F105 Thunderchief War Stories – Fighting Migs In Vietnam | Veteran Dave Waldrop
Interviews with Veteran Pilots and Republic F105 Thunderchief War Stories, such as fighting the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 In Vietnam.
Dave Waldrop grew up in Nashville, TN and graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1964 with a BS degree. From there he attended Air Force flight training at Laughlin AFB, TX. Upon graduation from flight training, Dave went to Nellis AFB Las Vegas Nevada where he checked out in the F-105 Thunderchief. On completion of his training, he was assigned to Yokota AFB, Japan. In May 1967 Dave volunteered for temporary duty in SE Asia and was sent to Takhli Air Base, Thailand. After flying 45 missions, Dave was released and was to return to Yokota, but instead, requested to be reassigned to Korat AFB, Thailand which needed experienced F-105 drivers due to having experienced some heavy losses. In December 1967, Dave completed his combat tour and returned to Yokota AFB, Japan with 105 combat missions in the F-105 including 49 over Hanoi.
Dave’s achievements while flying combat include:
3 Silver Stars
3 Distinguished Flying Crosses
12 Air Medals
1 Well Done for saving a sick F-105
1 Ejection in Southeast Asia from a F-105
1 Confirmed Mig-17 Gun Kill
1 Probable Mig-17 Gun Kill
One of these Silver Stars was for One Confirmed Mig-17 Gun Kill and another probable Mig-17 Gun Kill on August 23, 1967. Both Migs were on the tail of another F-105 with the lead Mig firing at the F-105. Dave was able to close on the Migs at a speed of over Mach 1.2 and prevented the other F-105 from being shot down.
On returning to Yokota AFB, Japan Dave checked out in the F-4 Phantom. He was reassigned to the states in September 1968 and was assigned to Kirtland AFB, NM as a Weapons Research and Development Test Pilot. While there Dave flew both the F-104 Starfighter and the F-4 Phantom. Dave also flew as a Maintenance Test Pilot in both the F-105 and F-4 during his service in the USAF.
Dave separated from the USAF in February 1970 and joined Delta Airlines. He flew with them for thirty-two years. During that time, he instructed on the Boeing 737 for six years. After joining Delta, Dave transferred to the Marine Corps Reserves at Dobbins AFB, GA and flew the F-8 Crusader for 4 years until they were retired from service. After leaving the reserve program, Dave built and flew a Pitts Special biplane. He then joined two other Pitts drivers and performed as a formation air show team.
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The F-105 was a mini bomber. Not a fighter. Pilots who flew the plane were told not to engage the MiG in a dog fight. Guaranteed loss.
Me sorprende que el Vietnam del Norte nunca haya lanzado ataques a las bases de tierra o a los portaaviones, si seguro que no tenían suficiente autonomía tal vez pero eso se arreglaría con un reabastecedor (seguro que la URRS ya tenia)…que raro que nunca se intento al parecer.
Amazing interview! He is a true hero. Thanks for posting this.
Was at Yakota '64 – '68
A very good interview with a fellow Tahkli vet His terms are what we understand as well with hand gestures
I was a gun plumber in the 333rd I left for home in late January of 67
Loại F-105 này cùng với F-4 bị bắn rơi nhiều nhất ở Bắc Việt Nam.
Outstanding! Thank you so much for allowing this humble American fighter pilot to tell his story. Long live freedom, dammit!
Good old American way of life!
So much fricken trauma…this helps to..?? make it worth remembering. I am so Proud of those of my time, who's NORMAL was like hero's on a daily bases. Those memories are more real then this crap that exists today. WW2 flyers is my family tradition.
Fantastic interview.
Himmm
Excellent interview, thanks for posting. The common theme for Vietnam era fighter pilots is how much the leadership stateside not only let them down, but made an already risky and dangerous job even more so by hampering them and imposing rules of engagement that all but ensured that they could not do their job effectively.
This is my 3rd time watching and listening to David b. Waldrop. I'm just an old USN rotor head. Pilots need heroes too ! Dave, thank you so much for your service, It was a different time at a different place. Unfortunately it was not a "A" symmetrical war ! It was a total FUBAR ! With day after day of SNAFU 🫣 It was for the kernel. Not himself personally but his staff to reassign you in all he had to do was sign it. I currently Fly in the DCS world of flight simulations. Mainly to all aircrafts that are public now and they're darn close. Really close to the specs, especially when it comes to the weather and the barometric values , things of that nature and to the nature of the aircrafts. That are public of course. They have random aircraft such as raptors and Russian felon things of that nature that is totally irrelevant to time and space, but I don't fool with that. I can't thank you enough before. It was you and Robin and chappie and my uncle Chuck that was put into an A-Team in Vietnam. He did get a Chrome 45.
