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  • Gunship II: Spectre

    The AC-130 Spectre gunship was far more capable than the AC-47. It first flew in combat in the fall of 1967. Spectre gunship crews primarily flew night missions to stop enemy transportation on the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos. The AC-130 became the Air Force's most successful "truck-killer." Despite

  • Airman 1st Class John L. Levitow

    Medal of Honor Mission over South Vietnam On the night of Feb. 24, 1969, Airman 1st Class John Levitow was the loadmaster aboard AC-47 "Spooky 71." The gunship was circling over the U.S. Army post at Long Binh, firing at nearby enemy troops and illuminating their positions with flares. An enemy

  • Gunship I: Spooky

    Spooky -- the first operational Air Force gunship -- was based on the World War II-era Douglas C-47 cargo aircraft. Armed with three side-firing 7.62mm miniguns, Spooky gunships dropped flares and stopped enemy ground attacks against airfields, bases and villages. They also provided road convoy

  • USAF Gunships in Southeast Asia

    Spooky, Spectre, Shadow and Stinger Developed by the USAF, the side-firing gunship first saw combat during the Southeast Asia War. Able to remain airborne for hours, gunships provided devastating, accurate gunfire against many different types of ground targets. Always in high demand, these gunships

  • South Vietnam: Build-Up and Engagement

     THE WAR INTENSIFIESIn early 1965 the Viet Cong further intensified their guerilla war and began direct attacks on U.S. forces. The VC also scored some impressive victories over South Vietnamese troops. With the passage of the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, the U.S. increased its forces even more. Military

  • AN/MRC-108 Communications System

    The commitment of American forces to combat in South Vietnam created an urgent need for radio communications between air and ground forces, which used different radios. In response, the U.S. Air Force Electronic Systems Division developed the AN/MRC-108 in 1965 for use by USAF personnel operating on

  • Ranch Hand Insignia and other items

    InsigniaThe Ranch Hand insignia was designed in 1962 by Capt. Alan Kidd and Lt. John Hodgin, and it contains several elements of the Ranch Hand tradition. The symbol in the middle is the Chinese character for purple. The brown stripe on a green field represents a defoliated strip of jungle. Yellow

  • Navigating Ranch Hand

    Flawless navigation was critical to mission success. If the wrong spot was sprayed, friendly areas would be damaged and crops destroyed. The items displayed in this case belonged to Capt. Harry Nehrig, a Ranch Hand navigator during 1968-1969. Click here to return to Down in the Weeds: Ranch Hand.

  • Maj. Ralph Dresser

    Maj. Ralph Dresser was the Ranch Hand commander from the fall of 1965 to the fall of 1966. During this time, the number of spray aircraft doubled and enemy reaction to the defoliation program increased considerably. Dresser took an active hand in command by regularly leading spray missions, and he

  • Down in the Weeds: Ranch Hand

    The dense jungle in Southeast Asia allowed the enemy to ambush vehicles and boats on transportation routes, creep close to stage attacks on bases, move men and materiel and hide their own camps. Ranch Hand crews denied the enemy this cover by spraying herbicides in key areas. To accomplish the