By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
“We were saving lives from enemy fire.”
That’s how Frank Urbanic sums up his years as a combat pilot — simply, and without hesitation. At 92, he still carries his military posture, though with a relaxed spirit when he speaks of his service to this nation.
Urbanic flew 248 combat missions in the U.S. Air Force A-1E Skyraider. The Skyraider pilots were the team that came in to rescue downed airmen during the Vietnam War and provided backup for U.S. ground forces in intense battles.
“We provided close air support when the Marines got in trouble,” said Urbanic.
As a member of the Skyraider unit, Urbanic was part of the team of pilots portrayed in the 2006 film Rescue Dawn, a Vietnam War movie depicting the rescue of U.S. Navy pilot Dieter Dengler.
“A Navy pilot had been shot down and was held captive. He escaped from the Laotians,” Urbanic explained.
“I was proud to be on that rescue. We were the ones who provided the firepower for the Jolly Green helicopters, as they were called,” said Urbanic.
As for the accuracy of the movie, Urbanic felt it was fairly accurate.
Urbanic served in Vietnam from 1965 to 1967. His plane carried up to 8,000 pounds of ordnance along with four 20-millimeter cannons. Born in Galveston, he now calls Friendswood home. After his military service, he kept his passion for flight alive in small-engine planes.
