Category Archives: Cambodia bombing 1973

Freedom Bird

Posted on April 12, 2019 by

45 years ago, this week in  April, I boarded a “Freedom Bird” heading home from Thailand after a year-long remote combat tour. It was a year filled with many things:  honing my flying skills as a backseater in the F4, … Continue reading →

Posted in 13 TFS, American History, Cambodia bombing 1973, F-4 Phantom II, F4 PhantomII, Fighter Aircraft, Fighter pilot slang, SEA, U Dorn RTAFB, Udorn RTAFB, Veterans, Vietnam War | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Little Orphan Annie and the end of the Air War in SEA August 1973

Posted on August 12, 2018 by

Lest we forget:  F-4 Phantom II—445 total lost in the SEA Air War,  382 in  combat more than any other fixed wing aircraft First combat loss F-4C 64-0685 (45th TFS, 15th TFW) shot down Ta Chan, NW NVN on 20 June 1965.  Final … Continue reading →

Posted in 13 TFS, Air Force, American History, Cambodia bombing 1973, Combat, F-4 Phantom II, F4 emergency, F4 Phantom II, F4 PhantomII, Family History, Fighter Aircraft, Military history, Norvell Family History, SEA, U Dorn RTAFB, Udorn RTAFB, Veterans, Vietnam War | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Questions never answered

Posted on July 18, 2017 by

Had a great experience over the weekend. I visited David Garbe who lives about ½ hour away and has reconstructed the front part of an F4 D aircraft which had flown with the famed 555th Triple Nickle at Udorn. It … Continue reading →

Posted in 13 TFS, American History, Cambodia bombing 1973, F-4 Phantom II, F4 Phantom II, SEA, Veterans, Vietnam War | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Of Fireworks and other things

Posted on June 30, 2017 by

There is no way around it. The 4th of July makes me think of fireworks. When we were small there were always fireworks in Fair Haven, a town located on Lake Ontario about 8 miles away. We lived on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska, American History, Anchorage, Anchorage Alaska, Cambodia bombing 1973, F-4 Phantom II, Family History, Holidays, U Dorn RTAFB | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

F4 Stuff

Posted on February 22, 2017 by

Recently I was looking at all the things I had collected that had to do with the F4. The Phantom II mascot was called the Spook.    He appeared on a lot of things from patches — to letter head … Continue reading →

Posted in 13 TFS, 43 TFS, American History, Cambodia bombing 1973, F-4 Phantom II, F4 emergency, F4 Phantom II, F4 PhantomII, Fighter Aircraft | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Long Ago, In a Galaxy far far away…

Posted on January 11, 2017 by

Over the last few months, since I visited the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio and sat in the cockpit of an F4 again, the Phantom II has been almost continually on my mind. And as I thought about all those … Continue reading →

Posted in 13 TFS, 43 TFS, Alaska, Alaskan Air Command, American History, Anchorage, Arizona, Cambodia bombing 1973, F-4 Phantom II, F4 emergency, F4 Phantom II, F4 PhantomII, Fighter Aircraft, Fighter pilot lingo, Fighter pilot slang | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Watch out for the flying Bucket of Water

Posted on April 5, 2016 by

Each spring in Thailand, there is a festival called Songkran.   This is the traditional Thai water festival celebrated with the Thai new year in April. According to Wikipedia:   The Songkran celebration represents purification and the washing away all of … Continue reading →

Posted in 13 TFS, Air Force, American History, Cambodia bombing 1973, F-4 Phantom II, F4 emergency, F4 Phantom II, Fighter Aircraft, Fighter pilot lingo, Fighter pilot slang, SEA, Thailand, U Dorn RTAFB, Udorn RTAFB, Vietnam War | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment