U.S. Air Force Capt. William R. Austin II and his aircraft commander, Maj. Ivan D. Appleby, had out-maneuvered certain death hundreds of times before they got hit. A fighter pilot with the storied “Triple Nickle” 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Austin had flown 80 combat missions over North Vietnam in the powerful F-4 Phantom II, despite the enemy’s relentless attempts to make each a one-way trip. By the time he landed his 80th mission in the fall of 1967, he’d earned a Silver Star, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, and 10 Air Medals.

“See You Guys After The War”: An Air Force Pilot In Peace, War, And Captivity (Elmo Baker)
Mo Baker was born in 1932 in Morehouse, Missouri, the middle child of five. His dad was an insurance salesman and a master mason, and his mother raised the family.

