Vance Drummond | |
|---|---|
.JPG) Vance Drummond at Kimpo, South Korea, 1951 | |
| Born | 22 February 1927 Hamilton, New Zealand |
| Died | 17 May 1967 (aged 40) Near Williamtown, New South Wales, Australia |
| Allegiance | New Zealand (1944–48) Australia (1949–67) |
| Service | Royal New Zealand Air Force (1944–45) New Zealand Military Forces (1946–48) Royal Australian Air Force (1949–67) |
| Service years | 1944–67 |
| Rank | Wing commander |
| Unit | No. 77 Squadron (1951–53) No. 75 Squadron (1961–64) 19th Tactical Air Support Squadron USAF (1966) |
| Commands | No. 3 Squadron (1967) |
| Battles / wars | Korean War Vietnam War |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross Air Force Cross Air Medal (US) Cross of Gallantry with Silver Star (South Vietnam) |
Vance Drummond, DFC, AFC (22 February 1927 – 17 May 1967) was a New Zealand–born Australian pilot who fought in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. He initially saw service in the New Zealand military, but joined the Royal Australian Air Force in 1949 and graduated as a sergeant pilot in 1951. Posted to No. 77 Squadron in Korea, he flew Gloster Meteor jet fighters and earned the US Air Medal for his combat skills. He was shot down by a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 in December 1951 and imprisoned for almost two years. After returning to Australia he converted to CAC Sabre jets and in December 1961 became a flight commander with No. 75 Squadron; he subsequently led the squadron's Black Diamonds aerobatic team, and was awarded the Air Force Cross in 1965.
Drummond was promoted to acting wing commander in December 1965 and posted to South Vietnam on staff duties with the United States Air Force. He joined the US Air Force's 19th Tactical Air Support Squadron, operating Cessna Bird Dog aircraft, as a forward air controller in July 1966. That month he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for his part in rescuing a company of soldiers surrounded by Viet Cong forces. In October he was awarded the South Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Silver Star. Drummond took command of No. 3 Squadron, flying Dassault Mirage IIIO supersonic fighters out of Williamtown, New South Wales, in February 1967. His Mirage crashed into the sea during a training exercise on 17 May; neither Drummond nor the plane was found.