Hubert Buchanan

Moonglow flight had been jumped by a flight of four MiG-17s that launched from Gia Lam Air Base on the northeast edge of Hanoi. The #3 MiG was flown by North Vietnamese ace Nguyễn Văn Bảy, who was credited with seven kills by the end of the war. In a 1997 meeting between the North Vietnamese pilot and Ralph Wetterhahn, another friend of Robbie Robertson who was also assigned to this strike mission and flying in another flight of F4C aircraft from the 555 TFS, the following information was established. The MiGs were scrambled early in the afternoon. Nguyen Van Bay was the first one to spot the American flight far ahead of them. He asked permission to attack the Phantoms. The MiG's flight leader gave permission to give chase, but expressed doubt that they could catch the much faster American aircraft. As the MiG-17s moved toward the Phantoms, Nguyễn Văn Bảy saw Moonglow 3 initiate a climbing left turn. That turning maneuver allowed the MiG pilot to cut the diameter of the circle and close the distance between the opposing aircraft to 100 to 150 meters (330 to 490 ft) to achieve an appropriate angle of attack. Nguyễn Văn Bảy aimed, then fired his 37mm and 23mm cannons at the Phantom.

In December 1991, Japanese television company Mirai, USA offered to send Buchanan back to Vietnam as part of an ongoing series about MIAs.

On 16 September 1966, Major John L. "Robbie" Robertson, pilot, and then-First Lieutenant Buchanan, weapons systems operator, comprised the crew of the #3 aircraft (F-4C-20-MC, s/n 63-7643) in a flight of four, call sign "Moonglow 3". This was Major Robertson's 29th day in Southeast Asia and 1st Lt. Buchanan's 17th mission. The flight departed Ubon at 15:00 hours to conduct an armed reconnaissance mission against the Dap Cau Railroad and Highway Bridge located approximately 17 miles (27 km) southeast of Kép Air Base, between the major cities of Hanoi and Haiphong, North Vietnam. Shortly after the flight departed Ubon, one of the Phantoms developed fuel problems and was forced to return to base. The rest of the flight continued with their mission.

Buchanan entered Officer Training School on February 14, 1964, earning his commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, on May 12, 1964. Buchanan next attended Undergraduate Pilot Training and was awarded his pilot wings at Laredo Air Force Base, Texas, in June 1965, followed by Pilot Systems Operator Training and F-4 Phantom II Combat Crew Training from June to December 1965. His next assignment was as an F-4 Pilot Systems Operator with the 16th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, from December 1965 to August 1966, followed by service as an F-4 Pilot Systems Operator with the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, from August 1966.

Hubert E. Buchanan (born April 24, 1941) is a former United States Air Force captain and fighter pilot in the Vietnam War who was shot down, captured, and spent 2,362 days as a prisoner of war in Hanoi and surrounding areas. He was one of the first American POWs to return to Vietnam after the war, and visited the man credited with his capture.