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Col. James C. Harding,
U.S. Air Force Retired. During 23 years as a fighter
pilot, Col. Harding distinguished himself in numerous
occasions of courage and daring. Among many honorable
awards, he was decorated with the Air Force Cross, a
mark of distinction second only to the Medal of Honor.
James and Barbara Harding are putting the finishing
touches on their gorgeous log home, located not far
from where Carroll County Lake is being slowly excised
from 900 acres of ground in the Leach community,
outside Huntingdon.
The majestic cypress log walls and natural, fluted
interior columns provide a breathtaking setting for
equally awing rosewood and teak furniture and deeply
carved tables and chairs from Thailand and other
countries. Everywhere one looks is another interesting
conversation piece, the exotic appeal of the items
contrasting deliciously with the homey aroma of
Barbara's baking.
The couple moved to Carroll County in 2001, following
other family members who relocated, one by one, to the
area starting around 27 years ago. First came Barbara's
twin sister Peggy Rose, then her brother Kerry MaGee
and finally her parents, each of whom visited the
locale and, finding it to their liking, followed suite.
Now in their 21st year of marriage, Jim says he was a
lucky man to find Barbara, the sincerity in his eyes
saying more than his declaration that she is one of the
nicest women anyone could ever meet.
As for Jim, he was molded in the days when boys were
raised in the expectation that they would become men,
unhindered by political correctness and misdirected
assertions of equality that, nowadays, seem eager to
whittle at the very nature of the male of our species.
A substitute teacher at Huntingdon High School with 14
years of experience as commandant of Air Force Junior
ROTC programs in Florida, Hawaii, Germany, Texas, and
Italy, Jim says, "It's really interesting, because I
like to work with youngsters, especially if I think I
can have a positive influence on them."
He has been privy, over the years, to a bird's eye view
of society's changing norms and the influence of those
changes on children. "The problem I see with so many
youngsters today is they don't have a good home base,"
he says, "They're not taught discipline, they're not
taught family values, and many don't have a complete
family unit: they live with their mother or their
father or their aunt."
He credits the stability of his own family background
with the strength exemplified in his personal
experiences.
"We were taught values from the time we could talk, and
that's what I hope to pass on to these youngsters: good
moral character, honesty and the fact that they can
probably do anything they want to, if they put their
minds to it. I know they can, because if I could, they
can, and nobody could come from any poorer background
than I did."
No matter the circumstances of their lives, Harding
urges the youth of today - notwithstanding the positive
aspects of heritage and good family relationships - to
"ignore where you come from and try to concentrate on
where you're going to go."
"You don't have to come from a rich family to be
successful or have a smart mother or father to be a
smart child," he says as an example. "You can do it
yourself, but you have to have the desire and tenacity
to get there."
Jim was born in Brookfield, Pennsylvania on June 27,
1934, the third of six children with an older sister
and brother and two younger brothers and a younger
sister.
He grew up with a "tremendous amount of respect" for
his father, instinctively communicating with "yes, sir"
and "no, sir"; never "yeah" or "no".
For most of his childhood, his family lived at his
grandfather's Maplevale Farm, a dairy establishment
about 15 miles from Roundtop Farm, from which his
mother had hailed, his father walking the miles to
court her in earlier years.
By the time he completed his junior year of high
school, however, he'd had enough of dairy farming, and
left home for Gunnison, Colorado, where he worked on a
ranch as well as completing his final year of high
school.
"I got a job the first day I was there," he grins,
recalling he was walking down the road when he was
offered the position.
Quitting school was never an option for Jim, despite
his early independence. Still interested in
agriculture, he chose to further his education at Penn
State, which he says was one of best agricultural
schools in the country, with the best cattle.
Besides, the school had extended to him a 100% football
scholarship. There, he played football for Joe Paterno,
the famed Penn State coach now in his 55th year as
football coach at the institution.
During the years of the Korean conflict, the draft was
an imposing obstacle to young men hoping to make it
through four years of higher education. After the first
two years of mandatory ROTC (Reserve Officer Training
Corps), students not enrolled in the final two years of
the program immediately became eligible for the draft,
with no deferment for student status.
Jim continued in the program, and after graduating in
1956, chose to give the Air Force a try rather than
opting to play football for the Rams or accepting a
tempting job in agriculture.
The trial run stretched into 23 years in the Air Force,
during which time Jim distinguished himself as few men
have, earning the Air Force Cross for extraordinary
heroism while engaged in action against an enemy of the
United States. During the Vietnam War, in which Jim
served, only 179 total awards of the Air Force Cross
were made. The distinction is second only to the Medal
of Honor.
