On a strike that close to the North Vietnamese capital, "You knew the defenses were going to be heavier," Sweeney said.
Sweeney and other pilots dodged North Vietnamese surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) as they headed to their target, a major railyard.
"The rule was, to avoid being hit, when [the SAM] looked like a flying telephone pole, you made this maneuver around it, kind of away from it," Sweeney said.
"Lo and behold, this thing" — the SAM— "came up, and as it got closer, I thought 'Oh, this has Chuck Sweeney's name on it.'"
Sweeney managed to avoid the missile but got separated from the rest of his group and caught up just as they were preparing to attack their target.
Sweeney's group hit a loaded train and avoided even more anti-aircraft fire as they headed back to the USS Hancock.