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1972 – The U.S. Air Force gets its first ace (a designation traditionally awarded for five enemy aircraft confirmed shot down) since the Korean War.
Captain Richard S. Ritchie, flying with his “backseater” (radar intercept officer), Captain Charles B. DeBellevue, in an F-4 out of Udorn Air Base in Thailand, shoots down his fifth MiG near Hanoi. Two weeks later, Captain DeBellvue, flying with Captain John A. Madden, Jr., shot down his fifth and sixth MiGs.
The U.S. Navy already had two aces, Lieutenants Randall Cunningham and Bill Driscoll. By this time in the war, there was only one U.S. fighter-bomber base left in South Vietnam at Bien Hoa. The rest of the air support was provided by aircraft flying from aircraft carriers or U.S. bases in Thailand. Also on this day: Back in the United States, President Nixon announces that the military draft will end by July 1973.
https://thisdayinusmilhist.wordpress.com/2005/08/29/august-28/
Captain Richard S. Ritchie, flying with his “backseater” (radar intercept officer), Captain Charles B. DeBellevue, in an F-4 out of Udorn Air Base in Thailand, shoots down his fifth MiG near Hanoi. Two weeks later, Captain DeBellvue, flying with Captain John A. Madden, Jr., shot down his fifth and sixth MiGs.
The U.S. Navy already had two aces, Lieutenants Randall Cunningham and Bill Driscoll. By this time in the war, there was only one U.S. fighter-bomber base left in South Vietnam at Bien Hoa. The rest of the air support was provided by aircraft flying from aircraft carriers or U.S. bases in Thailand. Also on this day: Back in the United States, President Nixon announces that the military draft will end by July 1973.
https://thisdayinusmilhist.wordpress.com/2005/08/29/august-28/
Posted in these groups: 
Air Force
Military History
Air Force Military History
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 5
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I remember when they used to do the "today in Air Force history" ever day in tech school
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Maj Mike Sciales
I remember when they sent a 35mm film called "The Air Force Now!" that was shown at Commander's Calls. Wasn't too bad, we held it at the club and could drink. Always had perfect attendance.
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TSgt Melissa Post
That doesn't sound too bad actually. I kinda looked forward to this part of our class time. It was always interesting what our leadership had to share.
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Maj Mike Sciales
TSgt Melissa Post - If you really like history, contact your base historian. I was at Mtn Home and we got the entire "Why we fight" series made by Frank Capra during WW II. I also showed "Strategic Air Command" "12 O'clock High" "Failsafe" and some others as part of professional development for JAGs but all of us need to see where we came from. We have a great history and more being written every day. I'm a firm believer in the USMC drilling history into Marines. They have a long proud and storied history. They honor that history. They had some of the bloodiest fighting in any theater. They don't forget. We had Schweinfurt, Ploesti and Regensberg and thousands of brave airmen went up against a heavy defense with significant loss of life. But we got the mission done. Times and technology change, so now You will get the mission done.I have confidence in the current generation of airmen. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schweinfurt%E2%80%93Regensburg_mission
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Got to love Ritchie -- he's a legend. But now I'm looking going "maybe that WSO is the ace" if the MiGs we killed by rocket vice nose cannon. Still, a kill's a kill.
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