He was also awarded the Silver Star with two oak leaf
clusters, representing three instances of gallantry in
action against an enemy of the United States; the
Legion of Merit with one oak leaf cluster, recognizing
Jim for having distinguished himself twice by
exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of
outstanding services; the Distinguished Flying Cross
with eight oak leaf clusters for nine instances of
exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of
outstanding services; the Bronze Star with "V" device
and one oak leaf cluster for having twice demonstrated
heroic or meritorious achievement or service not
involving participation in aerial flight, in connection
with military operations against an armed enemy during
combat; the Purple Heart with three oak leaf clusters,
indicating he was wounded in action four times; the
Meritorious Service Medal for outstanding achievement
or meritorious service to the United States; the Air
Medal with 39 oak leaf clusters, denoting 40 instances
of single acts of heroism or meritorious achievements
while participating in aerial flight and foreign
military personnel in actual combat in support of
operations; the Air Force Commendation Medal with one
oak leaf cluster for meritorious achievement and
service; and many other awards bestowed upon him by a
grateful country.
Jim became an instructor pilot after a year of getting
his own wings wet, and was a member of the "War Hawks"
aerial demonstration team for a time at Lackland Air
Force base in Texas.
He was stationed in Okinawa - responsible for drawing
up contingency plans in case "something happened" in
countries like Vietnam, Thailand and Korea - when in
1963 he began a two and a half year tour of duty in
Southeast Asia as an air liaison officer and forward
air controller for allied forces, flying 442 combat
missions in O-1 and U-10 aircraft, 101 of which were
over North Vietnam.
Harding smiles from the
cockpit during his first tour of duty in Southeast
Asia.
"You never knew," Harding begins in the easy tone of an
experienced educator, "at the time, during the Cold
War, we had problems with communists trying to assert
their will."
He had also flown "essentially combat missions" while
stationed at McDill Air Force Base in Florida in
support of operations over Cuba.
"We didn't actually drop anything; we flew out there to
back up (President John F.) Kennedy's words," he says,
describing days that began at 3:00 a.m. when pilots
readied their planes and flew to the island "in case
they were needed."
"It was a show of force more than anything, but we did
have live ammunition and would have used it," he
declares.
The Russian government had embraced revolutionary
leader Fidel Castro while the United States, reacting
to the nationalization of "millions of acres of Cuban
land previously held by American companies" and,
eventually, U.S. owned oil refineries and other
industries, initiated a complete trade embargo against
the country.
In time, with Russia moving nuclear missiles into the
tiny country less than 100 miles away from the United
States, the United States and Cuba faced off as the
U.S. sought to prevent Russian ships from bringing
additional weapons into Cuba.
The show of force wrought by U.S. military men and
machines worked.
"They blinked," Jim says, "but we made some
concessions; it wasn't all power."
Among those concessions was the removal of intermediate
range ballistic missiles in Great Britain, which had
the potential to reach Russia, as well as a reduction
of forces in Turkey.
"In my estimation, we shouldn't have made those
concessions," Harding says steadily. "We had the upper
hand and we should have kept it."
He credits the strong military supported by former
President Ronald Reagan with the collapse of communism
and President George W. Bush's leadership with the
suppression of terrorism.
"If Reagan hadn't been strong, they would still be
there; if Bush hadn't been strong, Iraq would still be
a problem, Libya would still be a problem," he says,
"and I really think (Bush's solid stance) has had an
effect on North Korea and Iran as well.
"Everything he does is from the heart, and he's put it
on the line," Harding continues with quiet sincerity,
"There's a real need for someone like George W. Bush to
be in leadership up there."
The rapid growth of the Moslem religion alongside other
major religions like Buddhism, Hinduism and Shinto,
threaten the future of the United States as we know it,
he counsels. "We as Christians are a tremendous
minority; there are so many of those people."
And, he says, we have decided in this country to let
the minority rule and that should not be. "In no way
should we mistreat anyone, but we shouldn't let them
rule us (the country)," he says.
Not blind to the similarities of people across the
world, however, Harding embraces friendships with high
ranking Iranian, Israeli and Saudi officers with whom
he trained in Air War College in the late 70's. "We
still keep in touch," he says of the relationships
forged with the men.
Harding had a four year break between Southeast Asian
tours, from 1967 until 1971 serving as section
commander and lecturer for Squadron Officer School at
Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama. While there, he also
obtained his master's degree through an extension
campus of Auburn University.
