Page 18 - DFCS NEWS MAGAZINE 2020-1

Charles M. Walling Tucson Chapter
Former POWs Tell Their Incredible Stories
By Marty Lenzini
The session started with Jeffrey (Tico) Tice talking about his experiences being shot down and held captive in the first Iraq War. He was deployed to the Middle East and served in operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm with the 614th Fighter Squadron.
On January 20th, 1991 he was leading a four-ship flight of F-16s assigned to strike an oil refinery south of Baghdad. As the flight of F-16s approached the target, the air was filled with SAMs, most of these were unguided except for the one locked on to Tico’s aircraft. He quickly maneuvered his F-16 and the missile missed by a few feet, however it exploded near the aircraft and several pieces of shrapnel damaged the plane.
Tico turned south toward Kuwait, hoping to make it into friendly territory before he had to bail-out. Then the engine quit, but he still had control and figured he could glide to safety. Unfortunately, he lost control and had to eject from the F-16.
Descending through the overcast, he realized that he would land near a Republican Guard Facility. Once on the ground he was surrounded by enemy forces, brutality beaten, hog tied and thrown into a truck for transportation to Baghdad. As he moved up the road, his thoughts were “I sure hope our US Forces don’t see this truck and blow it to bits”!
Pictured from left to right Tico Tice (F-16, Iraq), Myron Donald (F-4, Vietnam), George Alan “GAR” Rose (F-4, Vietnam), Bob Barnett (F-105, Vietnam), Walter Ram (B-17, WWII)
18 / DFCS News Magazine / SUMMER 2020