Background:

I found the canopy from a F16 while in Iraq in 2003 during Operation Iraqi Freedom year with the 101st Airborne Division. The canopy was from a bird shot down during the first Gulf War and was flown by Major Jeff 'Tico' Tice. Tico was flying his bird back home just after bombing an oil refinery just Southwest of Baghdad when he was brought down. MAJ Tice was subjected to a great deal of abuse while in captivity and later won a case against the Iraqi government for mis-treatment of prisoners of war (POW) for $159 million. Jeff and his fellow POWs never saw one penny of that money but you can bet your sweet tail that the Iraqis "abused" by Americans were paid. This page is dedicated to Jeff Tice and all veterans (not John Kerry however) that served their country during a time of war! This canopy is my claim to fame during Operation Iraqi Freedom. She currently resides in the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, AZ. More to follow!

Historical Perspective

B Company 8-101^st Aviation Regiment deployed to Kuwait 28 February 2003 (now redesignated B Company 9-101st Aviation Support Battalion). They deployed to Tactical Assembly Area Camp Thunder after completion of port operations in the Port of Kuwait and Camp Spearhead. After the beginning of hostilities in April, the company deployed to Camp Udari for a short stay in preparation to movement into Iraq. The company moved into Iraq and set up operations at Iskandaria Air Base also known as Camp Thunder III (it had other names but none I will mention here!). At this location a Marine unit located the canopy from a F-16 shot down in the first Gulf War. The canopy was said to have been liberated from a stadium (Hallah stadium as I have been told) that contained several war trophies collected by the Iraqis. It was turned over to FT Campbell’s 19th ASOS, Air Force Weather Detachment but later abandoned by them due to lack of ability to transport the canopy. B Company 8-101^st took possession of the canopy and began a search to locate the pilot and crew whose names were still intact on the side of the canopy.

Information found on the canopy:

CAPT Kenneth Rossen

DCC TSgt Bill Hinchey

ADCC SSgt Daniel Toro

87-0257

Avionics Platoon Leader, then WO1 Scott A. Hyde, contacted Air Force Office of Special Investigations Agent Jason Sherman for assistance locating the personnel listed on the aircraft. CAPT Kenneth Rossen was quickly located in Arizona serving in the 152^nd Fighter Squadron, Arizona Air National Guard. MAJ Kenneth “Railer” Rossen provided the following information on the history of his aircraft:

“The aircraft was shot down on day 3 of the air war in desert storm.  Major Jeff "Tico" Tice was flying the aircraft at the time.  He was shot down by a SAM after bombing an oil refinery on the west side of Baghdad.  The aircraft made it onto Iraqi TV on the next day and that was the last I have heard of it.  The original fighter squadron, the 614th out of Torrejon, Spain, is no longer an active unit.”

Additionally, MAJ Rossen provided the following regarding MAJ Tice:

“He was a POW for the rest of the war and then returned to be on Larry King Live!  He is doing well but not quite sure where he is now.”

No information was provided on the former crew chiefs for the aircraft.

The canopy traveled to Mosul, Iraq with B Co 8-101^st Aviation Regiment. It was returned to FT Campbell and transportation arranged to move the canopy to Arizona. MAJ Rossen and his unit intended to donate the canopy to the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tuscan, AZ. Unfortunately, I was unable to arrange transportation to them due to the high cost. The Pima Air and Space Museum paid for the transport of the canopy to Arizona. An effort to locate the crew chiefs was made and I still need to find SSgt Toro.

B Co 8-101^st Aviation Battalion moved to Mosul on 5 May 03. The canopy was transported on the back of a “water buffalo.” The canopy was covered in order to conceal it from view so not to incite a possible reaction from the Iraqis while traveling to Mosul.

The photo above was taken on 8 December 2003 after the rain stopped and the water went down. She was almost completely submerged. Everyone told me it never rained in Iraq! That is true for every month but December!

So where is she now? Well, the canopy now resides at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, AZ. You can currently see her on display there. But what about the time between 5 May and Pima? Once we arrived at Mosul, the company set up operations to support the Division's fleet of UH-60, CH-47, OH-58 and AH-64s. The canopy became show piece for visitors and new guys. The search for information about the canopy and getting her home had really just started. She sat under one of my vans we used to work out of. She sat during the smoking hot summer, was nearly submerged in water when the rains came and basically turned into a big mud ball that required a good deal of work to get her to pass the customs inspection! We stuffed her into an ISU-90 shipping container and hoped she would pass the customs inspection! Unfortunately, I did not get any pics of the canopy in the shipping process.

Above is a photo of the canopy in my driveway in Werner Park at FT Campbell the day she came home.

This is a photo of the canopy being loaded onto the truck en route to Arizona. Check out that pallet!

This is our bird only a few short days after she was downed in Iraq way back in 1991. Ironically enough, a fellow warrant posted these pics on F16.net after being told of the canopy coming home. He was a member of 3-101st Aviation and was on site to search for survivors. The pilot, seat and canopy were missing. It would have been nice to recover the seat as well!

The canopy may not seem much to many of you reading this page. I received a lot of flak for even wanting to bring her back from Iraq. The way I see it is she served her country well, was held prisoner for twelve years and we brought her home. She took care of the man inside and we owed her a return trip though she left a good part of her body behind.

Jeff Tice is alive and well in the south western United States. Kenneth Rossen still serves and we keep in touch from time to time. Bill Hinchey has retired and he graciously provided me with a contact address for Daniel Tores. Daniel is now in England and I hope to contact him one of these days and let him know about his airplane. I hope to get some photos of this bird with wheels still intact one of these days!

Updates!

We now have photos of the canopy with wheels attached! Special thanks to Jon Somerville for his persistence tracking down the photos. I am not sure when the photo was taken but I am sure it was before she was shot down!

Also, the good folks at the Pima Air and Space Museum have provided photos of the canopy currently on display! This makes it all worth while folks! All I wanted was for her to make it back home and she is in her new home in the US! Jon told me that Jeff Tice has personally seen the canopy on display! That is icing on the cake! Mission accomplished!

        If any of you happen to make it to Pima, ask them about the canopy and tell them where you heard about her!