As the resident “Gun Plumber”, all of the gunship material came across my desk. The program included a request to modify 26 C-47 with the SUU-11 and to establish an Air Commando gunship squadron.

It was an AC-47 test bird.Īfter returning to Eglin AFB, it wasn’t long before a formal side-firing aircraft program got underway. While at Bien Hoa, a former acquaintance invited me to look at a C-47 that had an SUU-11 7.62mm machine gun pod and MK 20 Mod 4 gunsight installed. A few days later I was on my way to Bien Hoa AB to help solve some training problems with A-1E load crews. One day I was pulled out of the shop and immediately reassigned to a newly created staff position in the Maintenance Directorate of SAWC at Eglin AFB. In late 1964, I was a technical sergeant assigned to Hurlburt Field in the Armament Section of the Special Air Warfare Center (SAWC). I quickly became combat qualified, but discovered the process had changed considerably from when I first started gunship work in the AC-47.

After in-processing, I was further assigned to the AC- 119K Stinger detachment at Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai AB (NKP). I qualified at Lockbourne AFB, Ohio and left for Phan Rang in December 1970. I volunteered for a gunship assignment in Vietnam and got selected for the AC-119. Douglas Blair, Gunner 18th SOS, Phan Rang and Nakhon Phanom, 1970

Gunship 20o0 full force