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  • North Vietnam: Linebacker and Linebacker II

    GOING DOWNTOWNIn response to the North Vietnamese "Easter Offensive" into South Vietnam in 1972, President Nixon suspended peace talks on May 8 and ordered OPERATION LINEBACKER, the renewed bombings of North Vietnam and the aerial mining of its harbors and rivers. When North Vietnam seemed ready to

  • Sputnik I

    The space age began on Oct. 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, the first artificial earth satellite. The event was a milestone in space exploration and a defining moment of the Cold War. It caused great anxiety in the United States because the public equated space achievements with

  • Cadillac Gage V-100 (XM706E2) Commando

    U.S. Air Force Security Police used the V-100 Commando to patrol base perimeters. During enemy attacks, U.S. Air Force V-100s functioned as mobile strong points and weapons carriers for Security Police Security Alert Teams (SATs). U.S. Air Force V-100s also provided convoy escort on occasion. The

  • The Threat

    Defending air bases in Southeast Asia involved numerous, complicated problems. The bases had large open spaces, long perimeters and vulnerable bomb and fuel dumps. Some air bases were located in urban areas, allowing the enemy to hide among the nearby population. Heavy jungle growth along base

  • Security Police Weapons

    The M16: American IconSince the 1960s, the 5.56mm M16 and its later variants have been the standard rifle for all U.S. armed services. It has also been widely exported to military services around the world.The U.S. Air Force was the first military service to acquire and adopt the M16. Personally

  • U.S. Air Force Dog Handlers

    Air Force dog handlers provided a unique and critical capability in defending air bases against attack. Under PROJECT TOP DOG 145, the U.S. Air Force sent 40 sentry dogs and 40 handlers to South Vietnam in the summer of 1965. Many more followed, with the U.S. Air Force sentry force in Southeast Asia

  • Protecting the Force: Air Base Defense

    "It is easier and more effective to destroy the enemy's aerial power by destroying his nests and eggs on the ground than to hunt his flying birds in the air."- Gen. Giulio Douhet, noted air power writer, in 1921In previous wars, most air bases were far behind the front lines. All of South Vietnam

  • South Vietnam: Tet Offensive and Vietnamization

    TURNING POINTLate in January 1968, the communists launched their famous Tet Offensive throughout South Vietnam. They hoped to achieve a dramatic victory that would force South Vietnam and the US to accept defeat. First, they attacked Khe Sanh, a U.S. Marine base in far northwest South Vietnam. Nine

  • There Is A Way

    With F-105 losses mounting, 469th TFS Thud pilot Capt. Tony Gangol started saying after each mission, "There ain't no way" (meaning there was no way to complete a tour). The use of the phrase spread among F-105 pilots. At the prompting of the 469th TFS commander, the Air Force sent cameramen to

  • Beyond 100 Missions North

    Some customs of "100 Missions up North" spread beyond completing a 100-mission tour over North Vietnam. Airmen that did not fly most (or any) of their missions over the North directly copied the design of the original F-105 patch, while others used the idea of a mission tally in a humorous way. The