In 1967, Dave Waldrop was a Lieutenant flying the infamous F-105 Thunderchief, affectionately known to their community as the "Thud," on bombing missions over North Vietnam. Daily, he faced anti-aircraft fire and the vaunted SA-2 "SAM" missiles funneled to Hanoi by Russia. On some occasions, the North Vietnamese Air Force (NVAF) sortied MiGs against the large, lumbering "Thuds."

Flying over North Vietnam as part of OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER was a daily gamble, a routine of life and death. The skies were heavily defended, the North Vietnamese knew which targets were going to be bombed, and there were only certain routes in and out. With no discernable strategy for the air war, young tactical fighter pilots such as LT Waldrop found themselves in a daily routine of intense combat with no clear purpose.

In his words, "We were un ...