In support of an official event 

The Museum will be closed Sunday, May 25
In addition, the Fourth Hangar will be closed Saturday, May 24

Access to the Presidential Gallery will be limited from May 15 to June 5
 

Fact Sheet Alphabetical List

Fact Sheet Search

  • PRAIRIE FIRE Mission

    A top-secret joint special operations unit called the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observation Group (SOG) conducted unconventional missions in Southeast Asia.One such operation called for US Army Green Beret SOG teams to be inserted via helicopter into Laos to observe and

  • Uncommon Valor: Major Bernard Fisher

    On March 10, 1966, Major Bernard Fisher took off in an A-1E Skyraider from Pleiku Air Base, South Vietnam. Instead of his normal mission, he was diverted to a US Special Forces camp in the A Shau Valley which was under heavy attack by 2,000 North Vietnamese troops.Arriving over the valley, Maj

  • Douglas A-1E Skyraider

    The A-1E on display (serial number 52-132649) is the aircraft flown by Major Bernard Fisher on March 10, 1966, a mission for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor. He rescued a fellow pilot shot down over South Vietnam by landing in enemy territory under heavy fire and flying him to safety. This

  • Search and Rescue Legacy

    Today’s search and rescue tactics, techniques, and procedures are rooted in harsh experiences and lessons learned during the war in Southeast Asia.The ability to quickly control the airspace above and below a downed aircrew, while protecting them from enemy threats, contributed to the overall

  • Four Sandys, Two Pedros, and a Crown

    The formation of a SAR Task Force (SARTF) became the basic rescue element for recovering downed aircrew in Southeast Asia.A standard SARTF package included four A-1 Skyraiders, two rescue helicopters, and an HC-130P Combat King.When a rescue mission occurred, four A-1 Skyraiders, using the call sign

  • The Men, The Mission: Rescue Units of the War

    US Air Force rescue units in Southeast Asia belonged to the 3rd Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Group (ARRG). Comprised of five Aerospace Rescue and Recovery (ARR) squadrons, with occasional augmentation from other rescue units in the Pacific, they were responsible for all US search and recovery

  • Chariots of the Rescue Service

    In the early 1960s the standard USAF rescue helicopter was the light-lift Kaman HH-43B Huskie, used mainly for local base rescue. As hostilities increased in SEA in June 1964, two HH-43Bs deployed to Thailand for rescue support. However, early missions demonstrated that the current helicopters were

  • Rescue Specialist Pararescue in Southeast Asia

    Pararescuemen or “PJs” (for Para Jumpers), served a unique mission in SEA. As highly trained medical technicians combined with advanced tactical skills, they proved invaluable during evacuation and rescue missions.Assigned to the ARS / ARRS detachments and later, squadrons assigned to the theater,

  • A Call for Unification

    In September 1963, Det 3 PARC commander Major Alan Saunders submitted a comprehensive study outlining the need for a professional rescue service in SEA.Saunders also requested that the US Air Force be the responsible service for conducting all SAR missions during the war.Agreeing with Saunders’

  • ARS Enters Southeast Asia

    In the early 1960s all USAF rescue forces world-wide were assigned to the ARS. Air Rescue Centers held command and control of these assets. In December 1961, Pacific Air Rescue Center sent its first crew of three officers and three enlisted men to coordinate SAR operations at the Air Operations