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      • Dave Lovelady
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    • Background to the Wars in Southeast Asia
    • 1961 to 1964: Civil War in Laos/Early Operations in South Vietnam
    • 1965: Escalation of the War/Start of Rolling Thunder
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    • 1969: Interdiction on the Ho Chi Minh Trail
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The Air National Guard (Jul 1968)

The seizure of the USS Pueblo by North Korean naval vessels on 23 January 1968 resulted in the immediate activation of 11 Air National Guard groups. The Pueblo crisis was resolved without resort to force but in the meantime the Tet Offensive had erupted in South Vietnam. It was decided to send four squadrons of F-100s to bolster the Super Sabre wings in South Vietnam. The first to deploy was the Colorado Air National Guard’s 120th TFS from Denver, which arrived at Phan Rang on 3 May. Next to deploy were the 136th TFS from Niagara Falls, New York; the 174th TFS from Sioux City, Iowa; and the 188th TFS from Albuquerque, New Mexico. The 120th was attached to the 35th TFW at Phan Rang while the 174th was attached to the 37th TFW at Phu Cat and the 136th and 188th to the 31st TFW at Tuy Hoa. In addition ANG personnel predominantly manned the 355th TFS, a regular USAF squadron, soon after it deployed to the 37th TFW at Phu Cat in February. The four Guard squadrons stayed in Southeast Asia for one year before returning to the USA, leaving behind an enviable record and reputation. The average flying time of the ANG F-100 pilots was over 1,000 hours in the aircraft compared to about 150 for regular squadron pilots. The 120th had no less than 21 airline pilots, all of whom had previously flown the F-100 or other types in their regular Air Force service. This higher level of experience resulted in an impressive degree of proficiency in flying and weapons delivery. The Guard squadrons brought their own highly experienced maintenance crews as the F-100C was different in many respects from the F-100D used by the regular Air Force squadrons in South Vietnam.

 

 

 

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© Chris Hobson and David Lovelady. All Rights Reserved.
  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
      • Chris Hobson
      • Dave Lovelady
    • About the Book
    • About the Data
    • About this Site
  • Sidelines
    • Background to the Wars in Southeast Asia
    • 1961 to 1964: Civil War in Laos/Early Operations in South Vietnam
    • 1965: Escalation of the War/Start of Rolling Thunder
    • 1966: Rolling Thunder Gets into its Stride
    • 1967: Rolling Thunder - The Peak Year
    • 1968: Tet, Khe Sanh, and the End of Rolling Thunder
    • 1969: Interdiction on the Ho Chi Minh Trail
    • 1970: The Year of Withdrawal
    • 1971: A Much Reduced Presence
    • 1972: The Spring Invasion/Linebacker Campaigns
    • 1973: Winding Up the War
  • Statistics
    • Loss Statistics
    • Losses Due to Air Base Attacks
    • Losses Due to Accidents on the Ground or Aboard Ship
    • US Air Force Loss Statistics
    • US Navy Loss Statistics
    • US Marine Corps Loss Statistics
  • Details
    • Order of Battle
    • Index of Names
    • Abbreviations and Glossary of Operations, Code Names, and Projects
    • Bibliography
  • Searching the Database
    • Hints on How to Search
    • Notes and Caveats
    • Search Forms
  • Photo Gallery
  • Contact Us
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