My hats off to you boys who flew those missions over there....never tire of hearing of the stories that you gents experienced...
I don't think the air crews ever get enough credit for the ways they put their asses on the line, and how many American lives they saved flying over our troops who were in a tight spot.
StepDad didn't fly gun ships over there, he flew 130s on those black bird missions...CIA stuff he won't talk about much to this day.. being 87 this year. He did set down a 130 in flames at Khe Sahn... crew got out..plane was mortared on the flight line ..
cargo was kind of explosive.... nothing left for spare parts...
Times you guys speak of, I was still stateside wrapping up high school and enjoying being safe and out of harms way, worry when my draft number was going to come around....
God Bless the boys who made the noise....
When the old man was stationed at Pope in 66-68, before heading to Nam... I use to watch the 130s, that had rotated over to Vietnam on TDY, after they came home.... 90 to 120 days...they were so patched up, parts from other 130s...you couldn't tell what the camo colors were suppose to be....the things got shot up so much and repaired over there....
Unit on base was the 464th TCW... old man was assigned to the Tactical Airlift Center...
while there, he was attached to the folks developing the HC 130Hs....for pilot retrieval in the jungles...
as close as I got, but certainly enough of a spectator to know what you guys went thru....
hence my immense respect to each of you....
