Over the course of his two terms, McCoy was awarded the Purple Heart (which is presented to those wounded or killed in the line of duty), an Army Commendation Medal for sustained acts of heroism, and a Distinguished Flying Cross. This lines up with military records showing a "Richard McCoy" serving with the 1st North Carolina Regiment in 1778. The FBI dubbed the robbery NORJAK, or Northwest Hijacking, and for years they scoured more than 800 potential suspects. Mccoy was ultimately found three months later, hiding out in Virginia Beach, Florida. Interviews with crew members and passengers traced the hijackers steps from the moment he boarded. Both hijackers gave very specific instructions to the pilots of the aircraft, and most notably, both hijackers used the respective planes rear stairs to jump out over rural areas. He was assigned as part of the . Both authors investigated McCoy's skyjacking case, and their book posits that Cooper and McCoy were really the same person. [1], McCoy claimed innocence, but was convicted of the hijacking[4] and received a 45-year sentence. Articles with dead external links from November 2014, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, People shot dead by law enforcement officers in the United States, Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States), http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,943370-1,00.html, "Famous Cases: Richard Floyd McCoy, Jr. Aircraft Hijacking", http://web.archive.org/20020805120248/www.fbi.gov/libref/historic/famcases/mccoy/mccoy.htm, http://www.thevillagesdailysun.com/articles/2005/12/29/villages/villages01.txt, D.B. Whomever the real Dan Cooper was, he saw a vulnerability and exploited it. Im still researching my theory and will make sure you are the first to review any new evidence I find. Cooper had abandoned his black tie and tiepin before making his escape and that they had recovered the tie and tiepin from the plane after it landed in Reno. Richard had 4 siblings: Edward Jr McCoy and 3 other siblings. One stewardess recalled the subject was flashily dressed. Cooper, The Real McCoy by Bernie Rhodes and Russel Calame), giving their reasons that D.B. The FBI agents had learned of this and requested the files from the attorney. Mrs McCoy filed suit against her former attorney, the authors and the publishers, seeking an injunction to stop further sales of the book. In 1968 he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for a rescue he flew as a combat helicopter pilot. Certain names in the following description are fictitious names to protect peoples identities. One was Ben Anjewierden, a retired Special Forces officer, who was McCoy's roommate in the National Guard and the man who tipped authorities off regarding McCoy's involvement in a skyjacking in Denver, Colorado, five months after the D.B. . The inquiry was established partly, The BEA Weighs In: Ethiopian Airlines flight 302. The Mystery of D.B. Unofficial U.S. Air Force E-mail Locator. Now the FBI had a name. In order to meet his demands, the aircraft landed in Seattle, were Cooper allowed the 36 passengers on board the flight to disembark as other crew members brought his money and parachutes on board. Related: Mystery of D.B. He convinced his wife to give him $500 in order to carry out this foolproof plan: he needed flight tickets, guns and a disguise. Obituary. But that was before the FBI was as forthcoming on information regarding the Cooper case as they are today. He then agreed to serve another term in the Army on the condition that he could go to Vietnam. Richard passed early in 1792 at the age of about 42. At approximately 2:00 a.m. the next day, FBI agents, Provo City Police, and the Utah County Sheriffs posse lined up some 20 to 30 yards apart and combed the surrounding fields. On the 7th of April in 1972, McCoy boarded United Airlines flight 855; a Boeing 727 flying from Newark, New Jersey to Los Angeles, California with 85 passengers, three flight crew and three cabin crew on board. The spirit of the place touched lifelong resident Phil McCoy as a boy, and he read just about every book on modern warfare in his grade school library. Cooper and LDS movie "The Pursuit of D.B. In 1962 he moved to Provo, Utah, and enrolled at Brigham Young University (BYU) before dropping out to serve a 2 year tour of duty in the Army. "McCoy's Widow Admits Helping in '72 Hijacking". Born in Massillon, he was the son of the late Robert A. and Betty M. (Pittis) McCoy and a 1960 graduate of the former Dennison High School at Dennison. He was wounded in action, for which he was awarded the Purple Heart in 1964 and was sent home to recuperate. Inside his house, FBI agents found a jumpsuit and a duffel bag filled with cash totaling $499,970. The Boeing 727 had a rear set of airstairs built in, which Cooper had used to exit the flight after his demands had been met. . With robust designs and vintage classic style, discover the heritage of military timepieces today! The note said in no uncertain terms that Cooper was carrying a bomb in his briefcase a fact he was happy to substantiate by showing her its contents, which included red sticks, a battery, and a mess of wires. About twenty minutes into the flight, Mccoy produced a hand grenade, a pistol, and a sealed envelope with Hijack Instructions written on the outside. Why make sure you will be identified in a jump suit and carrying a duffel bag? United Airlines Flight 855, a Boeing 727 en route from Newark, New Jersey, to Los Angeles, California, with 85 passengers and a crew of six, had resumed flight after a Denver, Colorado, stopover. [19] After his