 Bob Crane, known to some people who watch television as a captured World War II pilot on Hogan Zero. I don't get a chance to do much flying in real life, so occasionally I like to come out to an air base, shoot the breeze with a professional. This trip was a complete bust, a real flame out. The whole place is deserted, nobody. This used to be the home of the Air National Guard, a busy place too, especially on weekends. What happened is this outfit went to war like a lot of other Air National Guard outfits all over the country. These guys look familiar? They ought to. You've seen them before. In your local bank, the grocery store, at the hospital, classroom, the courtroom, maybe in your own home. At the moment, these men are out fulfilling military obligations at bases all over the globe, but they're only temporary warriors, permanent citizens. They're your friends, friends and neighbors, the people you know. January 25th, 1968. The president mobilizes 11 Air National Guard squadrons with more than 9,000 men. International developments have suddenly increased the nation's total requirements for air power. The Air Guard is being called upon for help. There was nothing unusual. In every war in our history, citizens have been asked to abandon their peacetime activities and take up arms. This is one of the responsibilities of citizenship. But rarely have been responded with greater speed and made the transition more smoothly. In fact, these citizen airmen, or ones like them, have left their homes and jobs four times in the past 20 years to serve in times of international emergencies. This is what most Air Guardsmen expect after their call and what is expected of them. Within 24 hours, more than 99.5% of the men in the mobilized units report for duty. While they're fully trained and ready for combat the moment they're called up, these men still take advantage of the interval between call-up and deployment. To sharpen those skills, rehearse those procedures, and practice those exercises, which may be of the greatest value to them wherever they're sent to Vietnam, South Korea, Japan. As the deployment data approaches, certain decisions have to be made. A nice problem for a computer. Those units alerted for overseas can take along only about one half of their personnel. But many more than that have volunteered to go. Which ones will be chosen? Finally, the data arrives. The selected units are scheduled to depart at intervals of about two weeks. The first to go is the 120th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Buckley Field, Denver, Colorado. The equipment goes first. Spare engines to replace any which might wear out or be destroyed. Ground vehicles for use on the flight. Other equipment and tools to repair and, if necessary, rebuild engines or aircraft. The ground personnel are a vital part of the outfit. They'll have to be set up and waiting at the first stop to service the incoming fighter planes. So they ride with the equipment. The C-141 Star Lifters. Fifteen tons of men and equipment in each of the huge aircraft. The fighter pilots get their briefing from their commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Cherry. The upcoming flight will be made in three hops. Hawaii, Guam, and Vietnam. With frequent in-flight refuelings on the long hops. Technically, the exact destination is still classified. Not until they arrive in South Vietnam will their exact destination be made public. But their families have a pretty good idea where these men are headed. Later, these same goodbyes are repeated by other guard units at Sioux City, Albuquerque, Niagara Falls, Columbus, Ohio, Little Rock, Reno, Wichita. But don't get the impression that all the men are going in units to the far East. Actually, more than half the guardsmen mobilized are filling individual assignments at some 86 flying bases at home and abroad. For some men, this is the third time they've said goodbye and gone off to war, but it doesn't get any easier with that petition. One knows how much longer his luck will hold. A day, a week, a month, a year. Some of these citizens may find out the hard way. It's the strategic air commands flying service stations that make it possible for the fighter pilots to ferry their own planes across the thousands of miles of ocean. Once they're airborne, each of the KC-135 tankers quickly gathers up and takes under its wings some five or six of the fighter planes and mothers them the rest of the way across the Pacific. In-flight refueling is a delicate and precise operation, yet because of the relatively short range of fighters, it must be repeated several times by each pilot in order to span the Pacific. The first stop for all units is Hickham Air Force Base, Hawaii. The ground crews, which were sent ahead, are ready and waiting to service the F-100s for the second leg of the journey. It's a very short stop over, though. The next morning, the tankers and the C-141s lead the way into the air again. The F-100s follow rendezvous with their tankers and the parade is on again. The long hours in the cramped fighter cockpits are nearly grinding, but it's not the kind of parade that anyone wants to drop out of. Finally, the 