I wish you and your loved ones all the most honorable blessings of your heart's desires of you and your loved ones. May the Lord bless you immensely so. He knows your heart and he sure knows that you did not mean to take the pilot when you lost your HUD 🥺 as you take reflection, just know that the Lord knows it was not your intention. The Lord knows there's a season for everything. Time to be born, Time to die, time to grieve, time to dance ,& last but not least, time for war. Vietnam was a farce ! McNamara pushing his ideals of keeping his foot on the neck of the DOD and running a war from a building. 8,000 mi away in a room with no windows that they can't even tell you if it's raining outside. Directing the PFCs to the JTAC and Navy and Air Force directives was the most ridiculous and unorthodox way to even fight, let alone win a war ! The DOD did not lose the war ! Army Navy and Air Force in the Marines did not lose that war ! Senators and congressman's and McNamara in the ear of POTUS lost that damn war ! I'm just glad and very happy that you and many many others were able to make it back home. But damn it ! So many did not 🫣 It was a total waste and committing lies with good intent. Don't add up to spit ! But I tell you this. It was you and Robin Olds and chappie and many others like you that got me in the CAP which took 2 weeks off of boot camp for me. Also, I took my first Hilo ride and can't remember if I got 147 hours or 174 flight hours civil and a MH6. This wasn't 89. So when I joined the USN. There was no doubt where I was to be placed. Once I pass qualifications for carrier duty, I had an awesome opportunity and I was so fortunate that the Lord looked down upon me and moments of my time and I took advantage of every opportunity. I'm really not the kind of guy that wants to go Mach 5 with my hair on fire but I can fly a twin engine. Beachcomber. But my first love is always been helos. I never got to fly a Huey and I try to explain to people in the simulations that flying a Hilo. Almost 70% of it is in the seat of your pants. 2D and 3D doesn't change that. When you're flying by the sea to your pants you know what the aircraft is doing and where it's going. Also, you can feel how the aircraft is feeling. There's many times it was long and tedious for. The stations are on starboard than 20 mi 40 mi and 60 mi. And at the 60 mi you're about 20 to 30 mi from a bailout. I have earned my way there and was afforded the opportunity to make a difference. I can't Thank you guys enough and I don't believe many can appreciate the values where the machine and you become 1, I started with the shamrocks and ended with 44 dusties attached to the 3rd wing on CV 67 90 to 96 and just reenlisted for another 6. What was odd is that big? John was put in reserves in '94 and I was passed around from one station to another flying different types of helos such as my first bird and station was a seeking on Big John and went through different types of helos and my final was of Seahawk. My all-time favorite was the sea dragon and I love that so very much. I have about 160 hours in that one. They used me to test new logistics on helos and different types. I would spend 150 hours to 200 hours on each aircraft and fill out the paperwork after each flight and fill out a questionnaire and things of that matter and also be debriefed of my opinions. Remember back in '89 and early 90 GPS was just in the infancy. I'm so sorry for the bio. Of mine that is. I wish you and yours all the blessings and more that you can hold. May the Lord bless you immensely so. Take care brother. God bless 🕊️❤️🕊️
Excelente!!!!Muito boa postagem!!!!
That flyer ethos goes back to W.W.!.
Johnson and McNamara at the time liked to publicly worry about China entering the war if the US bombed/mined Haiphong harbor. It was a complete lie, the Chinese hated the Vietnamese….
Once in your life time someone or something happens that make you Superman you my friend have had both the engagement and meeting robin olds
dave waldrop, thanks for your service.
When Waldrop described his hunting experience with land owners getting permission and today's attitude was a major connection for me in this outstanding interview. Brings back good memories of a time well missed.
My Dad was a 105 pilot, one Mig 17 kill, volunteered when he was 40 to go over to Nam 🫡
Because of corrupt politics and politicians as well as useless high ranking war planners, we were NEVER allowed to win in Vietnam. We could have but instead the "leaders" and I'm using that term VERY loosely, we're too busy treating it like a fkn game! A game they weren't good at. THANK YOU TO ALL THE REAL SOLDIERS, PILOTS who gave their all!
Come mai us non sino mai stati processati per i crimini in Vietnam…e in iraq…in Cile…in centroamerica….in Afghanistan…. Hiroshima, Cuba… E molti altri.
Why do fighter pilots have strange looking moustaches?
A top notch story of a top notch guy! A great story and wonderfully told. Thanks!!!!!
The F-105 might have been called a "fighter" because of the "F" in front of the number but it was a bomber, pure & simple. And their nickname was "THUD" because of the noise they made when they got shot down, which they did in great numbers. He speaks highly of his plane, which every pilot does, but they really sucked. That aircraft was not built for a war like Nam. God bless the poor pilots who flew them. 🫡 🇺🇸
As bad as leadership was back then, Imagine the the corrupt ignorant cowards we up there today!!! It would be Afghanistan Times 1000!!!!
Takhli 355 FMS/AGE IN 1968-69. I remember the Thud well.
Warrior. thud pilots like the p-47 guys in WWII were a breed apart. They suffered most of the air causallues.This is when flying stops being fun and becomes combat where u could perish at any second. Tough, hard flying- you have to man handle this plane in those conditions. Nerve racking missions that must of been grueling to accomplish. The constant fear dread of ejecting (if u survive eject) in N Vietnam is too scary. The fact that this guy survived is testament to his skill &good luck. Damn that f'ing corrupt/ cringe pres Johnson & McNamara for idiotic micromanaging these pilots & hamstringing them which caused unesc deaths/pisses.
Thank you for your story and your great raconteur skills. You were my high school era hero when I read about you in a F-105 book. You are still my hero for your moral message. I hope you will age in health and happiness.
When does the video about f105s and Migs start?