 In the military action in Vietnam, a squadron of fighter aircraft has been called on for close support of a marine company held up by punishing enemy fire from an abandoned village. Guided by the small observation plane close above the green battlefields of Vietnam, the marine airstrike dives on target. A vital part of this unusual war in which the political, economic, and psychological factors demand as much consideration as the military. Now the men of Lima Company first Marines are able to move forward because of the skilful use of an aircraft superbly adapted to supporting the riflemen in ground combat. The F-4B all-weather fighter, the Phantom. Empty racks show hundreds of pounds of destruction have been delivered to the enemy. Now, Khandahl 83 heads for home. This is the flight leader, Lieutenant Colonel A.W. O'Donnell. The flight is part of Marine Squadron VMFA-323. Colonel O'Donnell is the skipper. The NANG, 323's home port, is a main American base. Every day this center for tactical air support launches and retrieves hundreds of combat sorties. Back at the NANG, the aircraft of Khandahl 83 become geared to a fast-moving ground operation. They've got to be ready for the next mission whenever it comes. Flight crews go in for debriefing, and the squadron skipper inspects the aircraft. Rehealing and repair are completed quickly. The Phantoms are soon back to mission readiness. It's usually 95 degrees plus on the NANG flight line, but their mechanics are doing as good a job as they know how, and they're all experts. On the empty racks of the F-4Bs go deadly air-to-ground missiles, pods of rockets, the thousand pounders they call iron bombs. When these aircraft go out, they'll be carrying a full load of trouble for the Viet Cong. On constant alert for maintenance and repair, the mechanics at NANG eat and sleep on the flight line. They're currently working some 14 hours a day, and they even do a little moonlighting on the side. The extra job? Reinforcing the nighttime guard for the aircraft they service by day. Around the broad perimeter of the air field, they mount posts and roving patrols against infiltrating Viet Cong. We have learned through some bitter experience just how high airplanes rate on the enemy's list of targets. These smoking ruins from his abortive attack on Nang in June 1965 are the enemy's backhanded tribute to American air power. From his hiding places down below, he's watching this high road of air support. It brings the planes that snoop out his presence for destructive attack on his head. In Vietnam, our complete command of the air is a prime tactical advantage. To sustain close air support, we've created forward bases out of some of the most unpromising territory on Earth. At July, this sandy waste was pushed and scraped into smoothness. Luminum mats were bolted together to form an instant airstrip called Sats, short airfield for tactical support. The working start for the present vast complex at July. Within days, with portable arresting gear installed, the new base was in operation. Near July and our other bases, hawk missile batteries stand guard against possible aerial attack. Firing at past flying drones keeps man and missiles prepared for enemy action. A mainstay of Marine Corps air operations in Vietnam is the KC-130 called Hercules. Its principal assignment is air-to-air refueling, so when Hercules teams up with a phantom, it's not something new on TV. It's a technique that adds hundreds of miles to the range of the F-4B. With it, attack aircraft can provide constant top cover for the troops fighting below. The KC-130 is a regular visitor to the front lines, dropping tons of ammunition and supplies in each flight. On its shortfall assignments, Hercules is the champion awake lifter in the staple of Marine aircraft. Its rugged construction makes this plane unnatural for operations in Vietnam. To July and denying, together with the troops and weapons of war, Hercules sometimes brings a special kind of cargo. The boxes labeled civic action program hold garden rakes, tomato seed, food, and medical supplies. The civic action program reaches people demoralized by years of fighting. The program aims at the renewal of their hope and self-confidence, and the objectives stated by President Johnson to rebuild stable government and the shattered economy of Vietnam. And still, the fighting goes on. A shadow war of ambush and rapid movement, sniping, and terrorism. The enemy often part-time soldiers with modern automatic weapons. Against this ruthless determined enemy, it demands the closest ground-air coordination. And any hour can bring another mission for Colonel O'Donnell and the men of VMFA-323. Okay, gents, the mission is now known as a close air support. Available on-call to ground units or to the air observer who spots an enemy concentration in his slow-moving survey of the terrain. Conflict continues, those who fly in Vietnam, Marines and Navy, as well as Army and Air Force, will devote their full strength, courage, and skill to stay on target for ultimate victory.