Sam R. Rowland set down on the deck of USS America on 16 Sep1972. Having finished flight training and assignment to VA196. He was overjoyed that he would not be going to Vietnam since the USS America is an Atlantic Fleet ship. So he was taken completely off guard when the USS America received orders to report to Dixie Station located off the coast of South Vietnam. The carrier crossed the Mediterranean Sea and went through the Suez Canal, then crossed the Indian Ocean and entered the South China Sea. The carrier arrived at Dixie Station on 10 Nov1972 where Sam flew missions over South Vietnam in support of US and South Vietnamese forces there. A month and a half later the USS America sailed north and joined Task Force 77 at Yankee Station. The first mission Sam flew over North Vietnam was to bomb rail yards near Haiphong. It was still believed that if we cut off the supply lines we could relieve the pressure in the South. It was on this mission that Sam received his baptism by fire when his aircraft was hit by anti aircraft fire. He returned safely to the ship and found that he had a hole the size of a basketball in the vertical stabilizer/rudder assembly.

The next few missions were a completely new experience for Sam, his squadron was sent to mine Haiphong Harbor, in order to keep supply ships from entering the harbor. It was during these missions that Sam saw his first SA-2 missile (the dreaded Sam Missile). The rest of this first rotation went by uneventfully. The USS America then headed south again to the Philippines for much needed supplies and ever more important "shore leave".

On 13 Feb 1973 the USS America again arrived at Yankee Station and flight operation commenced immediately. Once again Sam was flying his A-6 Intruder over Haiphong rail yards. It was on 24 Feb 1973 that Sam's life was forever changed. The mission was to bomb a Power Plant southwest of Hanoi, the night was cloudless and the moon was bright (a gunners moon we called it). On the first pass at the target Sam's BN (bombadier/navagator) was unable to pick the target out of the ground clutter that radar picks up. So against all common sense Sam circled around to make another pass, it was then that the sky lit up like the Las Vegas Strip. There was so much anti aircraft fire that you could walk across the sky without falling. Then the threat monitor started squealing meaning that anti aircraft missile radar had found them. Sam saw the SA-2s launch, a total of 5 missiles were targeted at his aircraft. He escaped from 2 missiles by diving very low to the ground. But he was unable to escape the 3rd missile, which detonated directly over his aircraft. Both engines were destroyed by the shrapnel from the missile. His plane started losing altitude quickly now; he and his BN had no choice but to eject.

Sam was unable to see the ground and as he plummeted through the jungle canopy he lost his helmet when his head smashed against a branch of a large tree. He hit the ground hard and fell against a large rock injuring his back. Sam's first thoughts were to get to cover and hide. Imagine his horror when he entered the brush to find an automatic weapon aimed right at his head. But upon further examination he saw "round" eyes at the other end of that gun. Sam had fallen right on top of a Navy Seal covert operation in the area. They informed Sam that his BN had broken his neck and lay in the middle of a streambed nearby. Sam was told that they needed to leave the area immediately or risk getting caught. It was during the egress from the area that the group was indeed attacked by North Vietnamese forces. Sam was told to hug the ground while the Seals took care of things. It was about 5 minutes later when Sam raised up to see a North Vietnamese soldier aiming right for him. In the instant that followed Petty Officer Robert Fulton dove in front of Sam and gave his life to save him. The rest of the escape was fast and frenzied. A call was made and a pickup arranged, soon Sam was on his way back to the ship. The commanding officer of the Seal Team, told him on the flight back that he hoped his (Sam's) life would be worth the price paid.

Sam never flew again; he was put on no fly status for medical reasons. Sam suffered from posttraumatic distress syndrome for years and the dreams of that night haunt him still. He now lives in Grandview, Missouri.