Those
gents being honored on the field last Thursday - now in their seventies and eighties
- are US Marines, retired officers of Marine All Weather Fighter Squadron 312. Each
one of ‘em has flown a jet in excess of 1,000 mph!
They are
Viet Nam vets of the famous "Checkerboard" squadron that dates back
to World War II, and this group of pilots flew 718 sorties in 1965-66 out of Da
Nang.
Called The
Last of the Gunfighters, because their cockpits sat atop four internal 20mm
cannons, they piloted F8 Crusaders.
The pilots hold
a reunion every two years, and this spring they landed in the Triangle - home
of squadron member Joe Mavretic. Upon his military retirement Joe served in the
NC House of Representatives for fifteen years, and is currently a panelist on
NC Spin.
