As far back as he can recall, self-proclaimed Army brat Paul Galanti dreamed of soaring through the skies. While many teens yearn to sit behind the wheel of a car, Paul envisioned climbing into a cockpit. “I always wanted to fly,” Galanti said. “Actually kindergarten was the first time I
First Lt. Jerry Driscoll was 10 miles north of his target in Hanoi, North Vietnam, when the tail of his F-105 fighter jet was struck by anti-aircraft fire. Flying at 600 mph, the plane ignited and began to roll. He ejected at 1,000 feet. Driscoll was on his 112th mission,
Retired Air Force Col. Robert Certain was a navigator on the first B-52 shot down during Operation Linebacker II.
August 25, 1972 dawned hot and muggy in Vietnam. Pilots of Fighter Squadron 161, stationed aboard USS Midway (CV 41), readied their aircraft and went over the day’s flight plan. Their mission was an early evening MiG combat air patrol over North Vietnam. Lt. John “Jack” Ensch would serve as
The 15th Wing opened Readiness Day, where senior leaders discussed maintaining optimal mission readiness, Aug. 24 here, at Hollister Auditorium, with a speech on individual readiness and resiliency from a former prisoner of war. Retired Air Force Col. Thomas Norris, then a captain, was shot down Aug. 12, 1967, after dropping bombs