The F-4 Phantom II

Information about the prettiest airplane ever built, the supersonic F-4 Phantom II fighter bomber.

F-4 Photo Galleries

Pictures of F-4 Phantoms and life in the USAF from the albums of F-4 guys.

There I Was

Stories about the USAF and flying the F-4 by the men who flew the Phantom.

Flying the F-4 in Combat

Robin Olds, the fighter pilot's fighter pilot on flying the F-4 in combat.

College & the Military Draft

During my senior year at Penn State University I enjoyed my last year of college and fraternity parties, but applied for USAF officer training school and flight school as a fall back position in case I got drafted into the Army.

American Heroes

USAF and Navy men I knew who made the ultimate sacrifice while defending our country.

Close Air Support Missions

My typical F-4 combat mission was at night when I dropped 12 Mark 82 500 pound bombs on bad guys attacking good guys in the boonies of the northern part of South Vietnam.

Dressed for Combat in the Aerial Office

An illustrated explanation of the gear I wore when I flew combat missions in 1972.

Where Have All the F-4s Gone?

How a fighter-bomber-recon-attack superstar ended up as fodder for target practice.  This January 2009 Smithsonian Air & Space magazine article includes quotes by Richard Keyt.

Veterans Memorial Center

A video about plans to create a Veterans Memorial Center on the Mall to memorialize the Americans who died in the Vietnam war.

Vietnam Veterans Legacy Foundation Needs Our Help

USAF Officer Training School

My recollection of USAF Officer Training School in 1970.  It was a cross between college and military boot camp, but not too tough.

F-4 Training

I got lucky and was able to fly the F-4 Phantom for five years.

35th TFS Members

Rick maintains a roster of and contact information for former members of the 35th and 80th Tactical Fighter Squadrons.  See the group photos.

MiG Killers

The 35th Tactical Fighter Squadron was credited with six MiG kills during Operation Linebacker I.

Retterbush 2 - NVAF 0

Gary  Retterbush recalls his two MiG-21 kills in 1972.

A Ridge too Far

Joe Lee Burns tells about the F-4 mission into North Vietnam when he got shot down and rescued from the Gulf of Tonkin.

Assisting Caddy 03

Scott Powell remembers the day two F-4s in his flight strafed the bad guys boat that was heading for Joe Lee Burns and Mike Nelson in the Gulf of Tonkin.

Fighter Videos

A collection of neat videos that give you a feel for what it is like to fly a jet fighters.

Doyle Glass is Writing a Book About the 35th TFS

Author and historian Doyle Glass is writing his next book about the men of the 35th TFS and their experiences flying combat missions in SEA in 1972.  We need to find men who flew with the 35th.

Thuds Over North Vietnam

Retired Air Force Generals Spence “Sam” Armstrong and Michael Nelson recall what it was like to face MiGs, SAMs and AAA in Route Pack 6 in North Vietnam

Inspirational Words

Words of famous and unknown Americans that are inspirational