120th arrives at its designated base in Vietnam, Phan Rang. On hand, the incoming pilots are the base commander and general William Moemeyer, then commander of all Air Force units in Vietnam. It's been a textbook movement. The 120th has arrived on schedule three days after leaving Denver with all 20 planes intact, ready for action. The same record is achieved by Iowa's 174th Tactical Fighter Squadron, which flies into Phuket two weeks later. Two other guard units, one from Albuquerque, the other from Niagara Falls, flew into Tui Hoa. All together, these four squadrons ferry 80 short range fighter planes across 12,000 miles of open ocean with all but four planes making the trip on schedule. Not bad for a citizen's turned airman. But getting here is only the beginning. Their mission is to assist the active Air Force in supporting the American and South Vietnamese ground forces. In some places, there's skepticism about their ability to perform. But that's for long. Within a few days of arrival after a short period of theater indoctrination, each squadron is ready for action. Since the Coloradians are the first to arrive, they're the first to see action. Before long, each squadron is averaging more than 20 combat missions a day. The skills learned in other wars are coming in very handy in this one. There are no more doubts about the abilities of these units. But another thing that makes these air guardsmen unique is that all of the pilots with one or two exceptions have the skill and experience to qualify as flight leaders. They and 355th, also at Phu Quat, which is composed largely of air guard personnel from other mobilized units, are the equal of any tactical fighter squadron in Vietnam. Their secret is partly superb maintenance provided by skilled ground personnel under the expert supervision of such experienced NCOs as Crew Chief Charles Moore of the Colorado Air National Guard. For those I'm concerned with the best, I mean, most of us got more than five or six years in the outfit. I say we average most of the technician average about 10 to 15 years experience. But it's also a first class leadership provided by such experienced pilots as Lieutenant Colonel Gordon Young, the CEO of the Sioux City, Iowa Air National Guard. These angles on rocket passes. One of the pilots here, 416, got a written share of one of his own, one of his own rockets. So watch your angles on those hand ranges. Your angles, wait, there is no minimum angle on the rocket section. But as far as you keep it up, you do get down to a low angle, keep your range out there where you can clear that impact area real good. So you won't catch a ricochet off your rocket. But even the constant pressure of combat in the 12 hour work day, which is standard in Vietnam, still leave a little time for other things, some serious, some not so serious. There's no doubt about it. Vietnam is a long way from home. But there are ways to keep in touch. And for those who want their communication to be even more personal than a letter, there are means to provide that to take facilities are available for use in both directions. All I can say is, honey, that I sure do miss you, that your brother Pete is back in school now and doing very well. Take care of yourself and the baby. In England. Can you imagine? Home, of course, is at the back of everybody's mind in every war. This one is no exception. Okay, I want you to help me sing this song if you don't know a thing, okay? I want to go home. There guardsmen volunteered to go to combat. And though they play the game in the song fest, not many want to go home before they finish the job they came here to do. The war in Vietnam is really two wars, one being fought with bombs and bullets, and one with hands and hearts. The air guard units are actively engaged in both wars. These men of the 174th and the 355th, the food cat, devote their free time in helping the villagers of nearby Phung Don rebuild the homes destroyed by the rockets and mortars of the Viet Cong. Other air guardsmen such as flight surgeons, Major Thurman Dabs, Major Carl Shushi spend as much time as possible trying to repair the damage war always brings to the week and help us. Dr. Shushi, this is a little boy that I was telling you about the other day. About two weeks ago, we picked him up in the midget clinic at Song Cal. We've been able to get rid of three of the parasites, but I'm still having considerable difficulty with his heart and lungs. I don't find any that you haven't already found, and I think the treatment that you've got program will do the job. All right, sir, we'll keep on with that then, and I'll let you know how we get along. Explain to him now that he'll be going home in about four days, and we'll check him in the home each week. Whatever the air guardsmen do in their spare time, however, the reason for being in Vietnam is to support the allied ground forces in their battles with the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese. Averaging more than 20 missions a day, it isn't long before the 120th of Fan Rang, the first of the air guard squadrons to begin fighting approaches an important milestone. It's 1000 missions. This mission is