News

Woods gave all to his Country

By Scott Wagar

05/20/2014

Editor’s Note: On May 26, the city of Bottineau will observe Memorial Day. In observance of Memorial Day the Bottineau Courant remembers one of the city’s serviceman, Carl Woods, who lost his life fighting for our freedom, and the freedom of others in our country and other countries.

In September of 1965 Carl Woods found himself in a difficult spot. On that day, Woods was literally in the fight for his life as he conducted a reconnaissance mission as a naval pilot over North Vietnam.

As he entered into enemy territory the sky lit up with anti-aircraft fire, which he made an attempt to fight through, but his plane was hit and Woods lost his life, but only after a daring effort to get back to his ship.

Woods was born on July 8, 1933 to Monte and Ann Woods. Although Monte attended school in Bottineau and was a member of the first class of Dakota College at Bottineau (The North Dakota School of Forestry), he also had an interest in the military.

As a young man, Monte attended Shattuck Military Academy at Faribult, Minn., and the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis.

When World War I broke out, Monte served with the 97th Infantry Division and saw heavy combat in France.

Like his father, Carl attended school in Bottineau and Dakota College at Bottineau before making the decision to serve in the military where he became a pilot in the U.S Navy.

He entered the U.S. Navy in 1953 and served his country for 12 years and three months before his death.

As naval pilot, Woods trained in an A1H (AD6) Skyraider, a propeller driven aircraft that saw service from the 1940s through the 1980s. The AD6 version of the A1H was a single seat attack aircraft which was also utilized in reconnaissance.

Woods served on the USS Bonhomme Richard, an Essex-class aircraft carrier, which was named in honor of John Paul Jones’ frigate after Benjamin Franklin in the French language meaning of “Good Man Richard.” (At that time in the 1700s, Franklin was the U.S. Ambassador to France, and Jones was a great friend of Franklin, so he named the convert French merchant ship the USS Bonhomme Richard after Franklin’s pen name who’s “Poor Richard Almanac” in France was titled the “Les Maximes du Bonhomme Richard.”

The USS Bonhomme Richard served its country from 1943 to 1971. When the Vietnam War intensified in 1965, the Bonhomme Richard was deployed to Vietnam where it conducted missions striking transports and infrastructures, conducting reconnaissance flights and defending against aerial attacks from Russian MIGs.

On Sept. 28, 1965, the then Lt. Commander Carl Woods, pushed off the USS Bonhomme with a reconnaissance mission over Qui Vinh, North Vietnam where his plane was hit by antiaircraft fire.

Instead of bailing out his plane, Woods maneuvered his A1H 40 miles to the Tonkin Gulf where he bailed out of the aircraft.
A SAR helo (Search and Rescue helicopter) was dispatched to rescue Woods but he was found dead at the scene.

“Word has been received of the death of Lt. Commander Carl Woods, U.S. Navy Air Corps, who died in the line of duty off Vietnam,” stated the Bottineau Courant. “Commander Woods died when his parachute failed to open after his plane was shot down. His body was recovered from the ocean.”

A memorial service was held for Woods on Oct. 9 at the Lemoore National Air Station in California. From there, Woods was transported to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia where he was buried.

Woods was married to Elizabeth McNea of Bottineau, and the couple had three children, Mark who was seven years old; Jennifer 5 and Kathryn 3.

On Memorial Day this year, the veterans of Bottineau will place Woods’ casket flag on his Memorial Name Plate in Bottineau.  No doubt with great honor and reverence.