|
Ron Lester Vietnam Tour I arrived in Vietnam as a 2nd Lt copilot the first week of July 1967 and was assigned to the 459th TAS, Phu Cat AB. I spent approximately eight months of my 12 month-tour flying from the 459th Detachment at Da Nang, so over 95 percent of my flying time was in I and II Corps. My first flight as a copilot was 17 July 67 and my last flight as an aircraft commander was 22 June 68. I was promoted to 1st Lt on 20 September 67 and completed my aircraft commander check ride 1 June 68. While at Da Nang I lived with other crewmembers at an old hotel on the waterfront. I assume the hotel was previously used by the Army Caribou flyers and the Air Force transition team just continued use of the hotel. The places, smells, sounds, people and experiences were unforgettable. The flying was terrific. The pilots, flight engineers and maintenance personnel were dedicated to completing the mission regardless of the situation. We had our share of characters and our share of good times, but everyone I knew always strived to do their best under what were often difficult circumstances. We were reminded everyday of the hostile environment we lived and worked in. It was a hell of an introduction to my Air Force career. I took the slides shown with the exception of the slides of the Crash Landing of #403 at Quang Tri City, October 9, 1967 and the Aftermath of the F-4 Crash into C-7A Operations at Da Nang, December 25, 1967. Marty Hillman took the F-4 crash photos and I thank him for providing me with copies. |