The Misty Pilots
In 1967, a group of combat-experienced fighter pilot volunteers were brought together in South Viet Nam to form a top secret squadron with a now-famous callsign — MISTY. They were stationed first at Phu Cat Air Base, then in 1969, they moved to Tuy Hoa Air Base.
Their mission was to fly fast and low over enemy territory, armed with only their cannons and marking rockets… so low that they could see the targets… SAMs, AAA sites, trucks, bridges, boats, bulldozers… whatever. Their goal was straightforward: disrupt the transfer of enemy supplies and equipment down the Ho Chi Minh trail.
When a Misty located one or more of these targets, he directed Air Force and Navy fighter strikes against them. Mistys flew the two-seat version of the Super Sabre, the F-100F, and although they flew fast (350 to 550 MPH), and they continually jinked (i.e., changed direction) to spoil the enemy’s prediction of where to aim, still, 28% of the Misty pilots were shot down during the three years they were active.
Their first commander, Colonel Bud Day, was one of those shot down, and he became a POW in the Hanoi Hilton. Those who survived went on to important positions, including two Air Force Chiefs of Staff, seven general officers, two astronauts, numerous industry CEOs, and the first man to fly around the world unrefueled in a light aircraft.
Misty 1 – George Bud Day (MOH)
Misty 2 – William W. Douglass
Misty 3 – Glenn A. Jones
Misty 4 – Gary R. Tompkins
Misty 5 – William S. Mayberry
Misty 6 – Richard F. Meyer Jr.
Misty 7 – Windal K. Dalton
Misty 8 – Maurice F. Mchugh
Misty 9 – Charles L. Turner
Misty 10 – John R. Harris
Misty 11 – Paul T. Magill
Misty 12 – Robert M. Blocher
Misty 13 – Corwin M. Kippenhan
Misty 14 – Alfred A. Boyd
Misty 15 – Keith D. Heinger
Misty 16 – Richard R. Cunningham
Misty 17 – Robert R. Craner
Misty 18 – George F. Pinney
Misty 19 – Ronald F. Miller
Misty 20 – William R. Porter
Misty 21 – Philip J. White
Misty 22 – Charles B. Neel
Misty 23 – Jere T. Wallace
Misty 24 – James E. Mack
Misty 25 – Eben D. Jones
Misty 26 – Don A. Sibson
Misty 27 – Gene A. Mooney
Misty 28 – Raymond Wellington Jr.
Misty 29 – Guy D. Gruters
Misty 30 – Robert Mick Greene
Misty 31 – James V. Fiorelli
Misty 32 – James Edsel Risinger
Misty 33 – James T. Pinter
Misty 34 – Donald W. Shepperd
Misty 35 – Donald G. Jones
Misty 36 – Brian Williams
Misty 37 – Carroll C. Williams
Misty 38 – Charles Hugh Smith
Misty 39 – Elmer L. Slavey
Misty 40 – Richard G. Rutan
Misty 41 – Charles M. Summers
Misty 42 – Stanley Mamlock
Misty 43 – Howard K. Williams
Misty 44 – Lanny T. Lancaster
Misty 45 – P.K. Robinson Jr.
Misty 46 – Michael O. McElhanon
Misty 47 – Donald W. Kilgus
Misty 48 – Frank A. Swartz
Misty 49 – George W. Hanks
Misty 50 – Wells T. Jackson
Misty 51 – John F. Overlock
Misty 52 – Charles A. Shaheen
Misty 53 – Richard B. Durant
Misty 54 – Steve L. Amdor
Misty 55 – David W. Jenny
Misty 56 – Theodore R. Powell
Misty 57 – Walter Bud Bacon
Misty 58 – James M. Perry
Misty 59 – Donald E. Harlan
Misty 60 – Roy D. Bridges Jr.
