Thread by @CIA

OTD 1972:
Norman Schwartz & Robert Snoddy were in an ambush during a mission to extract an agent with a snatch (or aerial) pickup from Manchuria in Communist China

bit.ly/2Bw1R7x

#inmemoriam

Pilots Norman & Robert volunteered to fly their C-47 w a hook extended out the plane’s back door to snag a line between two upright poles on the ground. Agent would be connected to line by a harness. Once hook caught the line, agent would be snatched off the ground.
#inmemoriam

Two other CIA officers, John Downey & Richard Fecteau, were on board the plane to hoist the agent into the aircraft.

But unbeknownst to the team, they were about to fly into a trap – the agent on the ground had been turned by the Communist Chinese.

#inmemoriam

As plane came in low for pickup, flying @ only 60 knots, gunfire erupted. Norman & Robert directed aircraft nose up in wake of deadly crossfire, preventing immediate crash.
Engines cut out & plane glided to a controlled crash.
Both Norman & Robert died at the scene.
#inmemoriam

Downey & Fecteau survived. The men were captured, tried, and imprisoned by the Chinese. Fecteau was not released until December 1971; Downey was freed in March 1973.

Read & watch their story here:

bit.ly/2BmvGGZ

Norman Schwartz was raised in a working-class neighborhood in Louisville, Kentucky & was 5th of 7 siblings. As a teenager, his No. 1 priority was learning to fly.

He joined @USMC in 1943, & became a fighter pilot in Pacific theater during #WWII.

#inmemoriam

@USMC February 1948, Norman left @USMC to fly for Civil Air Transport (CAT)–a CIA proprietary company.

He piloted CAT aircraft for 4 years before tragedy in November 1952.

Norman was 29 years old when he died in the line of duty. He was survived by his parents & siblings.
#inmemoriam

Robert Snoddy first took up flying in 1940 under Civilian Pilot Training program in Oregon.
He joined @USNavy in 1942 while studying aeronautical engineering at @OregonState
He went on to serve as a Navy pilot in the Pacific.
#inmemoriam

@USNavy @OregonState Robert signed on to fly for CAT in June 1948.

He was 31 years old when he made the ultimate sacrifice.

3 weeks after he was killed, his wife gave birth to their daughter, the couple’s only child.
#inmemoriam

2004: Joint POW-MIA Accounting Command discovered human remains at the 1952 crash site.

2005: Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory ID’ed remains as Robert Snoddy’s.

To date, Norman Schwartz’s remains have not been found.
#inmemoriam

We honored Schwartz & Snoddy with stars on the CIA Memorial Wall in 1998.
Both men are remembered for their unquestionable bravery.

bit.ly/2Bw1R7x

#inmemoriam