Combat vets in Congress recall 'chance you might not come back'

By MARK SHERMAN
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) Twelve years ago, Lt. Col. Jim Gibbons strapped himself into his RF-4 reconnaissance plane in the hours before the start of fighting, stared at a family portrait and considered he might never see his wife and children again.

``When the canopy comes down, you're heading into a situation where you don't know the outcome. There's a chance you might not come back,'' said Gibbons, now a Republican lawmaker from Nevada.

Gibbons, who flew Air Force jets in Vietnam and the first Gulf War, and other combat veterans in Congress had occasion to reflect on their experiences with the start of fighting in Iraq. Rep. Randy ``Duke'' Cunningham, R-Del Mar, flew combat missions in Vietnam off the decks of aircraft carriers. Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, also was in Vietnam as a staff sergeant in the 173rd Airborne Brigade.

The Republicans backed President Bush's decision to go to war in Iraq, while Thompson was opposed. All three have expressed unwavering support for U.S. troops.

Cunningham, 61, was a Navy Top Gun who became the nation's first Vietnam ``ace.'' He was a highly decorated pilot who shot down three North Vietnamese MIGs in one day.

But, like Gibbons, Cunningham recalled the uncertainty that gnawed at him before his first combat mission off the USS Constellation.

``I couldn't sleep because I knew I would be flying over North Vietnam in a few hours. When the sun came up, there were pilots all along the rail,'' he said.

``The people that think that combat is glorious, I'd say 100 percent of them would find out it's a lot of heartache,'' Cunningham said. ``I asked myself the questions these kids are asking today. How will I perform under duress? Will I cut and run or stand my ground?''

Thompson, reticent about his four months in Vietnam, would no doubt agree that combat was anything but glorious. He was seriously wounded and sent back to the United States.

His vote last fall against giving Bush authority to use force in Iraq was based in part on his belief that ``if there is any way to avert a war, I think we should do it.''

Thompson, 52, enlisted in the Army, arriving in Vietnam in 1970 when he was 19.

``I didn't do anything special. I was just a soldier there. I went where my country called,'' he said.

He returned home on a stretcher, landing at Travis Air Force Base and being transported by bus to a nearby hospital.

``There were protesters near the hospital gate and they started pushing on the bus. That was a little disheartening,'' Thompson said. ``I thought for a while that I had made it back alive from Vietnam only to be in a bus that was going to get rolled over in California.''

Gibbons, 58, was a 25-year-old 1st lieutenant in Vietnam, flying A-37 jets that provided support for ground troops and helicopter rescue missions.

His first mission was a napalm run led by a seasoned pilot.

``I had no idea what was going to happen,'' Gibbons said. ``I just watched what he did and I did it.''

More than two decades later, Gibbons was a member of the state Assembly when his National Guard unit was called up to active duty in 1990.

By January 1991, Gibbons was at an airfield in Bahrain, waiting for the order to fly to Baghdad in the vanguard of an attack force.

``I can tell you that whether you're a young first lieutenant or a lieutenant colonel, the emotional rollercoaster is the same. There are a lot of conflicting emotions welling up in those early hours,'' he said. ``But you're willing to take the risk, and somehow once you're in action, instincts take over and the emotions don't cloud your ability to do the job.''

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)