Attributed Air America Grouping - 3 Wings

[John Fushi]

 "Anything, Anywhere, Anytime, Professionally"

 

From 1959 to 1962 the airline provided direct and indirect support to US Special Forces.  After 1962 a similar operation known as Project 404 fielded numerous US Army attachés and air attachés to the US embassy. From 1962 to 1975, Air America inserted and extracted US personnel, provided logistical support to the Royal Lao Army, transported refugees, and flew photo reconnaissance missions that provided intelligence on Viet Cong activities. Its civilian-marked craft were used, under the command of the Seventh and Thirteenth Air Force, to launch search and rescue missions for US pilots downed throughout SEA. Air America pilots were the only known private US corporate employees to operate non-Federal Aviation Administration-certified military aircraft in a combat role. By mid-1970, the airline had two dozen twin-engine transport aircraft as well as Boeing 727 and 747 jets plus two dozen fixed wing short-take off-and-landing aircraft in addition to 30 helicopters dedicated to operations in Burma, Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos. There were more than 300 pilots, copilots, flight mechanics, and airfreight specialists based in Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand. Air America flew civilians, diplomats, spies, refugees, commandos, sabotage teams, doctors, war casualties, drug enforcement officers, and even visiting VIPs like Richard Nixon all over Southeast Asia. Its non-human passengers were even more bizarre on occasion. Part of the CIA's support operations in Laos, for instance, involved logistical support for local tribes fighting the North Vietnamese forces and the Pathet Lao, their local opponents. Forced draft urbanization policies, such as the widespread application of Agent Orange to Vietnamese farmland created a disruption in local food production, so thousands of tons of food had to be flown in, including live chickens, pigs, water buffalo, and cattle. On top of the food drops came the logistical demands for the war itself, and Air America pilots flew thousands of flights transporting and air-dropping ammunition and weapons. When the North Vietnamese Army overran South Vietnam in 1975, Air America helicopters participated in Operation Frequent Wind evacuating both US civilians and South Vietnamese people associated with the Saigon regime. The famous photograph depicting the final evacuation, Was an Air America helicopter taking people from an apartment building. 

 

Grouping is attributed to John F Kerch 

 

 

Closer look at the wings.

 

[manayunkman]

Very hard to find stuff.

 

What kind of chronograph did he wear?

[rathbonemuseum.com]

Fantastic biographical group John!

[bschwartz]

Wow, that is incredible.  You don't see this stuff very often.  What a find, congrats.

[rustywings]

Rare grouping of wings! Terrific research and informative write-up!  Thank you for all of your efforts John...

[316th FS 324th FG]

On 8/21/2022 at 10:24 PM, manayunkman said:

Very hard to find stuff.

 

What kind of chronograph did he wear?

 

That's a Protona Minifon recording device that just looks like a chronograph.

[triplecanopy]

I met Charles Stoudt years ago and after we got to be friends,  he presented me with his card and a set of Senior Air America wings. The wings were simply marked sterling. Unfortunately I let them slip though my hands.