23 August 1968 – Julius J. Thurn was serving with the 136TFS out of Tuy Hoa AB, Vietnam. On a strafing mission, to support a Special Forces unit, Julius’ F-100 was hit in the engine by automatic weapons fire. He ejected but could not be extracted by Air Force rescue crews due to the ongoing fight. He was saved by the Army Green Berets he was supporting who fought their way to him for pick-up. (1)
Later in his service, Col Thurn was part of the 107th Air Refueling Wing that deployed to Europe in 1995, to assist the United Nations forces on the scene to maintain peace in Bosnia. Thurn was proud of the unit’s accomplishments while on duty in Europe. Although designated as a refueling unit, the planes of the 107th also were called upon to coordinate the movement of materials and personnel into the Tuzla region of Bosnia, where the American troops were based.
(1) Source: https://dmna.ny.gov/gt/gt_spring_19.pdf and Buffalo Times