The F-105 earned the nickname Thud after the character Chief Thunderthud on the Howdy Doody TV show. The main mission of the F-105G was the detection and destruction of North Vietnamese SAMs that would then allow other aircraft to safely carry out their assignments. In order for the F-105Gs to do this they were always “First In Last Out” and piloted by volunteers. The F-105 was the only U.S. aircraft withdrawn from combat due to high losses. Having flown 20,000 sorties over Vietnam 382 of the 833 F-105s produced were lost.

The Aircraft

In 1964 F-105F 63-8336 was delivered to the 23rd TFW as a two-seat combat capable trainer. In 1971 63-8336 underwent extensive modifications to convert it to an F-105G Surface-To-Air Missile (SAM) suppression attack aircraft known as “Wild Weasel”. They were equipped with sensors that could detect enemy radar signals once they were turned on, electronic jamming equipment and anti-radar missiles that could be launched to eliminate the SAM radar causing the missile to lose guidance. F-105G named “Patience” and Buzzard artwork refers to a cartoon of the day.