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  • Enlisted Mechanics

    Keep ‘em FlyingAs the complexity of military aircraft increased between 1917 and 1942, so did the role of mechanics.Enlisted mechanics had to constantly upgrade their skills in the face of rapid technological development. A single all-purpose mechanic could no longer service everything on an

  • Defenders of the Force: Security Forces

    Security Forces Airmen, commonly called defenders, ensure the safety of people, equipment, and property on U.S. Air Force bases around the world.Defenders conduct all security and police activities needed to protect air bases. They defend the perimeter, guard missiles, train military working dogs,

  • Cougar CAT II A1

    Designed to withstand explosive detonations, this Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected (MRAP) vehicle was used by United States Air Force explosive ordnance disposal units in Afghanistan and Syria from 2008-2019.Vehicles like this one are also used by Security Forces for base defense. The raised chassis,

  • A-1s in Southeast Asia

    Flown by the South Vietnamese (VNAF) and US Air Force during the war in Southeast Asia (SEA), the A-1 Skyraider excelled in operations including close air support and search and rescue. The single-engine propeller-driven attack aircraft, the last of its type to see combat in the USAF, excelled in

  • 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

  • Sandy: Locate, Identify, and Protect

    With its long loiter time, pin-point accuracy, and rugged construction, the A-1 Skyraider excelled at Rescue Escort (RESCORT) to recover downed aircrew.The first USAF A-1s assigned to RESCORT duty came from the 602nd Air Fighter Squadron (Commando) in August 1965. Skyraiders rotated from Bien Hoa

  • Madden Kit: Improving the Odds

    Wartime needs often lead to battlefield innovations. This was the case with the Madden Kit, a rescue kit made from a hollow Mk 24 parachute flare canister.In February 1971, Skyraider pilot Captain James Madden was in the second day of a rescue mission over Laos. Night fell over the Mu Gia Pass with

  • Against All Odds Lieutenant Colonel William Jones III

    On September 1, 1968, Lieutenant Colonel William Jones III, flying A-1H, serial number 52-139738, led a group of rescue helicopters to recover a downed pilot who ejected over North Vietnam. As the on-scene commander, Lt Col Jones flew multiple low-level passes near a well-defended enemy supply road

  • Rescue of Oyster 01 Bravo

    On May 10, 1972, the start of OPERATION LINEBACKER, a flight of four US Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom IIs from the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron took off from Udorn RTAFB, Thailand, to provide escort cover for strike flights heading into North Vietnam.Using the call sign Oyster, the

  • A-1 Legacy and the A-X Program

    The US Air Force learned many lessons regarding SAR and CAS from its A-1 Skyraider experience in Southeast Asia.As early as 1966, the USAF anticipated the need for a specialized close air support aircraft and these lessons shaped the request for proposals sent to industry under the new A-X