Maj. John Postgate - Pilot

614th Tactical Fighter Sq, 35th Tactical Fighter Wing

A Distinguished Veteran

Major John Postgate enlisted in the United States Air Force in September, 1954, and went through Aviation Cadet Pilot Training from March, 1955 to June, 1956. After completion of F-89 school, Major Postgate was assigned to Air Defense Command at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska. A year later, the Northrop F-89 Scorpions were phased out and he went to Greenville Air Force Base, Mississippi, as a T-33 instructor pilot. In 1960, he was re-assigned to Williams Air Force Base, Arizona, flying T-33, T-37, and T-38s as a Stand Eval and Instructor pilot. In 1965, he volunteered for Vietnam as a Forward Air Controller, Assistant ALO, and Forward Air Control Safety/Instructor at Bien Hoa. After training, he was assigned to the 19th TASS and flew out of Duc Hoa under the 99th advisory team. During this tour, John, whose call sign was ‘Cobra 2’, flew over 1,200 combat hours and 475 missions in the O-1. After a short break at Kadena Air Force Base, Okinawa, he again volunteered for Vietnam as a pilot in the North American F-100D Super Sabre. During that tour, he flew the 10,000 F-100 sortie in Vietnam. In June, 1967, he was assigned to the 35th Tactical Fighter Wing at Phan Rang Air Base, where he flew 303 combat missions. His next assignment was back to Air Defense Command in July, 1968, as an F-106 pilot at McCord Air Force Base, Washington. He returned to Kadena AFB, Okinawa, in 1971 as the 313th Air Division Assistant Operations Officer, Okinawa Reversion Officer, and Instructor pilot. He finished his 23-year career in the Air Force as a Fighter Duty Officer and T-33 Instructor Pilot at Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas. He flew the F-89, T-29, O-1, T-33, T-37, T-38, F-100, F-102, and F-106. His decorations include five Distinguished Flying Crosses, 33 Air medals, the Bronze Star with Valor, Purple Heart, Presidential Unit Citation, and the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with palm, two with bronze star, and two with gold star. After retiring from the Air Force, he started the Air Force Association Bakersfield Chapter in 1989, and served as Chapter President.

“In February, 1966, during one of the Tet offensives, I was flying the O-1 on a Forward Air Control mission near a village called ‘Cu Chi’. I enjoyed flying the O-1. We were near a free fire zone, so if we saw anything, we could shoot at it. I carried a 38 side arm and an M-15 rifle, and I usually would empty a couple of clips on each mission. A bamboo forest shielded the small village of Cu Chi, and over the path that led into the village was a 15-foot high bamboo arch adorned with a VC flag. They kept putting those darn flags up all over the place. I decided I would fly low and try to snag the flag, as it seemed like the thing to do, besides, the sew girls would make imitation flags and sell them to the Green Berets and Army Rangers, who would in turn sell them to the grunts. I wanted the real thing. Flying low was one way to catch the VC without being seen or heard. We did some low level flying in the F-100, in fact, one time I remember flying so low on a strafing run, I made a rooster tail in a rice paddy. In order to snag the flag off the pole, I dove the O-1 down low, right over the grass, and I snagged the flag on the left strut of the O-1. I flew down the valley and landed in a short field, where I took the flag off the strut and placed it in the plane. I made a quick u-turn and took back off. I was concerned about the VC in the vicinity shooting at me and also losing the flag. I kept the flag and no one knew I had it except for the French photojournalist who took a photo of me with the flag.”

Cambodian Border
“The O-1 had two rocket launching pads on each wing, with white phosphorus target marker rockets, and occasionally nine pound high explosives on 2.75 FFARS. We would climb the plane at a 30-degree angle, fire the rockets, and basically lob them over the Cambodian border. We did it just to harass the VC that occupied the Cambodian side. I had to fly up to Tiezan City as a Liaison Officer to meet with other FAC officers. On the return flight, I went west around a large thunderstorm. I was near ‘Parrots Beak’, when I noticed a lot of people working in the rice paddies. I went down to investigate and flew my O-1 right down the middle of the rice paddy at low level. The people on both sides pulled out their guns and started shooting at me. I kept it on the deck and went as fast as I could go. I sure could of used an afterburner that time! I thought I was in a free fire zone in Vietnam, when in actuality, I was in Cambodia, where I wasn’t supposed to be.”

“I remember one time when I almost got shot down by a Navy F-4 Phantom. I was calling in an air strike near the Vico-oriental River. The Navy F-4s came in and dropped its ordinance near the target. My O-1 shook a little, but I thought nothing of it. I flew back to base with no problems and landed. After getting out of my plane, my crew chief told me to come and look at the horizontal stabilizer. Shrapnel from the exploding bombs dropped by the Navy F-4 had hit the stabilizer and ripped it open like a can opener! I don’t know what it was about the Navy, they dropped more duds than you can count. I had a flight of A-1Hs come over, drop about 18 bombs, and only two exploded.”