When the Republic F-105 Thunderchief first debuted in 1955, the new supersonic fighter did not impress its pilots. The Air Force community proceeded to assign a slew of derogatory nicknames ...

The Vietnam War consumed F-105 pilots very quickly, and he was needed to train replacements. News coverage of the incident was mostly unflattering to the Academy and the service. Fair enough.

“We went down the next day or two,” says Cooper, whose F-105 squadron was based in Japan. The pilots flew into the Royal Thai Air Force Base at Korat, Thailand. “Wasn’t much there when we ...