# Bat 21Rescue in Vietnam: From the Archive

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/warriors-in-their-own-words-first-person-war-stories-543831/bat-21rescue-in-vietnam-from-the-archive
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/warriors-in-their-own-words-first-person-war-stories-543831/bat-21rescue-in-vietnam-from-the-archive.md
Podcast: [Warriors In Their Own Words | First Person War Stories](https://stenobird.com/podcast/warriors-in-their-own-words-first-person-war-stories-543831)
Published: 2026-02-12T10:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pdrl.fm/4df880/pscrb.fm/rss/p/swap.fm/track/2IMk17EdnEqyRhJTIpIU/mgln.ai/e/1402/traffic.megaphone.fm/FPMN9909285029.mp3?updated=1772806844
Audio file: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pdrl.fm/4df880/pscrb.fm/rss/p/swap.fm/track/2IMk17EdnEqyRhJTIpIU/mgln.ai/e/1402/traffic.megaphone.fm/FPMN9909285029.mp3?updated=1772806844
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/warriors-in-their-own-words-first-person-war-stories-543831/episodes/bat-21rescue-in-vietnam-from-the-archive
Duration seconds: 2417

## Resource

On Easter Sunday, April 2, 1972, two EB-66 aircraft, call signs Bat 21 and Bat 22 were flying pathfinder escort for three B-52s, which were assigned to bomb the two primary access routes to the Ho Chi Minh Trail through Laos. Gene Hambleton, a navigator aboard Bat 21, was shot down behind North Vietnamese lines. His rescue became known as the largest, longest, and most complex search-and-rescue operation during the Vietnam War. In this episode, Gene Hambleton recounts his dramatic story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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## Transcript

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