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  • OPERATION NIAGARA: A Waterfall of Bombs at Khe Sanh

     "From the beginning until the 60th day [the 60th day of the siege at Khe Sanh] B-52 bombers continually dropped their bombs in this area with ever growing intensity and at any moment of the day. If someone came to visit this place, he might say that this was a storm of bombs and ammunition which

  • Vietnamization, 1969-1973

    President Richard Nixon's Vietnamization policy implemented a phased withdrawal of American ground forces and their replacement by South Vietnamese troops. However, the USAF continued supplying critical air support. Tactical air power became a key part of the Allied incursions into communist

  • On the Offensive, 1964-1969

    The Gulf of Tonkin Crisis in August 1964 triggered a steady buildup of U.S. forces in Southeast Asia. To respond more quickly to the growing demands for air support, the USAF began using jet-powered B-57, F-4, F-100 and F-105 aircraft for close air support missions. At night, the Air Force's more

  • Early Years, 1961-1964

    At first, the U.S. Air Force trained and equipped the South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF) with slow, propeller-driven combat aircraft. Flying O-1 Bird Dogs, forward air controllers (FACs) directed airstrikes by T-28s, B-26s and later A-1 Skyraiders.Growing American military involvement increased the

  • Dangerously Close! USAF Close Air Support in the Southeast Asia War

    Close air support (CAS) -- sometimes called tactical air support -- gave American and South Vietnamese ground forces a tremendous military advantage. However, the U.S. Air Force had to relearn CAS tactics used during World War II and the Korean War. Because the USAF's high-speed combat jets flew too

  • Total Force Legacy

    The Total Force Policy -- a direct result of lessons learned from the Southeast Asia War -- significantly changed the role of the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard after the war. In the 1960s Reserve and Guard units generally flew older aircraft and most did not have the ability to rapidly

  • Air Force Reserve AC-119G Shadows

    In 1968, the Air Force Reserve (AFRES) 71st Tactical Airlift Squadron mobilized and converted to the AC-119G Shadow gunship, becoming the 71st Special Operations Squadron (SOS). The 71st SOS deployed the first of 18 AC-119G gunships to South Vietnam in December 1968. For the next six months, 71st

  • Air National Guard F-100s in South Vietnam

    In 1968, four Air National Guard (ANG) F-100 squadrons deployed to Southeast Asia to provide close air support for friendly troops in South Vietnam. The first was the Colorado ANG 120th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS) in May 1968, followed by the 174th TFS (Iowa), 188th TFS (New Mexico) and the

  • Southeast Asia Airlift

    Reservists and Guardsmen regularly carried personnel and cargo to and from Southeast Asia on Air Force Reserve (AFRES) and Air National Guard (ANG) propeller-driven transports. In 1968, Reservists began providing flight crews for modern active duty USAF airlifters like the jet-powered C-141. AFRES

  • Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard Explained

    The Air Force Reserve (AFRES) is a federal reserve component of the U.S. Air Force. The Air National Guard (ANG) is the air militia component of the National Guard of each state or territory (with each state's ANG under the jurisdiction of that state's governor). AFRES and ANG units can be mobilized