a two plane strike against an enemy unit opposing an American military force in the South. Leading the mission is Major John L. France in civilian life, a practicing attorney in Denver. First, he gets a weather briefing. As you go along the coast, there are a few isolated rain showers and thunder showers. There's one fairly good size, one still up to 20,000 feet participating in the long towering scattered strata running to the 40s that are for around 1,000 to 1,500 feet. Weather generally through the four car area is expected to get a definite strata cue around 1,500 feet. Then comes an intelligence briefing where he learns everything known about the combat situation in the target area. In the Danang area, we have reported contacts to the north, to the west, to the south, all around the area. The villagers report considerable numbers of DC moving into that area and working farther south and to core, dot pack again quiet for change. No rockets, no murders, the same way with Dr. Kahn to him and play coup. Moving farther down, ban me to still quiet. To a while, some action to the west troops and contact out here. We haven't any results of what's happened out there, but apparently we're on the winning edge of it. Finally, France briefs his wingman. Major William Newen's on his plan for their mission. You have three of them, start getting your spacing as we're picking up the information from the four direct controller. When I'm 180 degrees out on a project and start a roll in, you can make it 360 and or any way you can get around to get reciprocal from me so that I'll be going by hopefully with a left break and you can lay a bomb in 30 seconds from the other direction after I pass and make a left break and then we'll be in a better plot pattern and we'll keep it going. However, not even the most careful planning and attention to detail can remove all chance of unforeseen developments. The unexpected is almost routine on these missions, so they're never boring. Flying over Vietnam is much the same as flying over the United States. Clouds have the same soft unreality. The land unrolls in the same pattern of rivers and fields and forests, but there is a difference. You're very much aware that down below a war is going on, that men are fighting and dying. Those hills and forests are not as innocent as they seem. Nearing the target, they pick up the voice of the forward air controller in his observation plane above the area. Mission accomplished. Return to base. 1,000 missions. That's only a beginning of course. Before they complete their tours in Vietnam, each air guard squadron will have multiplied that figure by six or seven. Still, it merits some sort of celebration. On every one of those missions, someone risked his life. Hello, John. Yeah, congratulations. Here's the 1,000. 1,000, right? Come on, just went off the wagon. Yeah, a real good mission. Always good. Congratulations, here. Well, you get there for a long time. We're looking forward to the second 1,000. On the occasion of your 1,000 combat story in Vietnam, I think you guys have done a nice job. If I can get a drink out of it, thank you, please. Thank you, John. Here's the 120. In turn, I would also like to propose a toast to the 614. You know, new people hosted those ever since we got here. And I still, well, I was in today asking for someone's eyes. And I think it's completely outspending the way your unit has taken care of us. So how about 1,514? There's no doubt that some of these men are heroes. And for some of their work, there is only one word heroic. They've been asked to do a job, a hot, sweaty, uncomfortable job for the most part. And they're doing it to the very best of their ability. When the call came, they responded willingly. Many at great personal sacrifice. Because they recognize their obligations as air guardsmen and American citizens. Their pride in their units and their devotion to duty are apparent in everything they do. When these men packed up their gear and flew off to war, they left some pretty big gaps in the economic and social life of their community. When they return to fill these gaps, they'll bring with them the same good sense, the same dedication to duty, the same resourcefulness, the same sense of responsibility, which makes them such valuable members of our armed forces. Flow angle, keep your range out there where you can flare that impact. There you have real good, so you won't get your ricochet out of your rock. So that I'll be going by hopefully with a left break and you can lay a ball in 30 seconds from the other direction after I pass and make a left break, and then we'll be in the butterfly pattern and we'll keep it going just like that. But I don't think that you haven't already found them. I think the treatment that you've got program will do the job. All right, sure. We'll keep on with that then, and I'll let you know how we get along. What I'm concerned with the best, I mean, most of us got more than five or six years in the outfit. I see we average most of the technician average about 10 to 15 years experience. Why shouldn't they be the best? What else would you expect of your friends and neighbors, the people you know?