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Recent Posts
- On Being a Fighter Jock April 27, 2022
- Fighters and Targets March 25, 2022
- Two types of flyers… March 8, 2022
- More Random thoughts from The Pit – Phantom II February 6, 2022
- The Real Air Force January 4, 2022
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Copyright notice- An American Family, 2013- 2022
© John Norvell
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Category Archives: Udorn RTAFB
Udorn We Have A Problem
July 22, 1973 started off like any other bombing mission. We did our preflight, routine, strapped in and taxied to the arming area. For this mission we had 18 Mark 82 – 500 pound bombs loaded, a more or less … Continue reading
Care Packages
Care packages are in the news a lot this time of the year. With good reason, the holiday season is one of the worst times for American military men and women serving overseas. It is hard for those who have … Continue reading
Posted in 13 TFS, Air Force, American History, F-4 Phantom II, F4 PhantomII, Fighter Aircraft, Thailand, Udorn RTAFB, Vietnam War
Tagged Care Packages, Christmas, Christmas at War
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The Udorn trots and other quick steps….
Phantom crews during the Vietnam War overseas always had the possibility of contracting local diseases. Its not that we weren’t prepared, before departing CONUS we had shots for almost every possible disease: hepatitis, typhoid, small pox, diptheria, plague, yellow fever, … Continue reading
Off the coast of China and other adventures in taking an F4 to Taiwan
In October 1973, I had the opportunity to ferry an F4 to the depot in Tainan, Taiwan China, as a member of the 13th TFS. The Air Force used a system of central depots to perform upgrades that couldn’t … Continue reading
Tales of My Phantom FNG Moments
Everyone who has flown has been an FNG more than once. For the uninitiated that is a F’ing New Guy. The term FNG has been used in the Air Force, I can bet, as long at there were aircrews. It … Continue reading
How I came to fly the Pit of the F4 – a story of genes, rejection, and being where I was meant be,
In 1962, I went to college and joined the AF ROTC program with the hopes that I would be a pilot when I graduated in 1966. Well, my entry into the Air Force was not without some bumps. After graduation … Continue reading
Freedom Bird
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
National Vietnam Veterans Day
National Vietnam War Veterans Day will be observed on March 29. The nine million who served in the armed forces between November 1, 1955 to May 15, 1975, and their families are honored. Of this number: 304,000 were wounded. 1,253 … Continue reading
Say Hello to the New Guys
Recently I watched Band of Brothers. One episode centered on new men entering Easy Company as replacements after D Day. The men are welcomed with less than enthusiasm and are not sure what to make of it. And I thought … Continue reading
Thanksgiving 45 years ago – long ago and far away
Military men and women often share moments that are seemingly out of time. These are universal events singular to the military experience, but shared across generations. Some of these include: being hunkered down in a fox hole; moving across a battlefield … Continue reading
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