North SAR. This term, unfamiliar to most, still evokes powerful emotions for anyone who served with the US Navy in the Vietnam conflict. It was the northernmost region of the Gulf of Tonkin, and assignment to this area meant isolation and danger. For the helicopter pilots who were assigned to the Northern Search and Rescue region, it was especially threatening. Their mission was to be ready, on a moment's notice, to launch out on a search mission, to find and rescue downed aviators. They were far into waters patrolled by the North Vietnamese, and far from any help from the main part of the fleet, operating at least a hundred miles away to the south. But wherever there was an American aviator down, the Search and Rescue helicopter crews had to go, even if it was inland of the North Vietnamese shoreline. Capt. Marc Liebman, USN (retired), was one of the pilots who flew these hazardous missions, and many downed aviators made it home safe instead of becoming guests of the infamous Hanoi Hilton. Liebman is also a veteran of Operation Desert Storm, having flown SAR and special operations missions in that conflict. His story is one you won't want to miss.With admission to lecture you also receive free entry to the Museum and free parking.
