Lt. Col. Jerald Ransom: First 100 North Vietnam A-1 Missions

Published May 19, 2015

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Lt. Col. Jerald Ransom, first 100 North Vietnam A-1 missions. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Lt. Col. Ransom being congratulated just after he finished his 100th mission over North Vietnam on Nov. 27, 1966. (U.S. Air Force photo)

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Lt. Col. Ransom being congratulated just after he finished his 100th mission over North Vietnam on Nov. 27, 1966. (U.S. Air Force photo)

DAYTON, Ohio - On display (top right) Flight suit worn by Lt. Col. Jerald Ransom on his second tour. Note his 100 missions North Vietnam A-1E patch. Ransom’s 602nd Fighter Squadron (Commando) patch. A patch commonly worn by A-1 pilots, including Ransom. A-1 Skyraiders were used over the North on combat search and rescue missions, strikes, forward air control, and armed reconnaissance. Some used the common Skyraider patch to make a 100 missions north A-1 patch (The one on display was donated by Col. Robert Clark). (U.S. Air Force photo)

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DAYTON, Ohio - On display (top right) Flight suit worn by Lt. Col. Jerald Ransom on his second tour. Note his 100 missions North Vietnam A-1E patch. Ransom’s 602nd Fighter Squadron (Commando) patch. A patch commonly worn by A-1 pilots, including Ransom. A-1 Skyraiders were used over the North on combat search and rescue missions, strikes, forward air control, and armed reconnaissance. Some used the common Skyraider patch to make a 100 missions north A-1 patch (The one on display was donated by Col. Robert Clark). (U.S. Air Force photo)

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In November 1966, Lt. Col. Jerald Ransom became the first A-1E Skyraider pilot to complete 100 missions over North Vietnam. Ransom was a veteran of World War II, flying 35 missions over Europe as a B-17 navigator. In 1966, as commander of the 602nd Fighter Squadron (Commando), Ransom flew 366 hours over North Vietnam, and his A-1E was hit by enemy fire seven times. With his later tour as deputy commander of the 56th Special Operations Wing, Ransom flew a total of 326 combat missions in Southeast Asia.

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Lt. Col. Jerald Ransom: First 100 North Vietnam A-1 Missions