Misty 61 – Frank T. Kimball
Misty 62 – Howard C. Thompson
Misty 63 – James Doug Weidman
Misty 64 – Robert E. Lynch
Misty 65 – R. J. Fitzsimmons
Misty 66 – Kelly L. Irving
Misty 67 – Ross C. Detwiler
Misty 68 – John L.Kretz
Misty 69 – Jerry Edwards
Misty 70 – Robert C. Konopka
Misty 71 – Ralph C. Kellum
Misty 72 – Roger P. Rice
Misty 73 – Clyde Seiler
Misty 74 – Norris J. Hanks
Misty 75 – Charles H. Holden
Misty 76 – Stanton M. Smith
Misty 77 – Robert Bryan
Misty 78 – Donald L. Masuret
Misty 79 – Alton B. Winkelman
Misty 80 – Gregg O. Parker
Misty 81 – Matthew A. Husson
Misty 82 – James E. Sue
Misty 83 – Robert F. Cassaro
Misty 84 – Richard G. Hepworth
Misty 85 – Roger L. Winblade
Misty 86 – Ron R. Fogleman
Misty 87 – Gerrit J. Walhout
Misty 88 – John M. Grathwol
Misty 89 – Colin Arnie Clarke
Misty 90 – William C. Wallace
Misty 91 – John H. Boles
Misty 92 – Dennis F. Hlad
Misty 93 – Lacy C. Veach
Misty 94 – Merrill A. McPeak
Misty 95 – Rowland D. Stanley
Misty 96 – Bruce L. Brown
Misty 97 – Robert M. Wilson
Misty 98 – James M. Osgood
Misty 99 – Ronald G. Standerfer
Misty 100 – Gilbert W. Ahl
Misty 101 – James A. Nugent
Misty 102 – Michael L. Cummings
Misty 103 – Carl A. Christensen
Misty 104 – David A. Skilling
Misty 105 – John P. Dickey
Misty 106 – Laurent Lee Gourley
Misty 107 – Rufus L. Edwards
Misty 108 – Ted R. Kroese
Misty 109 – Michael D. Martin
Misty 110 – Jefferson Scott Dotson
Misty 111 – Robert K. Seabury
Misty 112 – Victor K. Macomber
Misty 113 – George F. Buchkowski
Misty 114 – John M. Hamma
Misty 115 – Wayne R. Chaffer
Misty 116 – Norman M. Lutz
Misty 117 – Terence K. Egan
Misty 118 – Jerry A. Hallman
Misty 119 – Don Muller
Misty 120 – Gerrit S. VanRiper
Misty 121 – Robert F. Putz
Misty 122 – Dennis L. Cambell
Misty 123 – William R. Teske
Misty 124 – Mario G. Peraldo
Misty 125 – Michael Thomas Stone
Misty 126 – William E. Gabel
Misty 127 – Patrick H. Carroll
Misty 128 – Howard Gary Nophsker
Misty 129 – George D. Cranston
Misty 130 – James E. Cruson
Misty 131 – Richard L. Rice
Misty 132 – Jack K. Clapper
Misty 133 – Richard M. Reitan
Misty 134 – Josiah L. Merrill
Misty 135 – Troy Rex Morris
Misty 136 – Larry W. Whitford
Misty 137 – Alan M. Robinson
Misty 138 – Harry D. Scott
Misty 139 – George B. Lapham
Misty 140 – John L. Nystrom Jr.
Misty 141 – Jerald F. Ryder
Misty 142 – Richard E. Robbins
Misty 143 – Daniel F. Brown III
Misty 144 – Henry Buttelmann
Misty 145 – Logan Jackson Doub
Misty 146 – Lynn E. Farnsworth
Misty 147 – Robert M. Armstrong
Misty 148 – Frank A. Swartz
Misty 149 – David W. Thomson
Misty 150 – Vince J. Cattolica
Misty 151 – James P. Richards
Misty 152 – Terry L. Millard
Misty 153 – James Mike Hinkle
Misty 154 – James D. Davies II
Misty 155 – Jerry Marks
Misty 156 – David L. Robb
Misty 157 – David B. Samuel
Attached
A-1 – Ray Lee
A-2 – Don Snyder
A-3 – William T. Hascall
A-4 – Thomas R. Tapman
A-5 – Preston B. Hardy
A-6 – Blackman
A-7 – Richard Burgess
A-8 – Richard Doer
A-9 – Jim Emonds
A-10 – Richard F. Herbert
A-11 – Paul M. Ingram
A-12 – Steve Richie
A-13 – Donald Schmenk
A-14 – James T. Terry
Intel
I-1 – Ray Bevivino Jr.
I-2 – John Haltigan
I-3 – Joe Cerito
I-4 – Roger L. VanDyken
I-5 – Cal Kunz
I-6 – Bob Guido
I-7 – Jim Titus
Fight Surgeons
FS-1 – Dean F. Echenberg
FS-2 – Robert T. Gordon
Support
S-1 – Joe Caruso