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515:. With a 500-foot ceiling, five miles' visibility, light rain, and 15 knots of surface wind, Chambers ordered the ship to make 25 knots into the wind. Warnings about the dangerous downdrafts created behind a steaming carrier were transmitted blind in both Vietnamese and English. To make matters worse, five additional UH-1s landed and cluttered up the deck. Chambers ordered them scuttled as well. Captain Chambers recalled in an article in the Fall 1993 issue of the Naval Aviation Museum Foundatio's
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s crew attempted to contact the aircraft on emergency frequencies but the pilot continued to circle overhead with his landing lights turned on. When a spotter reported that there were at least four people in the two-place aircraft, all thoughts of forcing the pilot to ditch alongside were
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the aircraft cleared the ramp and touched down on center line at the normal touchdown point. Had he been equipped with a tailhook he could have bagged a number 3 wire. He bounced once and came stop abeam of the island, amid a wildly cheering, arms-waving flight deck
551:. He also called Buang-Ly the "Bravest man I have ever met in my life" and said of his decision to allow Ly to land that "When a man has the courage to put his family in a plane and make a daring escape like that, you have to have the heart to let him in."
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abandoned—it was unlikely the passengers of the overloaded Bird Dog could survive the ditching and safely escape before the plane sank. After three tries, Major Buang managed to drop a note from a low pass over the deck:
453:, the Vice President of South Vietnam, landed on the flight deck, Chambers figured the operation was underway. Soon the carrier's flight deck was full of helicopters carrying refugees from the
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Chambers had mixed feelings about his time at the Naval
Academy, not returning to visit for twenty years. He would later say, "While I had some good memories, I also had some tough memories."
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Can you move the helicopter to the other side, I can land on your runway, I can fly for one hour more, we have enough time to move. Please rescue me! Major Buang, wife and 5 child.
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s flight deck. The arresting wires were then removed, all helicopters that could not be safely or quickly relocated were pushed over the side and into the sea. An estimated
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was so impressed that they established a fund to help him and his family get settled in the United States. The Bird Dog that Major Buang landed is now on display at the
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368:, serving as the ship's commanding officer until December 1976. After being promoted to rear admiral, Chambers later served as commander of
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263:, encouraged him to apply there. Chambers did and became the second African American to graduate from the Naval Academy on June 6, 1952.
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Major Buang was escorted to the bridge, where
Chambers congratulated him on his outstanding piloting and his bravery. The crew of
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https://www.facebook.com/notes/uss-midway-museum/karls-korner-admiral-lawrence-chambers-the-pathfinder/10153302102097765/
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Chambers has stated that he received no official order to start the operation, which began on April 29. Instead, when
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220:, in 1929, Chambers was the third of five children raised by his mother, Charlotte Chambers (including his brother
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Carrier Task Force CO, Admiral
William L. Harris, Chambers issued the order to allow the plane to land on the
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and then, following postgraduate education, transitioned to jet light attack aircraft, flying the
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and commander of the corps of cadets, Chambers considered using the college/university level
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Island. After evading enemy ground fire, Major Buang headed out to sea and spotted the
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On April 29, 2015, Chambers traveled to San Diego, California, to speak aboard USS
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After retiring from the Navy, Chambers became director of program development at
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UH-1H is pushed overboard to make room for Major Buang to land his Cessna O-1.
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278:. His first fleet assignment was to an air-antisubmarine warfare squadron,
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In 1954, after 18 months of flight training, Chambers was designated as a
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Blue & Gold and Black: Racial
Integration of the U.S. Naval Academy
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http://www.navsource.org/archives/02/people/chambers_lawrence_c.jpg
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From 1968 to 1971, Chambers flew combat missions over
Vietnam from
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for four or five weeks and believed that his order would get him
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major Buang-Ly loaded his wife and five children into a two-seat
286:. Transitioning to the light attack community, he later flew the
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232:). After Chambers' father died, his mother began working in the
823:" by Deepa Bharath, The Orange County Register, April 30, 2010.
606:, Naval History and Heritage Command, accessed March 16, 2013.
430:, Chambers was ordered to "make best speed" to the waters off
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by
Maureen Cavanaugh and Natalie Walsh, KPBS, April 29, 2010.
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with his wife and five children, thereby saving their lives.
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In April 1975, while in command of the aircraft carrier USS
563:. In 2010, Chambers took part in commemorations honoring
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Major Buang-Ly could land on the aircraft carrier in a
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At the time, Chambers had only been in command of USS
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376:. He finished his career as vice commander of the
821:Refugees 'come home' to the Midway after 35 years
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446:with the engineering plant partially torn apart.
876:21st-century African-American military personnel
715:. Texas A&M University Press. pp. 99–.
