Category Archives: Combat

Racing Back to Vietnam – A Good Read

Posted on June 1, 2018 by

There are few books that have really captured the world of the F4  backseater or GIB (Guy in Back)  in combat. For Dr. John Pendergrass flying in the F-4 Phantom II in combat during the Vietnam War changed his life … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Combat, F-4 Phantom II, F4 emergency, F4 Phantom II, Vietnam War | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

On to SEA in ’73

Posted on May 5, 2018 by

45 years ago this week,  a new phase of my life began. On May 15, 1973, I kissed my wife goodbye at the airport.   And set off on what was to be the great adventure of my life – flying … Continue reading →

Posted in 13 TFS, Air Force, American History, Combat, F-4 Phantom II, F4 emergency, F4 Phantom II, Luke AFB, Thailand, Vietnam War | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

A Day in the Life….

Posted on March 29, 2017 by

Today is Vietnam Veterans Day — March 29, as such I thought about how I would have spent this day during the war. Most days in combat began early. There was what we called an “0 Dark Thirty” wake up. … Continue reading →

Posted in 13 TFS, American History, Combat, F-4 Phantom II, F4 Phantom II, Fighter Aircraft, SEA, Udorn RTAFB, Vietnam War | Tagged , | Leave a comment

How does it feel…?

Posted on June 7, 2015 by

So there I was flying combat missions daily in the F4 over Cambodia in 1973 and a letter comes from my sister and she asks “How does it feel to kill someone?”  To say it pissed me off at the time … Continue reading →

Posted in 13 TFS, Air Force, American History, Combat, Norvell Family History, NY, Thailand, Veterans, Vietnam War | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

News from Afar: With Gilligan and Spiro Agnew in China

Posted on May 21, 2015 by

In the fall of 1973, as a member of the 13th TFS,  I had the opportunity to ferry an F4 from Udorn RTAFB in Thailand to Tainan, Taiwan, China.   The Air Force used a system of central depots to … Continue reading →

Posted in 13 TFS, Air Force, American History, Combat, F-4 Phantom II, Fighter Aircraft, Military history, SEA, Thailand, U Dorn RTAFB, Vietnam War | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lipscomb Norvell and the Seige of Charleston

Posted on April 22, 2015 by

The Siege of Charleston  in 1780, during the American Revolution,  marked a British shift of focus towards southern colonies. After failing to achieve any advantage in the north, in 1779 the British government sent a combined military and naval expedition … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Colonial History, Combat, Military history, Norvell Family History, Revolutionary War | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

John Mason Norvell’s Civil War Memoir 8

Posted on March 21, 2015 by

John Mason Norvell, the son of Michigan U.S. Senator John Norvell (1789-1850) and his third wife, Isabella H. Norvell (1804-1873), was a career soldier. He prepared this memoir in 1866 His story continues to the climax of the war at … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Battlefields, C.S.A., Civil War, Civil War Battles, Combat, Michigan History, Military history, Norvell Family History, Veterans | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment