Lucky Bag Yearbook

From the 1963 Lucky Bag:

CORAL VANCE SCHUFELDT

A tall six-foot-two, Vance, or “Moose” as his classmates fondly called him, was always easy to find. His engaging deep voice could be heard from the center of almost any crowd. Sunday mornings would find him lending his rich bass voice to the Antiphonal Choir. Afternoons, when he wasn’t looking for a longer mattress on which to study, he could be found at Hubbard Hall, rowing lightweight crew, or at the fencing loft practicing with the epee. Vance’s two years in the Navy before the Academy fully imbued him with a sense of thoroughness and order. He will be well remembered for his constant polishing and washing everything in sight. With a ready good nature for all, Vance managed the balance between leadership and comradeship with the ease of one well qualified for command. The Navy is gaining an officer of the highest caliber who will add much to his service and his profession.

Loss

Vance was lost on January 8, 1977 in an A-7 Corsair II accident on or near USS Nimitz (CVN 68) while operating in the Mediterranean Sea. He was the executive officer of Attack Squadron (VA) 82.

Other Information

From the September 1977 issue of Shipmate:

LCdr. Coral Vance Schufeldt USN died 8 January 1977. He was serving as executive officer of VA-82 at Naval Air Station. Cecil Field, at the time of his death. Memorial services were held at the station chapel on 13 January and on board Nimitz (CVN 68) on 18 January. Light Attack Wing ONE gave an honorary fly-by in the ceremonies at the Naval Air Station.

A native of Nebraska, he enlisted in the Navy in 1957 and subsequently was graduated from the Naval Academy in 1963. Orders to flight training followed and he was designated naval aviator in 1965. He was ordered to Attack Squadron 163 flying Skyhawks with deployment to Southeast Asia in Oriskany, his first of two tours in Vietnam, the other on board Hancock with Attack Squadron 212. For this service he was awarded the Silver Star, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, forty-seven Air Medals, five Navy Commendation Medals including one for leadership during the Oriskany fire, the Navy Unit Commendation, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, plus campaign decorations. In addition to his service in Vietnam, he had been a flight instructor with VA-44 in 1968, then reported to the Postgraduate school in August of 1969 and was awarded a Master of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering in 1971. In 1974 he was graduated from the Naval Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, then served at that station until August 1976 when he had a short tour with VA-174 prior to reporting to VA-82.

He is survived by his widow, Nancy, 144 Vanderford Rd., Orange Park FL 32073, and two daughters.

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Vance graduated from Central High School in 1957.

He received an alternate appointment to the Naval Academy by Senator Curtis in January, 1958.

In August, 1959, he graduated from the Naval Academy Preparatory School at Bainbridge. For his outstanding work, he was recommended for the Naval Academy by his fleet commander.

Vance participated in the four-day tour of the Military Academy at West Point in April, 1962.

He married Nancy Caroline Offenberg on June 5, 1963, at the Naval Academy.

In October 1965, he flew his A-4-E Skyhawk jet fighter-bomber across the Pacific to join an attack squadron aboard the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany. His wife and baby were living at Lemoore Naval Air Station.

In November 1966, Vance and other members of Oriskany’s VA-163 Saints squadron returned to the U.S.

In October 1967, Vance was credited with destroying the Phuc Yen air base control tower. Per The Hanford Sentinel: “I got a direct hit and razed the two-story structure and when I left it was clouded in smoke,” Schufeldt said.

In December 1967, Vance had completed 226 missions in Vietnam and was enroute to his next station at Jacksonville, Florida.

In July 1972, Vance was with Attack Squadron 212 in the Western Pacific aboard the aircraft carrier USS Hancock.

From the Lemoore Advance on October 5, 1972: Squadron Operations Officer LCDR C. Vance Schufeldt, who has seen every aspect of the bombing since 1965, reports the “tempo of operations was much higher than previously experienced. We launched more sorties than ever before in support of Allied forces in contact around Hue, An Loc, Phu Cat, Dak To, and Kontum.”

Remembering the mining effort, he says, “It was the first utilization of mine warfare since the Korean War, and it has made possible the interdiction of lines of communication without attendant civilian casualties.” LCDR Schufeldt has flown 475 combat missions, 250 of them with VA-212 since January.

In January 1974, Vance returned to Lemoore with Attack Squadron 212 from the USS Hancock.

His daughters were Margaret and Cynthia; sister Frances; and brothers Oran D., William Dlouhy, and Loran Vogel.

From the Hanford Sentinel on October 21, 1967:

USS ORISKANY AT SEA—The tempo of Vietnam combat operations dictates a hectic pace for aircraft carriers operating on “Yankee Station” in the Gulf of Tonkin.

Lt. Coral V. “Vance” Schufeldt can testify to this – he recently marked his 20th combat mission and 300th carrier landing aboard Oriskany.

As an A-4 Skyhawk pilot with the “Saints” of Attack Squadron 163, based at Lemoore NAS, the 29-year-old pilot has had more than ample time to become familiar with the 300 yards of metal and wood that comprise the flight deck or “roof” of this “floating airport.” This is his third consecutive combat cruise aboard the Might ‘O.’

A winner of five Navy commendation medals (four for combat heroism and one for heroism in Oriskany’s tragic fire last year) and 18 air medals, Schufeldt attributes his awards to the fact that he “just happened to be there when things were happening – times when your biggest desire is to get the hell out.”

Schufeldt has yearned to fly ever since he was a small boy. As a youngster his dentist warned him if he didn’t quit eating so much candy, not only would his teeth fall out but (more important) he wouldn’t be able to fly when he grew up. “That did, it” says Schufeldt. “To this day, I very rarely eat candy.”

The Navy combat flier was commissioned an ensign at the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md., in June, 1963. One hour later, in the academy chapel, he was married to the former Miss Nancy Offenberg of Orlando, Fla. The Schufeldts and their three-year-old daughter, Margaret Rose, live in Santa Barbara.

The Oriskany Skyhawk pilot has been flying with the “Saints” since 1965. During this time there have been more than a few exciting moments while flying combat strikes over North Vietnam. One such attack was the successful Oriskany strike against the thermal power plant located just outside Hanoi. “They fired a couple dozen or so SAMS (surface-to-air missiles) at us. I was lucky – I didn’t get hit. But my plane was bounced around by flak exploding nearby.”

Recounting another mission, Schufeldt described how his squadron and other Oriskany jets battered the famous Thanh Hoa bridge. “The flak was extremely heavy and my dive angle was such that I could actually see the black projectiles as they left the enemy gun barrels, arching all the way up until they flashed by my cockpit.”

The native of Omaha, Neb., will be leaving Oriskany soon, as he is due for a change of duty. Although the naval aviator does not know how his new orders will read, he hopes either to attend test pilot school (his first choice) or to be sent to a training squadron in the states. Either way, it probably won’t be as exciting as flying two to three combat missions a day on Yankee Station.

Vance’s Find A Grave page is here.

Photographs

“The Military Order of the World Wars Prize – automatic pistol - for showing greatest improvement in weighted average mark for the last year of the course over that of the combined first two years of the course. Presented by: Captain Charles D. Beaumont, USN (Ret.), of Annapolis, Maryland.”

From the Santa Barbara News Press on October 5, 1965

From The Baltimore Sun on June 6, 1963

Silver Star

From Hall of Valor:

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Lieutenant Coral Vance Schufeldt (NSN: 0-669508/1310), United States Navy, for gallantry in action as an attack pilot, serving with Attack Squadron ONE HUDNRED SIXTY-THREE, embarked in U.S.S. ORISKANY (CVA-34), on 25 October 1967. Lieutenant Schufeldt was a member of a 23-plane Air Wing strike, the third in a series of coordinated, tri-service strikes on the Phuc Yen Airfield located 11 miles north of Hanoi, North Vietnam. He was a wingman in a three-plane element tasked with delivering air-to-ground missiles against the hanger and control tower of this strategically significant target complex. The strike group approached the target, the element, of which Lieutenant Schufeldt was a member, detached and proceeded ahead of the main strike group. These aircraft were immediately taken under attack by four surface-to-air missiles and were forced to take violent evasive action. Lieutenant Schufeldt detached, as planned, and was immediately hit by an 85-mm. flak burst. He rapidly assessed the damage to his aircraft hen proceeded to his pre-briefed launch position while maneuvering continuously to avoid the increasingly intense anti-aircraft artillery barrage. He circled north of the airfield and delivered his air-to-surface weapon against the control tower, his designated target, scoring a direct hit. Lieutenant Schufeldt then positioned himself over the field a second time and attacked the buildings adjacent to the tower, again inflicting heavy damage and rendering the nerve center of the airfield useless. He then recorded the damage inflicted by making several exposures with a hand-held camera. As he egressed from the target area, Lieutenant Schufeldt’s outstanding aggressiveness and determination in the face of multiple surface-to-air missile firings, damage to his aircraft, and heavy, sustained anti-aircraft artillery barrages were extremely exemplary. His actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

Action Date: October 25, 1967
Service: Navy
Rank: Lieutenant
Company: Attack Squadron 163 (VA-163)
Division: U.S.S. Oriskany (CVA-34)

Distinguished Flying Cross

From Hall of Valor:

