Charles Henry Pitman Sr. (20 October 1935 – 13 February 2020) was a
lieutenant general
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
in the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
who served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Aviation.
He was also involved in the 1980
Operation Eagle Claw
Operation Eagle Claw ( Persian: عملیات پنجه عقاب) was a failed U.S. Department of Defense attempt to rescue 52 embassy staff held captive by Revolutionary Iran on 24 April 1980. It was ordered by US President Jimmy Carter afte ...
. Pitman retired in 1990 and died of cancer in 2020.
Background
1973 shooting
On January 7, 1973,
Mark Essex went on a racially motivated killing spree targeting White people in
New Orleans
New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
, eventually culminating in a standoff in which he retreated to and barricaded himself in a concrete stairwell enclosure on the roof of a high-rise hotel. Lt. Colonel Pitman commandeered a
CH-46
The Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight is an American medium-lift tandem-rotor transport helicopter powered by twin turboshaft engines. It was designed by Vertol and manufactured by Boeing Vertol following Vertol's acquisition by Boeing.
Develo ...
military
helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...
to assist police, conducting landings near the hotel to transport armed officers, and conducting numerous
strafing
Strafing is the military practice of attacking ground targets from low-flying aircraft using aircraft-mounted automatic weapons.
Less commonly, the term is used by extension to describe high-speed firing runs by any land or naval craft such a ...
runs over the roof of the hotel, in which the officers inside the helicopter and Essex exchanged many rounds over many hours. Shortly before 9 p.m., after all negotiation and communication tactics had failed, and after spending almost seven hours crouched in the cubicle,
[''Mass Murderers'', p. 101] Essex suddenly charged into the open with his rifle at waist height and his right fist aloft, shouting "Come and get me!" before being almost immediately shot by police sharpshooters positioned on the roofs of adjacent buildings. Pitman's helicopter, which had just approached to begin another strafing operation, also fired scores of rounds into Essex's body. The momentum of the bullets propelled his body several feet vertically before Essex fell on his back approximately twenty feet from the cubicle, having failed to kill or wound any further officers in this final act. The barrage of gunfire would continue for almost four minutes. An autopsy later revealed Essex had received more than 200 gunshot wounds.
[''Mass Murderers.'' pp. 89-102]
Shooting aftermath
The United States Marine Corps considered a court-martial for Charles Pitman for taking the helicopter without prior approval. However, New Orleans–based Representative Edward Hebert, then chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, recommended the issue be dropped.
[
]Moon Landrieu
Moon Edwin Landrieu (born Maurice Edwin Landrieu; July 23, 1930 – September 5, 2022) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 56th mayor of New Orleans from 1970 to 1978. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented New Or ...
, then mayor of New Orleans, later stated, "Without that helicopter and without his piloting, it would've been a lot worse. The city owes him a debt of gratitude."[
Antoine Saacks, a former police officer who boarded Pitman's helicopter that day, said, "I always say the true heroes were Chuck and his crew, undoubtedly. I have a tremendous amount of respect for the man that's unwavering."][
]
See also
* Mark Essex
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pitman, Charles H.
1935 births
2020 deaths
United States Marine Corps personnel of the Vietnam War
American Vietnam War pilots
Military personnel from Chicago
Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal
Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
Recipients of the Legion of Merit
Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal
Recipients of the Silver Star
United States Marine Corps generals
United States Naval Aviators