THE RF-101 VOODOO OVER SOUTH EAST ASIA 1961 - 1970

Among the first U.S. reconnaissance aircraft in Southeast Asia, the RF-101Cs from PACAF's squadrons spent long periods of temporary duty at Don Muang Airport and Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base in Thailand and at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, South Vietnam, photographing vital objectives in Laos and South Vietnam to provide most of the intelligence used by U.S. and South Vietnamese forces. When the United States finally decided to bomb targets in North Vietnam, RF-101C pilots took the first prestrike and poststrike photographs and led the Air Force and Vietnamese strike aircraft to the targets. The Voodoo pilots photographed objectives all the way to the China border, surviving anti-aircraft fire, missiles, and MiG interceptors – and suffering losses. Truly, the pilots of the RF-101s had a deadly dangerous job, and this history of their achievements pays a much-deserved tribute to their skill and fortitude.