I am grateful that my dad was exempt from Vietnam because of a medical condition.  He would have been proud to serve - in fact, he was disappointed he couldn't - but it spared his family the worry and trauma of not knowing.  I cannot imagine living through what Ms. Smith and her family went through.  I am so grateful they now have closure and Lt. Comm. Bisz is coming home to rest in peace.

Mr. Rutherford,

I have been following with some interest the news about the recent confirmed identification of Navy Pilot Lt. Commander Ralph C. Bisz.

He was my Big Brother at the Theta Delta Chapter of the Chi Phi Fraternity at The University of Florida in 1963.  I knew him well.

As an underclassman, I had never lived away from home, much less at a fraternity at a major university.  Ralph was an especially good Big Brother for me as he took a sincere interest in helping me adjust to life away from home, in a fraternity, at a big school.

I have good memories of Ralph.  For instance, many men at college, and especially in fraternities, had their rooms plastered with pinups  of Playmates--and other pretty ladies.

However, Ralph's room was decorated on every square inch of every wall with pictures of airplanes. Airplanes--large and small, old and new. Sharing his interest in airplanes, I would sometimes visit him in his room. He never minded interrupting his studies to talk with me, about my problems or about airplanes.  He truly loved airplanes.

And then there was the one about the Pledge prank where Ralph's small sport car was disassembled, carefully carried through French doors, through the dining room, and re-assembled in the living room--where it remained for about a week.  The prank was not aimed at Ralph; no, he was too good natured. It was another skirmish in the Battle of the Pledges vs. the Brothers.

Understandably, not a Pledge was to be found at the Frat house for about a week.  The Brothers refused to touch the car. Finally Ralph said enough was enough, and the Pledges had the car back in the parking lot in short order, in perfect condition.  Ralph didn't mind, and secretly, I think he enjoyed it all.

I have several other stories, some photos, and UF yearbooks showing Ralph at the Fraternity. I have been in touch with his cousin, Diane Smith, and shared several of my memories of Ralph.  She has invited me to Arlington.

I have also communicated with the Chi Phi National Headquarters and discovered that Ralph's dad, Ralph J. Bisz, was also initiated into Chi Phi at the University of Florida in the mid-'20s, making his son a Legacy. I intend to help the National Headquarters update information about Ralph's entry into the Chapter Eternal.

I have recently retired after 40 years as a Professor of English.

Thank you, Mr. Rutherford, for the excellent MSNBC article about my Fraternal Big Brother, Lt. Commander Ralph C. Bisz.

Sincerely,

Terry Miller, Ed.D.
Professor of English, Emeritus

Mr. Rutherford,
I thank you warmly for covering this most important and special story, and in remembering Ralph “Skip” Bisz, and his family in Florida. I know this story most intimately because I have studied and followed it’s progression for some time.
I am the South East Asia/Vietnam Conflict case program manager for the US Navy Prisoner Of War/Missing In Action Casualty Branch, and was part of a small notification team that personally visited Ms. Diane Smith and her three brothers in Florida to present the official U.S. government findings that identified Skip, their first cousin who grew up with them locally in the Miami area.
As a seasoned military historian, I have studied this particular MIA case for many years while researching the distinguished US Navy attack squadron that Skip flew with in Vietnam, VA-163, “The Saints”, flying A-4E “Skyhawks” off the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany. Fresh out of advanced flight training in mid-1966, “Skip” was assigned right to the “Saints” as his first unit, just in time to start his first of two combat cruises with VA-163 in 1966, and again in 1967.
For a young man of only 25 years, Skip had accomplished a great deal as a Naval Aviator, having flown numerous combat missions during both combat cruises with VA-163 (one of the most accomplished and combat-experienced attack units in the Navy), and having survived the disastrous USS Oriskany shipboard fire in October of 1966 (which killed 44 men). In fact, although Skip was a junior officer at the time of his loss (he was a Lieutenant, Junior Grade/O-2), he was one of the few “Saints” who had actual combat experience during the 1967-68 cruise, as a result of his 1966 combat cruise. Thus, he was a true combat-seasoned veteran, possessing a great deal of battle experience and knowledge under his belt.
The “Saints” were known as being a fearless, tough, and tenacious attack unit, taking on many of the very difficult and challenging combat attack missions over North Vietnam. Partly as a result, they also incurred the highest loss rate of any aviation unit during one given combat cruise (namely the 1967-68 cruise). Over the course of this six month cruise, the “Saints” lost eight pilots listed as either Killed In Action, Missing In Action, or Prisoner Of War. Five pilots were KIA/MIA (Skip included), and three were taken POW (John McCain included). (As Skip was lost on 04 August 1967, and then-LCDR John McCain reported to VA-163 at the end of September 1967, I would suspect that neither man knew each other, save them possibly crossing paths when Skip was in flight training in 1965 and into 1966 (McCain was a flight instructor himself).)
Further, VA-163 lost a total of 12 A-4E aircraft during the 1967-68 combat cruise, which is the majority of their assigned aircraft that they initially started the cruise with. Of the entire war, 1967 was the year that saw the hottest action over North Vietnam, and endured the highest annual aircraft loss rate between all U.S. military services. Modern warfare has not replicated in any semblance the sheer ferocity and lethality of the air war over Vietnam in over 40 years since.
Re: the overall VA-163 pilot losses during this 1967-68 combat cruise, of the five total KIA/MIA pilots, the remains of three “Saints” have been found, recovered, and returned to their families in the ensuing 40 years since their loss (Skip included among them). Tragically, two “Saints” are still unaccounted for, with their loss sites unknown, or no remains found. The three “Saints” taken POW were released in March of 1973 (John McCain among them).
Accounting for LCDR Ralph “Skip” Bisz is a shining example of the dedication, perseverance, and desire that our Nation illustrates daily and year round, in searching for, finding, recovering, and identifying our dead and missing from past wars. Thousands of personnel (military and civilian alike) work in various agencies across the country with one singular and noble mission: to identify and bring our missing service members home, and to provide long-awaited closure to their families. Our country owes this debt of gratitude to the thousands of Americans who paid the ultimate sacrifice in battle, and still await their return from foreign lands overseas. Skip was but one of them, and thanks to the extraordinary efforts of many individuals, he will finally be brought home to a hero’s welcome, and laid to rest alongside other heroes at Arlington. I for one will be there, remembering and honoring his life, his memory, and his service. This lean, lanky kid from Florida, with the broad smile and boyish looks, who wanted nothing more than to fly military jets, deserves absolutely nothing less.

With Respect,

Alejandro (Alex) Villalva
SEA/Vietnam Conflict Case Program Manager U.S. Navy POW/MIA Casualty Branch

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