate and prosecute others involved in the defense contractor bribery scandal. However Wikipedia states, "news reports surfaced stating that Cunningham was not cooperating with investigators despite the agreement. A week later, Cunningham, through his lawyer, announced that he was ready to cooperate."

He was sentenced to 100 months in prison and should be released next year. At this point, the man had changed greatly, losing almost 100 pounds during the course of his investigation and trial. His defiant stance was gone with the wind, and Cunningham is described as appearing very contrite, sullen and overcome by emotion when he read his prepared statement announcing that he was stepping down:

“

When I announced several months ago that I would not seek re-election, I publicly declared my innocence because I was not strong enough to face the truth. So, I misled my family, staff, friends, colleagues, the public — even myself. For all of this, I am deeply sorry. The truth is — I broke the law, concealed my conduct, and disgraced my high office. I know that I will forfeit my freedom, my reputation, my worldly possessions, and most importantly, the trust of my friends and family. ... In my life, I have known great joy and great sorrow. And now I know great shame. I learned in Viet Nam that the true measure of a man is how he responds to adversity. I cannot undo what I have done. But I can atone. I am now almost 65 years old and, as I enter the twilight of my life, I intend to use the remaining time that God grants me to make amends.

”

I don't honestly know what exactly to make of the story of Randy 'Duke' Cunningham. It seems he was able to both fight and bluff his way through some real storms, he went from executing high-speed maneuvers for his nation, to deceitful deals to improve his personal finances, remaining aloof and strong, until he crumbled as a California politician. Strength, that is the obvious mark of people like Cunningham. It is also the mark of the United States, and like Cunningham, when the country relies on muscle flexing and dishonest and brazen political leaders, we all end up in a whole lot of trouble, facing a harsh sentence.

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Tim King in 2007, covering the Afghanistan War

Tim King: Salem-News.com Editor and Writer

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