The Unauthorized Randy “Duke” Cunningham Page

I'm not bashing Randy Cunningham because I have respect for him. I was in ROTC and interviewed him when I was a kid. I managed to get some information from a friend in the intel community that was Air Ops aboard the Ranger during this period of history. I also heard the cockpit recording and have a copy during 10 May 72.
Some excerpts:

"Randy" "Randy"
"You got a mig on your tail"
"ok" "Where is he"
"He's right on your tail" "It's a 17 you can outrun him"
Sounds of EW
"This is Red Crown on guard Bandits Bandits vicinity of Haiphong"
"This is red Crown on guard SAM SAM vicinity of Haiphong deep sea out"

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The tape is less than 30 minutes...and is getting old...
That transcript should verify my credit.

Colonel Toon was a Russian/Vietnamese citizen. He trained in the Soviet Union and was attached to a squadron along the Norwegian Sea flying a Mig 15. During the heat up in 68 Toon was tranferred to a unknown base in Vietnam. During His duty in the Soviet Union he was given a codename by the CIA. The CIA tracked every pilot who was flying along the borders during this time. Toon might have been a codename assigned for tracking purposes.

Toon was also being heard by naval intel along the Gulf of Tonkin. Toon's tactic was to lay low near Haiphong and wait for stragglers or search and rescue sandys and attack them. He liked to be alone and as a colonel he was allowed too.

On 10 may 72 Toon was laying off Haiphong waiting as usual when some of his students engaged F-4 Phantoms near Hanoi. Toon was trying to get to the action before it was too late. He preffered the Mig 17 due to it's visibility and turn radius. It was also safe to eject during that time due to at the time Mig 21 pilots were having problems with departure stalls and were being killed in the ejections. Also it's EW signature was small compared to that of the 21. Randy encountered him while Toon was trying to get to the action. They believed Toon dropped his tanks figuring he could fight near Hanoi and then land low on fuel but didn't expect to engage a US fighter so near to the coast. Intel also thinks he might have been spooked that such a long dog fight could have drawn in relief CAP off the carriers. So that's why he turned and ran. The time on the tape signifies that the engagement was a long one lasting appox. 5min and the Gforce was causing the tape to stretch in frame so to speak. Randy called Fox 1 and their was a hit. Then he was hit a few minutes later with the EWR going nuts on the tape. I cannot give anyone the tape because I don't know the status on it's secrecy. I'm military and that would be dishonorable to me.

Later that evening Intel intecepted a message going to the chinese cancelling a flight plan later that evening to chinese air defense saying Toon was not entering their airspace due to being shot down. Toon was an honorary Colonel due to his kills accredited.

One more note most of the Mig 21's were russian carrying the North Air Authority. The russian were hard pressed to let the vietnamese have the plane in case the US got a hold of them.

Last time I talked to Randy, he was Dean of Aviaition at California University.

Good piece of propaganda.

It's interesting speculation you have about the mythical "Colonel Toon" being some CIA codeword.

The fact still remains there is no person who fits anything near his (unbelievable) accomplishments among the Vietnamese or Russian pilots who flew duing the Vietnam War. No pilot had 13 aerial victories. The "top scoring" were Nguyen Van Coc with 9 claimed kills and Nguyen Hong Nhi and Mai Van Cuong with 8 each. If a pilot had more victories, he certaintly wouldn't keep quiet about it.

For details, See the research by Lee Brimmicombe-Wood and Tom Cooper at
http://www.dukecunningham.org/phorum/read.php?f=1&i=34&t=34&v=f

I suspect "Col. Toon" was a code word used for multiple Vietnamese pilots. Similar to G.I. Joe or "Johnny Reb" or similar pejoriatives used in WW II.

Randy was Dean of the School of Aviation at National University, a local, private diploma mill, in the 1980s before the school closed.

You say he called a Fox 1, but Cunningham's claim is that he killed the MiG with a Sidewinder. A Sidewinder is Fox 2, a Sparrow is a Fox 1.
Suddenly, I feel compelled to believe you very little.