From The Vault: The Hunter Hackney Caribou

(Originally posted March 9, 2022)

Few know that behind the Pima Air & Space Museum are the remains of a historic USAF aircraft. On August 25, 1968, then Major Hunter F. Hackney flew 2 drop passes over the Duc Lap Special Forces camp in South Vietnam in support of US and ARVN troops. The drops delivered vitally needed ammunition through vicious concentrations of anti-aircraft and automatic weapons fire in which Hackney's Caribou sustained severe battle damage. Major Hackney then flew the paralyzed aircraft to a nearby forward operating base Ban Me Thout. )Fully aware that the defenders of Duc Lap wouldn't be able to survive the night without further resupply, he then obtained this very Caribou and once again headed towards the fight, successfully dropping more supplies and again sustaining severe battle damage. The defenders of Duc Lap survived the siege which ended several days later. For his airmanship, bravery, and heroism, Major Hackney was awarded the Air Force Cross and the RVN Gallantry Cross with Silver Star. Another Caribou on display at the National Museum of the US Air Force was once painted as Hackney's aircraft, but this is the real deal.