| Contents |
Operation Farm Gate -- Farm Gate / Maury Bourne -- Vietnam Memories: The B-26 Invader / Bruce Kramer -- st Air Commando Group: Vietnam 1963 / Jack Williams -- Night Scramble Mission / Andrew "Andi" Biancur -- Captain Miles T. Tanimoto: A Hawaiian Hero's Tale / Kenneth J. Alnwick -- Recollections of an Old Man: Photography from RB-26s and T-28s / Jimmy Phillis -- Charley's Foot: One .30-Cal Bullet / Charles H. "Chuck" Holden -- Mission with "Jumping Joe" Kittinger / George Rose -- B-26-Bien Hoa, South Vietnam-1963-64 / Joe Kittinger -- War Story / Andrew "Andi" Biancur -- A-26/B-26 Historical Notes / Tom Smith -- On Mark Engineering: History / Robert B. Denny -- B-26 to A-26: How Could We Not Love It? / John Sodergren -- Big Eagle -- On Mark A-26 -- Nakhon Phanom,Thailand -- 1966-67 / Joe Kittinger -- The Loss of Nimrod 32 / Harlan "Gene" Albee -- Three Stories: 1st Air Commando Wing, 603rd Maintenance Sq. England AFB, Louisiana 1966-1967 / Ed Parker -- Project Big Eagle / Randy Ryman -- Project Big Eagle: Setting Up Shop at NKP / Randy Ryman -- Back to Yesteryear / Lindsey Jackson -- Nimrod Combat Operations Out of NKP -- NIMROD -- King of the Trail / Capt. Michael J.C. Roth, USAF -- Forward Air Controller Perspective: NKP Combat Operations / Jimmie Butler -- Memorable Flight of Nimrod 31 / Jimmie Butler -- February 1967: A Sad Month for NKP / Jimmie Butler -- Trouble Over the Trail / James "Lee" McCleskey -- Every Pilot's Nightmare / James "Lee" McCleskey -- A Dangerous Hunt and a Close Call / James "Lee" McCleskey -- A-26s -- How We Kept Them Flying / Jim Galluzzi -- Just Another Day at NKP / Jim Galluzzi -- "Maintenance Meanies" -- 12, "Flight Crews" -- 6 / Mike Packard -- A Night Flight with Saint Elmo / Jack Krause -- Ferrying an A-26 to Nakhon Phanom RTAFB, Thailand / Bob "Pappy" Sears -- Loss of Carlos, Bill, and Paul / Roger Graham -- Loss of "Bo" Hertlein-Spirit of the Nimrods / Roger Graham -- The Lima Site 85 Mission with Colonel Learmonth / Roger Graham -- Friends for Life / Roger Graham -- A-26 Flight Across the Pacific / Frank Nelson -- Khe Sanh Day Mission / Frank Nelson -- Joining the Air Commandos by Volunteering for Graduate School / William "Bill" Cohen -- The Mysterious Silence of Zorro 23 / William "Bill" Cohen -- A Short Visit to an Enemy Gunnery School / William "Bill" Cohen -- Batman and Robin Attack a Cave / Al "Batman" Shortt -- Almost Toast -- B-52 Attack / Al "Batman" Shortt -- My A-26 Time at NKP / Leon "Crazy" Poteet -- Unforgettable Nimrod Missions / Tim Black and Bruce "Gus" Gustafson -- Last A-26 Flight Out of NKP / Jim Blanchard -- Rosters and Squadron History Documents -- A/B-26 Memorial -- Lasting Impact and Legacy -- Wife's Story / Dianne Graham -- The Air Force Academy Plaque Ceremony / Roger Graham -- A Daughter's Journey to Know Her Father / Carla Cruz-Curtis -- Yes, Dear Lady, I Knew Your Son / Harry J. Bright -- Letter to My Son / Major James Sizemore -- "Operation Final Flight" -- My Epiphany / Donald Vogler -- A Special Day for "Special Kay" / Roger Graham -- Restoration of the A-26A"Special Kay" AF 17679 / Jim Reynolds. |
| Abstract |
"By the time of the Vietnam War, the U.S. military had transitioned to jet aircraft. Yet leaders soon learned prop-driven planes could still play a role in counterinsurgency warfare. World War II-era Douglas B-26 light bombers proved effective in close air support and interdiction, beginning with Operation Farm Gate in 1961. Forty B-26s were remanufactured as improved A-26 attack aircraft, which destroyed hundreds of North Vietnamese supply vehicles on the Ho Chi Minh Trail in 1966-1969. The personal recollections of 37 pilots, navigators, maintenance and armament personnel, and family members, tell the harrowing story of B-26 and A-26 Air Commando Wing combat operations in Vietnam and Laos"-- Provided by publisher. |
