Reminds me of a story of my old CO in VT-3. LtCol Dean Lucas. When he was a young Capt Lucas he was an instructor in the VT's. Sitting in the back seat his aircraft has a bird strike with a Turkey Buzzard coming through the front windscreen..
In an amazingly similar incident in a VA-44 (FRS) T-A4 out of Cecil Field in '69. Lo-Nav w/fellow IP Squadron Leader (O-4) Ross Donaldson RNZAF (Xchange Pilot) rear seat, RP front. Over the Okeefenokee Swamp southern GA, 200-500' agl, 360 kts., a mallard drake smashed through the canopy port side hitting the IP square in the face, shattering his visor. One eye was gouged out, his face & the other eye severely lacerated.
Blinded & thinking they'd had a midair, the IP ejected. The RP calmly climbed to orbit the scene & iniated the successful RESCAP operation, then when relieved on-scene, then returned landing safely to Cecil. The IP was picked up some hours later, in the dark by a special swamp vehicle & rushed to NavHosp JAX.
Donaldson recovered, regaining enough vision in the remaining eye to remain on AD, limited to dual-piloted only status. He finished his Xchange tour, remained in the RNZAF, retiring as a Group Captain (0-6), from his finak posting as CO RNZAF Air Base Blenheim NZ in early '80s. I had the honor of being his Sponsor Officer when he was ordered to VA-44, and we & our families became close friends. He was quite a fellow & aviator, former Test Pilot (grad. of British Empire TPS).
BzB