page_title: Harold E. Comstock
section_title: Vietnam
hierarchical_section_title: Harold E. Comstock / Vietnam
caption_attribution_description: English: U.S. Air Force LtCol. Harold E. Comstock on a North American F-100D-25NA Super Sabre (s/n 55-3623).
context_page_description: Harold Elwood "Bunny" Comstock was an American fighter ace in the 56th Fighter Group during World War II, and a career fighter pilot in the United States Air Force. After a test flight of the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt on 13 November 1942, Republic Aviation issued a press release on 1 December 1942 claiming that he and fellow pilot, Lieutenant Roger Dyar had exceeded the speed of sound.
context_section_description: While assigned to Cannon AFB, Lieutenant Colonel Comstock commanded the 481st Tactical Fighter Squadron, which was deployed to Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Vietnam, in June 1965. On this tour, Comstock completed 132 combat missions and the squadron flew numerous combat sorties in support of the besieged troops at Plei Me and the Battle of Ia Drang Valley. On 15 November 1965, Comstock was flying the second of two North American F-100 Super Sabres that approached Landing Zone X-Ray with instructions to drop napalm.  The napalm from the first aircraft landed too close to American lines and resulted in American casualties. Comstock was about to release his load of napalm on the assigned area when a quick call instructed him to break off.  If he had dropped the napalm on the target as instructed, it would have killed Hal Moore, Joe Galloway, Basil Plumley, and numerous other soldiers of the 7th Cavalry. This battle, in the Ia Drang Valley, is detailed in the book and movie We Were Soldiers Once ... And Young.
  During the spring of 1968, Comstock had another tour in Vietnam as the 7th ABCCC "Cricket" commander and directed numerous missions in support of the Battle of Khe Sanh.
caption: LtCol Harold E. Comstock with F-100
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