Fact Sheet Alphabetical List

Fact Sheet Search

  • Coming Home: The U.S. Exits Southeast Asia

    "Good evening. I have asked for this radio and television time tonight for the purpose of announcing that we today have concluded an agreement to end the war and bring peace with honor in Vietnam and in Southeast Asia."- President Richard Nixon, Jan. 23, 1973The peace agreement signed in Paris in

  • 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

  • Capt. Jack Wilton Weatherby

    On July 29, 1965, Capt. Jack Weatherby volunteered to lead an extremely dangerous photo mission against a key surface-to-air missile (SAM) site deep in North Vietnam.Forty miles from the target, Weatherby and his wingman, Maj. Jerry Lents, descended to 200 feet and accelerated to more than 600 miles

  • Combat Search and Rescue in Southeast Asia

    During the war in Southeast Asia, the U.S. Air Force's air rescue improved dramatically. Beginning in 1962 with just three officers and three enlisted Airmen at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, South Vietnam, the mission grew into powerful teams with astounding capabilities for rescuing downed aircrew deep in

  • Countering MiGs: Air-to-Air Combat Over North Vietnam

    The key mission for U.S. Air Force fighter escorts (or MiGCAPs) over North Vietnam was to prevent enemy MiG fighters from interfering with American strike aircraft. The MiG pilots' primary goal was to force strike aircrews to jettison their bombs early, thereby disrupting the bombing mission.In

  • Col. George “Bud” Day: Misty 01

    A veteran of three wars and the first commander of the Misty FACs, Col. George "Bud" Day is one of the most highly-decorated Airmen in USAF history. After being shot down in 1967, Day persistently defied his captors, for which he was mercilessly tortured. Day received the Medal of Honor and Air

  • Chief Master Sgt. Richard Etchberger: Belated Medal of Honor

    Through the long night, Chief Master Sgt. Richard Etchberger repulsed enemy assaults. He saved the lives of others by sacrificing his own. Chief Master Sgt. Richard Etchberger was one of the most highly trained radar technicians in the U.S. Air Force. A highly-effective and well-liked leader, he was

  • COMBAT SKY SPOT

    The enemy moved and attacked under the cover of monsoon rains, low-laying clouds and darkness. The U.S. Air Force was hampered during these times by a limited all-weather and night bombing capability.The U.S. Air Force adapted an existing system to address this problem. To train its crews, the U.S.

  • Capt. Steven L. Bennett

    Medal of Honor - Posthumously Awarded On June 29, 1972, Capt. Steven Bennett piloted his OV-10 on an artillery adjustment mission southeast of Quang Tri City. A forward air controller (FAC) assigned to the 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron, Bennett had already directed two close air support strikes

  • Capt. Hilliard A. Wilbanks

    Medal of Honor - Posthumously AwardedOn the afternoon of Feb. 24, 1967, Capt. Hilliard Wilbanks, a forward air controller (FAC) assigned to the 21st Tactical Air Support Squadron, was flying a reconnaissance mission in support of a South Vietnamese Ranger battalion. About 100 miles north of Saigon,