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McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II - Proof a Brick Can Fly?

The last F-4 I got close to was last year at the Wings Over The Rockies Air & Space Museum in CO.

wingsmuseum.org

F-4 Phantom | Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum

The F-4 Phantom exhibit showcases this dominating aircraft used by all three branches of U.S. military operations from the 60's to the 90's. Get tickets today!
wingsmuseum.org wingsmuseum.org
The F-4E is always my favorite.

The last F-4 I saw fly was in 2012 at the Duluth, MN Airshow. Not my pic since it's on a memory stick somewhere but found this one taken at the same airshow.

They had her stripped down in weight and she put on an impressive series of maneuvers that were not "brick-like".

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Tinyman said:
I had the pleasure of working beside several females in the aircraft maintenance field. It was a crying shame that some folks figured them all as cooks. I'd love to 'hands on' another 104 before my demise -- what a great machine.
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The 104 was our heavy at Cold Lake. They were messy, as were the CF101 and the F4, I really liked the dirty ones though. To me, they had the war vibes. "Don't mess with me" attitude. The older I get, the more I identify with them. (No, I don't identify as a fighter jet...just sayin' :cool:). Those years were some of the best of my life.
 
Steve Ritchie flew the F104 as a test pilot and later taught at the USAF Fighter Weapons School. I was a cop at Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base in 1972 when Ritchie was flying F4's with the 555TFW. I just happened to be on the flightline when Ritchie returned after he became the Air Force's first Vietnam ace pilot. They had one heck of a party at the O Club that day. His backseater went on to become the second ace a while later. Robin Olds and Chappie James and the like were leaders and true warriors who set the tone for the fighter air war. Those intrepid guys who strapped those jets on and took the fight north were great American heroes in my eyes.
 
HayesGreener said:
Steve Ritchie flew the F104 as a test pilot and later taught at the USAF Fighter Weapons School. I was a cop at Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base in 1972 when Ritchie was flying F4's with the 555TFW. I just happened to be on the flightline when Ritchie returned after he became the Air Force's first Vietnam ace pilot. They had one heck of a party at the O Club that day. His backseater went on to become the second ace a while later. Robin Olds and Chappie James and the like were leaders and true warriors who set the tone for the fighter air war. Those intrepid guys who strapped those jets on and took the fight north were great American heroes in my eyes.
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You came a little later than I -- Dec 69/70. From what I was told, Ritchie was assigned to the Nickle but flew a 13th aircraft. The revetments between 555 & 13 were back-to-back. Memories fade after awhile.
 
I went on leave in November 72 and returned Space A from Travis. You could tell something big was happening because all the flights were going to SEA and were jammed with ground crews with their tool boxes. An 0-6 from MACV saw my badge and asked me to be his courier guard to MACV in Tan Son Nhut, as he was escorting several crates of TS material to MACV HQ. It guaranteed me a seat on the Embassy Flight so I was lucky for the duty. The O-6 and his crates were met by a bunch of staff officers in Saigon. I went on to Udorn where the F4's were burning the sky around the clock. I learned a couple months later that my 0-6 on that flight was carrying the frag orders for Linebacker II. I did 3 tours in SEA with many memorable experiences, and a lot of stuff happening that we had no idea why. I have read a number if postwar books on the Vietnam war that in several instances provided the rest of the story. 50 years later those experiences remain as a huge part of the lives of those who were there.
 
Udorn RTAFB had been the site of a Japanese airfield during WWII. The old Japanese airfield was the first perpendicular taxiway. We had a machinegun bunker atop the original Japanese contol tower that was still there. Most of the old Japanese airfield was fenced off from the airbase and housed Air America. But that's another story.

At the end of the primary runway was an alert facility with F4's locked and cocked and ready to go. I became acquainted during my patrol rounds with an 0-6 pilot at the facility who came out to smoke. He told me that during WWII he flew out of Hanoi dropping bombs and strafing the old Japanese airfield and pointed out pockmarks in the wall of the old tower from their strafing runs. He told me now he flew bombing runs to Hanoi from the Udorn airfield in a Phantom. "I know the way but now I make the trip a little quicker". I wish I could recall his name.
 