military service, he became a warrant officer in the Utah National Guard and an avid recreational skydiver, with aspirations of becoming a Utah State Trooper. brings back memories of standing on the tarmac at San Francisco aiport in the dark and waiting for the plane to take off again. Support Veteran Journalism . However, the investigation was progressing. Officer Richard McCoy died after contracting COVID-19 while on duty at the Fort Lauderdale/Port Everglades Port of Entry in Florida. Cheerio, mate. A stewardess, notified of the situation, immediately advised the captain. Cooper landed after his Thanksgiving Eve skyjacking. The FBI have also claimed, in the years after McCoy's death, that he was too competent to have been D.B. Two coast guard aircraft, C-130 Hercules, followed the 727 but one of the hijack notes warned that if McCoy saw any pursuit planes, he would blow up the aircraft after he jumped, detonating a hidden explosive device. Globalmaster U.S. military aviation database. "Widow of Man Linked in Book to Skyjacker D. B. Cooper Sues Authors, Provo Attorney". God Bless you Officer Richard McCoy! What little spare time he has is devoted towards acting, role-playing, movie-riffing and sarcasm. Cooper's escape. '1000 Percent Military' When McCoy's son Benjamin was 9 or 10-years-old, his mother, Jan McCoy . Richard Floyd McCoy, Jr., was born December 7, 1942, in Kinston, North Carolina and grew up near Cove City. Between that and the personal insults as opposed to responding to the points made, Im locking this post. Less than six months later, Richard Floyd Mccoy, Jr. took his seat aboard United Airlines Flight 855, which was scheduled to fly from Newark, New Jersey to Los Angeles, California. The cabin was ordered depressurized, and the gunman warned that if any pursuit planes were spotted he would detonate a hidden explosive device after he had jumped, before the plane could be landed. On April 9, a federal complaint was filed charging McCoy with aircraft piracy and interfering with flight crew members. His demands were as simple as they were unusual: he wanted $200,000 in twenty-dollar bills (the equivalent of nearly $1.3 million in todays money) and four parachutes. The envelope with the hijack instructions was then opened by the captain. Twenty minutes after take-off, passengers reported to the cabin crew that there was a finely dressed man at the back who was holding a hand grenade. The captain decided that the safest course of action was to comply with the hijacker demands. What happened to the missing $30? McCoy is notable as the only one of the four suspects discussed in the documentary confirmed to have been involved in a crime similar to the skyjacking perpetrated by the man known as D.B. Captain William Olinsky (fictitious name) discussed the matter with some crew members and decided to land at nearby Grand Junction, Colorado, where he would radio for law enforcement assistance on the ground. He came out, apparently wearing his disguise some passengers reported that he had put on a wig and a false moustache, others reported that a second person came out of the lavatory. In addition, McCoy was generally known to be having serious financial problems. credit receipts signed by Mccoy on thanksgiving in Vegas. Nothing is as it seems. Further notes passed to the pilots via the hijacker instructed them to fly 180 knots exactly via specific waypoints, leading to a zigzag pattern over central Utah, and finally to depressurise the cabin. Page Custodian SSG Richard Keirn: The remaining $195,000 still remains missing. He then hid the money, parachutes and gun in his house?? Cooper did not report was McCoy remains one of the few prominent D.B. The United States Marshals Service (USMS) was hit with a ransomware attack the agency said in a statement. The acquaintance, Richard Floyd McCoy, Jr., was a Vietnam veteran, a helicopter pilot, and an avid and capable skydiver. The aircraft landed and the money and parachutes were brought on via stuffed flight bags. Dick was born the only child to Carl and Irene McCoy on September 7, 1929. Cooper was a skilled tactician and an experienced paratrooper, they ultimately concluded that there is no way any experienced skydiver, no matter how daring, would try to jump under the conditions that D.B. He later would return to the Army,. Upon returning to Utah, he served as a warrant officer in the Utah National Guard and was an avid skydiver. All Military results for richard f mccoy jr 1-20 of 39,795 Browse by collection To get better results, add more information such as Birth Info, Death Info and Location even a guess will help. Fourteen year-old Peter Fanning (fictitious name) of Provo, Utah, made a surprising discovery. The Department of the Army were also happy to help, supplying McCoys fingerprints as well as samples of his handwriting which they had on file. Share Your Memories and Sympathies and Join the Bereaved! The FBI now had samples of the hijackers handwriting and a clear fingerprint on the cover of the Mainliner Magazine. FBI have evidence of call made to Mccoys house thanksgiving night from Vegas hotel. List of aircraft of the Malaysian Armed Forces. And showed that it was impossible to hold on to the bag. He boarded the aircraft and sat in his assigned seat, 20D, at the back of the 727. The new U Tube documentary by Dan Gryder gives a compelling story that DB Cooper was Richard McCoy. [9], 1991 saw the publication of D. B. Cooper: The Real McCoy, by FBI agents Bernie Rhodes and Russell P. Calame. McCoy planned to do the same. Another important factThe Mystery of D.B. As for whether or not Mccoy really