In 1971, he assumed command of the 1st Special
Operations Squadron "Hobos" and "Sandys" at Nakon
Phenom Royal Thai Air Base in Thailand. During the year
in which he commanded the unit, he flew 154 missions in
A-1 Skyraider aircraft, bringing his total combat
missions to 596, with 139 of those missions over North
Vietnam, all in propeller aircraft.
This time, rather than the supporting role he had
assumed during his previous 2 1/2 year stint in
Southeast Asia, guiding allied forces into targets by
marking them with smoke rockets or describing landmarks
in low-flying aircraft, his missions revolved around
the rescue of downed pilots and the support of ground
forces. The pilots used "Hobo" call signs during ground
support missions and the "Sandy" designation during
rescue operations.
Harding was "Sandy 01" during the mission for which he
was awarded the Air Force Cross, a daring operation
that last April was featured on the History Channel.
Marine A-6 pilot Clyde Smith had been shot down in Laos
over "one of the hottest segments" of the Ho Chi Minh
Trail. Rescue was deemed next to impossible, with a
proliferation of surface-to-air missile sites and
anti-aircraft artillery sites in the area as well as
North Vietnamese ground forces within easy reach of the
crash site.
Undeterred, then-Major Harding persuaded the 7th Air
Force to approve the mission.
On the ground, Smith was addled after "a voice speaking
perfect English", over the rescue frequency, requested
his location.
Only after conceding he was in the vicinity of the
wreckage did he realize the voice was not that of
friendly forces. "We'll be there in a few minutes," the
voice had replied, although it was dark and the Marine
was aware rescue attempts were never attempted at
night. His fears were confirmed when he asked for the
speaker's call sign and received only silence in reply.
A couple of hours later, hearing the sound of an
aircraft above him, he turned on his survival radio and
transmitted his call sign, receiving a response from
Sandy 01 who, after ensuring his safety, advised him to
remain hidden until he could return the following
morning.
Harding headed out on the morning of April 10 with four
Sandies (two search and rescue teams) plus two "Jolly
Green" rescue helicopters, two OV-10 Broncos (for
forward air control), HC-130 personnel (whose primary
mission is to provide air refueling for rescue
helicopters), F-105 "Iron Hand" aircraft with Shrike
anti-radiation missiles for the SAM sites and an F-4
Phantom II combat air patrol to deter any attempts at
air-to-air engagements.
The job of the Sandies' A-1 Skyraiders was to run
interference for the rescue helicopter, Harding says,
explaining the aircraft could remain airborne for long
periods, fly slow enough to be very accurate, was
extremely maneuverable, and could take a lot of hits
without being shot down.
Smith had spent the night aware of constant activity
around him, by daylight realizing he was lying
alongside a small ridge under cover of elephant grass
that grew four or five feet high. Several times enemy
troops stood within feet of him, so close he was
convinced he'd been seen. As soon as possible, he
burrowed to the bottom of the gully where, for four
days, he was concealed by dense foliage, eventually
moving into a hole at the bottom of an uprooted tree.
With ground fire still too heavy to attempt rescue, the
mission was called off for the day, though Harding and
a forward air control continued to work for some time
after being advised of the decision.
In an article written by Lt. Col. Clyde Smith after his
retirement from the U.S. Marine Corps, he stated,
"Listening to these professionals calmly going about
their job under fire was something that will stay with
me the rest of my life."
Harding explains, "First, you're trained to do a job
and you do it. If you're busy enough, it doesn't bother
you."
He switches to a more familiar football analogy: Why
would a running back run right at the defensive line
knowing they're going to be tackled, and it's going to
hurt?
"In the back of his mind, he knows he's going to be
successful," Harding answers in an earnest voice. "I
had very strong feeling we were going to be
successful."
The fourth day, after being hampered by rain and
continuing heavy ground fire, the Navy contributed the
firepower of 78 aircraft from Smith's base ship, the
Coral Sea, to the rescue effort.
Every hour and a half, new planes went out to replace
those returning. By the time Harding advised Sandy 02
to bring in the Jolly Green, 180 sorties had been flown
to support the rescue without the loss of a single
aircraft or crewman.
Smith ran screaming at the helicopter when smoke from
his flare, blown away from his position, made it
difficult for rescuers to locate him. He grabbed the
penetrator - a bullet-shaped rescue apparatus - and
snapped his harness to the cable without regard for the
flaps designed to fold down to provide a seat.
Sandy 01 directed the helicopter to safety, then, an
hour and a half later, landed with the rest of the
rescue crew in Nakhon Phanom.
Walking up to Smith, Harding introduced himself: "Hi,
I'm Sandy 01."
