Vietnam Photos

The Hanoi Taxi (tail #66-0177) was retired from active service in May 2006. She was the last of the 285 C-141s built by Lockheed to leave active service. She flew 100 POWs out of Hanoi on 12 February 1973, some of them tasting freedom for the first time in six years. Each POW put their shot-down date on the face of the oxygen panel during their flight to Clark AB in the Philippines. For her retirement ceremony, the POWs she brought home were brought back for the ceremony and one last flight by this gracious lady. They are aging now, but their enthusiasm, emotions, and excitement were evident during this flight and retirement ceremony. She was then flown to Dayton, OH where she will spend her final days in the Air Force Museum. A very touching video - Be sure to turn on the sound.

http://www.c141heaven.us/movies/C141retire.wmv

To view each photo in more detail, just click on each of these small "Thumbnails"

The photo below was sent in by Giles Gainer on 8 Sept 2006. The Squadron was flying the F-105 Thunderchief, better known as the "Thud" at this time. Thanks Giles!

Standing L to R: Robert Reichardt, John C. Atkinson, Giles Gainer, Andy Olman, Larry Wilson, Gary Banks and Delbert Smith

This Squadron roster, sent in by Joe Snoy on 16 August 2003, is the Squadron line-up near the end of the Yokota era (late '70 - early '71). Note the last name in Charlie Flight. Yes - that's him --
General Richard B. Myers, the current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff!

Another photo sent in by Joe Snoy (the first person standing on the left) on 16 August 2003 that was taken sometime during April 1969. Joe wrote, "The occasion for this picture was the arrival at Yokota AB, Japan of the first F4C modified for the Wild Weasel role. Billy Gaugh is standing third from the right. Billy was crewed with Bob Emerson (second from the right). The other guys who knew Billy most of all were Jerry Timm (third from left), Norm Turner (fourth from left), Klaus Klause (on Billy's right shoulder) and Jim Violette (knelling second from the right). Billy, Jerry, Klaus, Bob, Jim and myself were in the first F4C
Wild Weasel class at Nellis AFB, NV during Aug-Sept 1968. We returned to Yokota in the fall of 1968 but our specially modified planes did not arrive until Apr of the following year. You probably were told
that Billy and Bob were involved in a major ground accident while we were at Osan, AB, Korea. Billy was not injured, Bob received some burns, and three crew chiefs were killed when their F4C caught fire
and exploded during engine start. I was walking to my airplane, which was next to theirs, when I saw the explosion."

The third photo from Joe above, and his e-mail, "Here is the 80th squadron picture than was taken about Feb '71 when the squadron was momentarily deactivated at Yokota. This picture matches the crews on the roster I sent earlier. This was PACAF's F4C Wild Weasel Sq. All the crews had been through the WW school at Nellis except Lt Col Oakes and Lt Col Payn (Oakes eventually went to WW school). Everyone in the squadron had completed a combat tour in Vietnam (except Payn) - the aircraft commanders had 1000+ hrs in the jet and the EWOs had F105WW or EB-66 tours. It was a very experienced group - all senior Capts or Majors. Oakes said he was lucky to have such an experienced group and didn't worry about lack of maturity or experience.

Look in the back row - see the tallest head just left of the ladder - that's him - Richand B. Myers. To the right of Myer's (as you look into the page) is Jim Monsees (2 Migs in Vietnam) and to the right of Monsees is Billy Gough. I have not been able to get a hold of Monsees - He would have some Mig-killer stories.

I am kneeling - second from the right end."

Many thanks to Joe Snoy for sending in these great photos and information from this extremely important time in our Squadron's history.

Photo, sent in by Dave Groark, taken at Yokota AB in 1965 with an F-105 Thunderchief,
better known as the “Thud.” 80^th TFS pilots standing (L-R): Dave Weaver, Bob Taylor, Jack Redmond, Giles Gainer, and Rod Bowden.
Kneeling (L-R): Dave Groark, Louie Pazel and Bob Keller.

(Note our Squadron patch and old flammable cotton flight suits worn in the 1960’s and 1970’s.)

Photo of three of our Squadron F-105 "Thuds" flying by Mt Fuji, sent in by Dave Groark, was taken in 1965 by a Japanese camera man aboard a T-39 for a promotional shot for an article in a Japanese magazine about the F-105 at Yokota.
The lead bird, a 2-seat F-105F, was piloted by Art Mearns (died while a POW in Hanoi) with Jack Redmond in the back. Left wing is Gary Banks, and right wing is Dave.

This photo, also sent in by Dave Groark, shows a flight of 4 "Thuds" dropping MK-82 500 lb bombs in North Vietnam c1966

80th Fighter Squadron

Vietnam Photos