was D.B. As to why, I have not yet defined a reason why the CIA would want to perform this operation. The general consensus was that the individual had donned a wig and moustache while in the lavatory. Fingerprint specialists discovered that a latent print on the Mainliner Magazine found in the seat next to the hijackerss matched a print taken from McCoy during his service year. He collected the notes back from the cabin crew member so there would be no record. Nevertheless, McCoy's military service is a subject of interest to D.B. A resident of Ottumwa most of his life, Richard had worked 30 years at John Deere Ottumwa Works, retiring . Mccoys wife admits the tie and tie clasp on Cooper plane is Mccoys. The instructions required Olinsky to land at San Francisco International Airport, and park at Runway 19 left. There, he was to follow certain procedures which designated the number of persons allowed near the plane at one time, and the distance from the aircraft that all vehicles other than those containing fuel were to be kept. The third result is Richard L McCoy Jr age 50s in Glen Allen, VA. The FBI took a photograph of McCoy to the restaurant, where an employee recognized him and said that shed sold him a milkshake the night of the hijacking, around 11:30pm. He is just a copy cat DB Cooper got away with it so he thought he give it a try. Due to a similar modus operandi , law enforcement officials named McCoy as a suspect for the still-unidentified 'D. B. Cooper ', who committed his unsolved crime four-and-a-half months before McCoy. Cooper only skimsthe surface ofRichard Floyd McCoy's military career. Gryders video is further noise to scramble the story. McCoy found the FBI waiting for him at his home and fired a handgun (a real one this time). Cooper: Is The Skyjacker Alive or Dead? Also as Mccoy admitted to doing trial run before his April Jump to rehearse. On April 7, 1972, McCoy boarded United Airlines Flight 855 under the alias "James Johnson" during a stopover in Denver, Colorado. (U.S. Senate) U.S. The caller said his acquaintance had told him that he had a foolproof plan for hijacking a plane. Cooper robbery. The instructions directed the pilot to land at San Francisco International Airport and park at Runway 19 left. From there, Mccoy demanded $500,000 in cash and four parachutes be loaded on board. You may be wrong on detail but you will be correct on your overall opinion. One fact that the FBI kept closely guarded for many years was that they believed that D.B. The HBO documentaryThe Mystery of D.B. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING VETERAN JOURNALISM - JOIN SOFREP+ , 76th Infantry Division, Fort McCoy Have History Tied to World War II, PO Box 1077 MURFREESBORO, Tennessee 37133 United States, P.O. Officer Richard G. McCoy, age 60, had spent 23 years serving his community through his work with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The awards ceremony, part of Staff Appreciation Month Presented by DATCU, is livestreaming on YouTube at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 30. Born in Trenton, Mr. McCoy was a lifelong Trenton and Mercerville resident. Why insist on his innocence? Bullshit! McCoy, who received a promotion on separation, served as post adjutant for nearly 44 months. Join SOFREP for insider access and analysis. From this point on, normal operations continued on-board. For example, they never bothered telling anybody that McCoy's picture was shown to the stewardesses on Flight 305, and that these stewardesses failed to identify him as the hijacker. Select this result to view Richard E McCoy Jr's phone number, address, and more. Funeral service will be held at 4 p.m. Tuesday, May 10, 2022 at the Swartz Funeral Home, 1225. As a part of this, I investigated the story of Richard McCoy Jr, whom some believe to be same man. I dont think it was the same guy. He was deprogrammed, provided with a new identity as well as a new face, then put out to continue his work. Then he walks in on a house full of FBI agents, pulls his gun (made from dental paste??) THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING VETERAN JOURNALISM - JOIN SOFREP+ They also had a search warrant for the house, where they found $499,970 wrapped in bank bands in a cardboard box. *** VIDEO ***. Inside were two typed pages of highly detailed directions, a hand grenade pin, and a bullet. [2] McCoy taught Mormon Sunday school and studied law enforcement at BYU. McCoy continued to claim innocence and was not detained. Why do physicians love to practice at Pike County VA Clinic in GA? MCCOY, Richard Bruce - Of Holly, age 70, died Thursday, May 5, 2022 at Mission Point of Holly. After the aircraft passed over the last Utah community on his prescribed course, the hijacker sent no more notes. The book was released in 1991 under the name D.B. Box 378 Red Hook, New York 12571 United States. Richard Floyd McCoy Jr. (December 7, 1942 November 9, 1974) was an American aircraft hijacker. Where was his wife who carried out these hijacks with him as his partner? He was a Green Beret and received the Purple Heart, a Distinguished Flying Across, and an Army Commendation Medal for his service. McCoys friend remembered the conversation theyd held after the Dan Cooper hijacking and knew that McCoy had the skills to be able to pull this off. Richard was stationed in Spain and Turkey during the Cold War and participated in the Berlin Airlift in Germany. The year after the . He dropped out to join the army, where he served two years in Vietnam as a demolition expert and pilot. 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