357th Tactical Fighter Squadron "Licking Dragons"
Takhli RTAFB, Thailand, 29 January 1966 - 10 December 1970
Part of the 357th was at Takhli RTAFB on temorary duty
when the 355th TFW was assigned there PCS. By the beginning of
February 1966, the rest had arrived and were checked out to
assist the massive wing effort aimed at destroying the North
Vietnamese ability to wage war.
Diving through flak considered to be the worst in world
history, the squadron bombed railyards, storage areas, iron
and steel foundaries, and other vital targets in the
Hanoi/Haiphong area.
To carry the load of 16 to 20 sorties per day, the number
of "Dragons" increased from 22 to 32 pilots. Several "Bears"
(Electronic Warfare Officers) were added as the squadron
received the Wild Weasel aircraft in 1967.
Like the 354th TFS, the Licking Dragons also had a Medal of Honor winner of their own, although it
took till 1973 for Major Leo K. Thorsness to receive this highest
U.S. Military award. Shot down on 30 April 1967, he and his backseater,
Capt. Harold E. Johnson, spent the remainder of the war as POWs.
After the 1968 bombing halt, the emphasis of the war
shifted to Forward Air Controller (FAC) oriented strikes.
Although less impressive targets, the narrow mountain roads and
forest covered supply dumps in other parts of SEA were just as
vital as those in the North, and in many ways more challenging.
The pilots of the 357th flew missions in support of U.S. troops in
contact. Supply trucks and the roads that let them through the
rugged mountains and jungles became common targets. The "M in
the River" and the "Dog's Head" became the new land marks for
the Dragons. The names "Bird's Head" and the "H" came to mean
flak as heavy as was ever seen anywhere but downtown Hanoi.
As the war cooled down, the "Long Tongue Lickers" found
themselves the high profile squadron. The became known for
their "Klong" parties at the Ponderosa and at the club, the
yellow suited "Canaries" held many an infamous Sawadee party.
At this time, the 357th FS flies A/OA-10A Warthogs out of
Davis Monthan AFB,
Arizona and is still assigned to the 355th Wing.
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