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Lieutenant, Junior Grade Coral Vance Schufeldt (NSN: 0-669508/1310), United States Navy, for heroism and extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as pilot of a jet aircraft attached to Attack Squadron ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-THREE, embarked in U.S.S. ORISKANY (CVA-34), during a strike against the Sac Le Petroleum, Oil and Lubricant Storage Area in North Vietnam on 29 September 1966. Lieutenant, Junior Grade, Schufeldt was a wingman in the two aircraft flak suppression element of a 13 aircraft strike group assigned to this target. Because of the extremely poor weather conditions en route to and at the target, the strike group was forced to attack in two waves. He proceeded to the target with the first wave and single-handedly attacked and silenced two separate flak sites. Compelled by the obvious threat to the second wave and without personal regard for his own safety, he remained in the target area to support the second wave. Upon their arrival, he tenaciously brought a threatening flak site under attack and was successful in its destruction. Upon retirement from the target area at low altitude he observed and subsequently attacked an automatic weapons site with his one remaining bomb. Again he succeeded in damaging this new threat. Lieutenant, Junior Grade, Schufeldt single-handedly silenced three enemy flak sites and severely damaged an automatic weapons site by his judicious use of six VT fuzed bombs, thereby making a significant contribution to the success of the strike without damage to the strike group. His tenacious and heroic actions, professionalism and extraordinary accuracy in the delivery of his weapons were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

Action Date: September 29, 1966
Service: Navy
Rank: Lieutenant Junior Grade
Company: Attack Squadron 163 (VA-163)
Division: U.S.S. Oriskany (CVA-34)

From Hall of Valor:

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting a Gold Star in lieu of a Second Award of the Distinguished Flying Cross to Lieutenant Coral Vance Schufeldt (NSN: 0-669508/1310), United States Navy, for heroism and extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as pilot of a jet aircraft attached to Attack Squadron ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-THREE, embarked in U.S.S. ORISKANY (CVA-34), in Southeast Asia on 21 August 1967. Lieutenant Schufeldt was one of six strike aircraft during a 20 plane attack on the largest thermal power plant in North Vietnam which is located one mile from the center of Hanoi. Because of the target’s location and strategic significance, Lieutenant Schufeldt spent many hours assessing the development of a strike plan to ensure success, in spite of the enemy’s in depth air defenses. Prior to reaching the target, Lieutenant Schufeldt detached in order to carry out his individual attack. He proceeded 35 miles through a gauntlet of intense anti-aircraft fire of all calibers and repeated attacks by many of the 38 deadly surface-to-air missiles which were launched against the strike force. With utter disregard for his personal safety, he pressed home his final diving attack in the face of a fusillade of barrage and tracking anti-aircraft artillery fire. His bomb impacted precisely at the pre-planned aim point. As Lieutenant Schufeldt pulled off target, he immediately rendezvoused with another strike aircraft which had been hit in order to give assistance. Satisfied that the damaged aircraft would be escorted, he rendezvoused with his wingman whose aircraft had also been damaged. Lieutenant Schufeldt escorted the badly damaged aircraft to the ship and even though he had an extremely low fuel state, would not land until assured that the damaged aircraft would recover safely. Lieutenant Schufeldt’s superior airmanship and bravery in the face of massed enemy resistance contributed significantly to the heavy damage inflicted on a critical target and the safe return of all strike aircraft, and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

Action Date: August 21, 1967
Service: Navy
Rank: Lieutenant
Company: Attack Squadron 163 (VA-163)
Division: U.S.S. Oriskany (CVA-34)

From Hall of Valor:

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting a Second Gold Star in lieu of a Third Award of the Distinguished Flying Cross to Lieutenant Commander Coral Vance Schufeldt (NSN: 0-669508/1310), United States Navy, for heroism while participating in aerial flight as a pilot of jet aircraft while attached to Attack Squadron TWO HUNDRED TWELVE (VA-212), embarked in U.S.S. HANCOCK (CVA-19), on 26 May 1972. Lieutenant Commander Schufeldt was a division leader in a major air wing strike against the Vong Bi highway bridges, strategic elements in the enemy’s logistic network spanning North Vietnam. On numerous occasions, Lieutenant Commander Schufeldt was forced to maneuver his division to evade volleys of lethal surface-to-air missiles and a relentless hail of anti-aircraft artillery fire. Despite these adversities, he maintained division integrity and placed his division in optimum position to place the ordnance on target. His aerial aggressiveness and leadership proved to be enhancing factors in the outstanding level of success achieved by the main strike force. Lieutenant Commander Schufeldt’s superior airmanship and courage in the face of the enemy reflected great credit upon himself and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

Action Date: May 26, 1972
Service: Navy
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Company: Attack Squadron 212 (VA-212)
Division: U.S.S. Hancock (CVA-19)