HayesGreener said:
At the end of the primary runway was an alert facility with F4's locked and cocked and ready to go. I became acquainted during my patrol rounds with an 0-6 pilot at the facility who came out to smoke. He told me that during WWII he flew out of Hanoi dropping bombs and strafing the old Japanese airfield and pointed out pockmarks in the wall of the old tower from their strafing runs. He told me now he flew bombing runs to Hanoi from the Udorn airfield in a Phantom. "I know the way but now I make the trip a little quicker". I wish I could recall his name.
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I'd be willing to bet I have a pic of him or at least his name in one of my several F-4 books. You've already given me several useful clues to track down his identity, but I need two more: What was the F-4 unit, and about when (year) did your story happen? I mean when were you talking to him?
 
HayesGreener said:
Udorn RTAFB had been the site of a Japanese airfield during WWII. The old Japanese airfield was the first perpendicular taxiway. We had a machinegun bunker atop the original Japanese contol tower that was still there. Most of the old Japanese airfield was fenced off from the airbase and housed Air America. But that's another story.

At the end of the primary runway was an alert facility with F4's locked and cocked and ready to go. I became acquainted during my patrol rounds with an 0-6 pilot at the facility who came out to smoke. He told me that during WWII he flew out of Hanoi dropping bombs and strafing the old Japanese airfield and pointed out pockmarks in the wall of the old tower from their strafing runs. He told me now he flew bombing runs to Hanoi from the Udorn airfield in a Phantom. "I know the way but now I make the trip a little quicker". I wish I could recall his name.
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The US never had bases in Vietnam during WW2, although the OSS operated with Ho Chi Minh during the war. The USN carrier forces occasionally attacked various Japanese bases there.

For five years during World War II, Indochina was a French-administered possession of Japan. On September 22, 1940, Jean Decoux, the French governor-general appointed by the Vichy government after the fall of France to the Nazis, concluded an agreement with the Japanese that permitted the stationing of 30,000 Japanese troops in Indochina and the use of all major Vietnamese airports by the Japanese military. The agreement made Indochina the most important staging area for all Japanese military operations in Southeast Asia. The French administration cooperated with the Japanese occupation forces and was ousted only toward the end of the war (in March 1945), when the Japanese began to fear that the French forces might turn against them as defeat approached.

The Japanese surrendered in Vietnam in August 1945.

www.britannica.com

Vietnam - WWII, Independence, Conflict

Vietnam - Vietnam - WWII, Independence, Conflict: For five years during World War II, Indochina was a French-administered possession of Japan. On September 22, 1940, Jean Decoux, the French governor-general appointed by the Vichy government after the fall of France to the Nazis, concluded an...
www.britannica.com www.britannica.com

en.wikipedia.org

Japanese invasion of French Indochina - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

alphahistory.com

Japanese occupation of Vietnam

The Japanese occupation of Vietnam began in September 1940 and continued for the duration of World War II. The catalyst for this invasion was Japan's ongoing war with China, which began in 1937.
alphahistory.com
 
In addition to the USN carrier strikes the US Army Airforces, plus the Brits, conducted air strikes from south China (1942) and India in the lst two years of WW2.

en.wikipedia.org

Bombing of South-East Asia (1944–1945) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

en.wikipedia.org

Bombing of Bangkok in World War II - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

Plus, how later history could have changed if...? :unsure:

www.nationalww2museum.org

The OSS in Vietnam, 1945: A War of Missed Opportunities by Dixee Bartholomew-Feis | The National WWII Museum | New Orleans

In 1945, members of the American "Deer Team," part of the OSS, worked with Vietnamese guerrilla fighters to throw Japanese troops out of Indochina. As the war ended, the people of Vietnam looked to the United States to support their dreams of independence.
www.nationalww2museum.org www.nationalww2museum.org

Considering now....

www.pacom.mil

US Navy Kicks Off Naval Engagement Activities with Vietnam

The U.S. Navy began the sixth annual Naval Engagement Activity (NEA) with the Vietnam People's Navy April 6, as both nations celebrate the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2015.This
www.pacom.mil

www.voanews.com

US Aircraft Carrier Arrives in Vietnam

The USS Ronald Reagan's port call in Danang comes as the United States and Vietnam celebrate the 10th anniversary of their "comprehensive partnership."
www.voanews.com www.voanews.com
 
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