916:United States Navy personnel of the Vietnam War
604:African American Flag Officers in the U.S. Navy
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181:and the first African-American graduate of the
310:) as its first commanding officer, flying the
247:in Washington, D.C. After graduating as class
881:African-American United States Navy personnel
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259:, the first African American graduate of the
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886:Dunbar High School (Washington, D.C.) alumni
675:Johnson Publishing Company (November 1981).
511:helicopters were pushed overboard into the
353:In January 1975, Chambers became the first
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658:D.C. grad ranks high at U.S. Naval Academy
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255:program to also pay for college. However,
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761:USS Midway Veterans Recall Fall of Saigon
709:Robert J. Schneller (19 December 2007).
185:to reach flag rank. While in command of
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418:Major Buang's O-1 after landing aboard
627:. Infobase Publishing. pp. 56–7.
839:. Earl G. Graves, Ltd. pp. 42–.
7:
926:African Americans in the Vietnam War
833:Earl G. Graves, Ltd. (August 1985).
438:overran the country to take part in
683:. Johnson Publishing Company: 118.
306:. He then established VA-67 (later
168:Lawrence Cleveland "Larry" Chambers
906:United States Naval Academy alumni
372:and later as interim commander of
170:(born June 10, 1929) is the first
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776:, pp. 119–120. Jones Publishing.
660:, The Afro American, Jun 7, 1952.
624:African Americans in the Military
621:Catherine Reef (1 January 2004).
921:United States Navy rear admirals
896:Military personnel from Virginia
492:After consultation with the USS
410:Major Buang's O-1 touching down.
422:during Operation Frequent Wind.
807:, 2004. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
561:System Development Corporation
534:National Naval Aviation Museum
1:
901:People from Bedford, Virginia
335:and placed in command of the
331:. In 1972 he was promoted to
202:Republic of Vietnam Air Force
911:United States Naval Aviators
538:Naval Air Station Pensacola
23:Lawrence Cleveland Chambers
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462:South Vietnamese air force
400:South Vietnamese Air Force
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370:Carrier Strike Group Three
349:Rear Adm. Chambers in 1982
130:Carrier Strike Group Three
378:Naval Air Systems Command
374:Carrier Strike Group Four
159:Meritorious Service Medal
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342:, a combat stores ship.
212:Early life and education
75:United States of America
565:Operation Frequent Wind
440:Operation Frequent Wind
390:Operation Frequent Wind
384:Operation Frequent Wind
236:to support the family.
194:Operation Frequent Wind
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16:American naval officer
455:fall of South Vietnam
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224:, who later became a
154:Vietnam Service Medal
92:Years of service
772:Shiel, Walt (1995).
444:Subic Bay Naval Base
282:, where he flew the
805:Focus on the Family
466:Cessna O-1 Bird Dog
284:Grumman AF Guardian
239:Chambers served in
206:Cessna O-1 Bird Dog
800:2008-05-06 at the
795:"Clear the Decks."
468:and took off from
460:On that same day,
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261:U.S. Naval Academy
245:Dunbar High School
226:lieutenant general
86:United States Navy
722:978-1-60344-000-4
634:978-1-4381-0775-2
218:Bedford, Virginia
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243:while attending
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172:African American
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35:Chambers in 2018
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174:to command a
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61:(age 95)
59:June 10, 1929
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848:. Retrieved
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136:Battles/wars
123:
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104:Rear admiral
871:1929 births
540:, Florida.
296:A-4 Skyhawk
241:Junior ROTC
150:Bronze Star
140:Vietnam War
41:Nickname(s)
865:Categories
578:References
555:Later life
517:Foundation
388:See also:
72:Allegiance
55:1929-06-10
845:0006-4165
689:0012-9011
509:UH-1 Huey
507:worth of
363:USS
337:USS
326:USS
319:USS
230:U.S. Army
198:UH-1 Huey
187:USS
176:U.S. Navy
124:Coral Sea
122:USS
114:USS
95:1952–1984
850:16 March
798:Archived
728:16 March
694:16 March
640:16 March
328:Oriskany
216:Born in
110:Commands
80:Service/
677:"Ebony"
470:Con Son
333:captain
228:in the
192:during
44:"Larry"
843:
780:
719:
687:
631:
572:Midway
545:Midway
530:Midway
498:Midway
494:Midway
478:Midway
476:. The
474:Midway
428:Midway
420:Midway
365:Midway
361:, the
321:Ranger
300:VA-125
292:VA-215
270:Career
222:Andrew
189:Midway
146:Awards
116:Midway
82:branch
67:, U.S.
681:Ebony
524:crew.
501:'
481:'
308:VA-15
304:VA-22
298:with
290:with
280:VS-37
852:2013
841:ISSN
778:ISBN
730:2013
717:ISBN
696:2013
685:ISSN
642:2013
629:ISBN
324:and
302:and
253:ROTC
100:Rank
49:Born
536:at
434:as
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398:A
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53:(
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