Det 485 History

Detachment 485 boasts a distinguished history of developing top-tier leaders and Airmen! In 1946, Army Chief of Staff Dwight Eisenhower endorsed Rutgers University to host one of the pioneering Air ROTC units, and our detachment was officially established in 1951. As one of the oldest and original AFROTC detachments in the nation—preceding even the formation of the Air Force as a separate branch, the Air Force Academy, and the Air Force Officer Training School—we have a rich legacy. In 2009, we honored our enduring heritage by naming our detachment after “The Ravens,” the covert Forward Air Controllers (FACs) who served in Laos during the Vietnam War.

Who Were the Ravens?

Ravens were Forward Air Controllers (FACs) who worked with the CIA to identify targets in Laos during the Vietnam War. Typically former fighter pilots, they flew unmarked Cessna O-1 Bird Dogs in civilian clothes to avoid detection.

Following the 1962 Geneva Accords, which called for Laos to remain neutral and for foreign military withdrawal, the U.S. pulled its forces from the region. Despite this, North Vietnam continued to use Laos as a supply route and stationed troops there. In response to a Lao government request for help, President Kennedy directed covert U.S. Air Force operations to support the Lao forces without breaching the Accords.

Ravens, often accompanied by Lao interpreters, marked enemy targets with smoke rockets, directed air strikes, and assessed damage to minimize civilian casualties. Selection for this mission required extensive combat experience and flying hours. Ravens faced heavy anti-aircraft fire, with 90% of their planes hit, 60% downed, and 30% of pilots killed in action.

Captain Richard W. Herold was a 1967 Rutgers graduate who joined the Air Force later that year. While conducting a mission as Raven 23, his aircraft went down, whether from enemy fire or collision with a jet fighter, on the 2nd of September in 1972. Due to enemy presence, no ground rescue was possible and no radio contact was able to be made with anyone who might have survived the crash.

The best and the brightest, the craziest and the bravest Americans served in Laos, none braver than the men who flew in Combat as FACs known as Ravens…braving bad weather, tricky terrain, combat fatigue, poor maintenance, and occasional assassination teams to get the job done… (Asa Baber, Chicago Suns-Times, Nov 1987)

They went to war in blue jeans, T-shirts, and sometimes cowboy hats. It was a symbol of their disdain for the conventional, “bureaucratic” military. They were the Ravens, fighting a secret air war in the jungles of Laos, almost forgotten by everyone…(San Antonio Light, Oct 1987)

We heard about other pilots flying Cessna O-1s and North American T-28s out of places with exotic names like Luang Prabang, Xieng Khouang, Pakse, and Long Tieng. Fighter pilots are by nature independent and aggressive, and those mysterious bases had an allure for those who liked the idea of fighting a high-risk, no-bullshit war. (Ralph Wetterhahn, Air & Space Magazine, Nov 1998)

Air and Space Magazine Article: https://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/ravens-of-long-tieng-284722/