The men who had challenged the opposite ends of fate to
emerge victorious threw their arms around each other in
triumph and appreciation.
"My first thought was, 'He looks just like Charlton
Heston,'" remarked Smith, smiling, during the History
Channel interview.
Harding recounts the emotion that gives way after the
mission is complete: "When you first see the guy you've
rescued and he sees you, there's a feeling of
tremendous accomplishment and joy that you flew in and
got this guy away from there and he's not going to be
in the Hanoi Hilton."
The narrative of Col. Harding's Air Force Cross award
reads: "The President of the United States of America,
authorized by Title 10, Section 8742, United States
Code, awards the Air Force Cross to Major James C.
Harding for extraordinary heroism in military
operations against an opposing armed force as an A-1
Tactical Fighter Pilot in Southeast Asia from 10 April
1972 to 13 April 1972. During this period, Major
Harding was the on-scene commander of an extremely
hazardous and complex search and rescue mission that
was attempting to recover a downed American pilot who
was located in Laos. Major Harding made repeated passes
at low altitude and airspeed, directly over a hostile
gun position, in order to draw anti-aircraft fire and
pinpoint its position. In spite of battle damage to his
aircraft, Major Harding repeatedly counterattacked the
numerous heavy gun positions, thereby allowing the
vulnerable rescue helicopters to effect a safe and
successful recovery of the downed pilot. Through his
extraordinary heroism, superb airmanship, and
aggressiveness in the face of the enemy, Major Harding
reflected the highest credit upon himself and the
United States Air Force."
A month after the daring rescue, Harding was involved
in another search and rescue mission when he was shot
down by a Russian-made heat-seeking missile.
"I've experienced both ends; it's a far better feeling
to save someone," he acknowledges.
Floating downward in his parachute, he could see
foxholes below, inhabited by enemy troops who were
shooting at him. Hopes that his wingman could relay his
position were dashed when he heard an explosion and
realized he, too, had been shot down.
On the ground, Harding used his pistol to eliminate one
enemy position and commandeered an AK-47 rifle to take
out two more positions. From the ground, he first
directed the rescue of his wingman before his own, as
well as the eventual rescue of two American advisors
and three Vietnamese officers who had been surrounded
by 40,000 North Vietnamese troops. For his courage he
was awarded his third Silver Star.
Smiling broadly on
friendly terrain after being shot down and rescued from
behind enemy lines in North Vietnam, Major Jim Harding
is greeted by Wing Commander Jack
Robinson.
His first Silver Star and one of four Purple Hearts was
earned when, on July 16, 1965, he was returning from a
visual reconnaissance mission when he spotted a
concentration of Viet Cong troops preparing to ambush
South Vietnamese forces nearby. Wounded while
attempting to identify the group, he called for an air
strike but was advised it was too near dark to send
bombers. Unmindful of intense small arms fire, he put
his 0-1 Bird Dog - a small craft made by Cessna - into
a steep dive, maneuvering the craft with his feet and
knees while shooting out the window with his M-16.
After firing a hundred rounds of ammunition into the VC
positions, he resorted to his pistol, forcing the group
to withdraw into the jungle and allowing the South
Vietnamese forces to set up their own successful ambush
of the enemy forces.
Despite continuing diatribes on the futility of the
Vietnamese War and those who, today, decry the United
States' strong stance on terrorism, Harding's
experiences bear out the mid 1800 observation of John
Stuart Mill, who said, "War is an ugly thing, but not
the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state
of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that
nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has
nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which
is more important than his own personal safety, is a
miserable creature and has no chance of being free
unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men
than himself."
Col. Harding retired from the Air Force on July 31,
1979, after which he flew civilian aircrafts and
instructed new pilots as well as flying for charter
before embarking upon a new career as commandant of
several Junior ROTC programs, abbreviated by two stints
in Saudi Arabia in the employment of the Royal Saudi
Air Force headquarters in Riyadh.
Concerning his years as commandant of Junior ROTC
programs, he says, "It was a lot of fun; we learned a
lot and influenced a lot of young people. Barbara is
very good with young people; she's really quite good."
Now in their third year in Tennessee, Jim smiles, "It's
nice here; there are a lot of good old people here.
We've got a lot of good friends around here and of
course our family is here, too."
Jim has two children, Pamela, who lives outside Austin,
and Stefani, who resides at Camp Lejeune where her
husband is a Navy corpsman. Barbara's children, though
both she and Jim call the entire brood their own, are
Karen Voytek and Deana Fugere, both of whom live in
Huntingdon, and Jim and John Voytek, who reside in
Florida. They are the grandparents of 12 grandchildren. |
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