Warbird Information Exchange

I was sent this Email from my friend and I received permission to share them.

Steve

I was working on a little project with my friend, Win, who was a Skyraider
attack pilot in Vietnam. Thought you might enjoy seeing these three
photos.

Ken

First, sitting in an A-1H in '68. 6th SOS.



Second, standing by an A-1E in Qui Nhon '65. 602nd ACS.



Last, after flying an A-1E in Hickory, NC in June '02 ... almost the same
pose.


Win DePoorter says in his Bio,

"I completed my checkout in the A-1 Skyraider at Hurlburt in May 1965 and reported for combat duty in Vietnam in June 1965.

In June 1966 I was assigned back to Hurlburt Field as an instructor pilot in the A-1. In addition to instructing Vietnamese pilots, I was selected to instruct all of the senior US Air Force officers who were in pipeline to Southeast Asia. All of my students, both American and Vietnamese, graduated in the top 10 per cent of the respective classes. I later received the Tactical Air Command Aircrew of the Year Award for 1967 for the work I had done as an instructor pilot at Hurlburt.

In February 1968 I returned voluntarily to Southeast Asia where I put in another year of combat duty. During my two years in Southeast Asia I flew a total of 657 combat missions (over 1200 combat hours) and received two Silver Stars, five Distinguished Flying Cross medals and 29 Air Medals. To the best of my knowledge, my record of 657 combat missions stands as the most flown by anyone in fighter/bomber type aircraft during the Vietnam conflict."

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"Any excuse is good enough if you're willing to use it!"

Amazing Bio, that first photo is a classic, has that Erroll Flynn look to it

Very cool - thanks for posting! Mark

Amazing! Great story.

While working on my Vietnam F-4E painting "Chico the Gunfighter", I recall the pilot of that plane letting me borrow his personal scrapbook. One picture showed a jock standing next to an F-4 after a mission. He looked a little strange - had a wild look in his eyes.

I asked why. My client, who was the DO and later Vice Wing Commander of the 366th at Da Nang (then Takhli) laughed and said, "He ought to look a little funny - he flew over 700 missions! I guess he had something to prove!" I don't recall if all those missions were in F-4s (probably not??? I'm aware of a number of guys who did additional tours as FACs and other planes so they could return to combat). At the time, I thought for sure he had the number wrong, but he insisted that it was true.

As with the subject of this post, there were guys who hung it all out well beyond their fair share - and somehow survived! How, I have no idea.

Wade

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