neighbors, including Thailand, Laos
and Cambodia. But Aderholt had a
soft spot for the rugged Skyraiders.
Although the decks of U.S. ships
leaving Southeast Asia were already
crowded with more modern and valu-able
American aircraft, he decided to
move as many as he could.
In May 1975, Aderholt convinced
the Thai military to allow him to
bring two Skyraider pilots, Roger
Youngblood and Jack Drummond, to
U-Tapao to fly the aircraft to a more
secure location. At great peril due
to the advancing North Vietnamese
military and the unknown airworthi-ness
of the planes, Youngblood and
Drummond flew four Skyraiders from
the southern coast of Thailand to
Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base in
central Thailand. A year later, before
retiring, Aderholt arranged (largely
through unorthodox channels) for
transport of the four now rare aircraft
back to the U.S.
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Top: Lt. Hampton Tillery pilots an A-1H Skyraider he nicknamed Pumpkin Pie in Thailand during the Vietnam War in 1970. Above: While visiting the
Tennessee Museum of Aviation in 2021, Hampton Tillery, now 76 years old, waves from the cockpit of the Skyraider he flew during the Vietnam War.