This Painting Is A Tribute To All F-105 Thud Drivers And In Particular Those Of The 469th Squadron Who Were Based At Korat, Thailand. It Is Also A Tribute To The F-105 Thunderchief Which Flew The Majority Of Strikes Against Those Heavily Defended Targets In The Sector Of North Vietnam Around Hanoi. The F-105d Dominating The Scene, 60-422, Was Lost North Of Hanoi On 17 December 1967 While Flown By The Artist's Friend, Captain Jeff Ellis. Jeff Spent Over Six Years As A POW, Returned Home In 1973, And Continued To Serve Until His Retired As A Brigadier General. The F-4e In The Background Carried The Artist Across The Pacific During The 1968 Deployment To Replace The F-105 With The Phantom. It Can Now Be Seen Proudly Bearing The 469ths JV On Its Tail. The F-105s Certainly Represented Mighty Big Shoes To Fill.
