Historical information
AVM Alan Reed AO, Tan Son Nhut, Saigon, June - November 1968.
I was an Australian exchange officer flying RF4C Phantoms and training United States Air Force (USAF) pilots and navigators to go to Vietnam. I felt I needed some Vietnam experience if I were to do my job as an instructor. I managed to persuade both the US and Australian Governments to let me go the the war. I claim to be one of the few people 'invited' to the war because, for protocol reasons. the USAF could not order me to go. I was on exchange with the USAF from 1967 to 1970. My job was to fly reconnaissance missions in South and North Vietnam. My navigator was from North Carolina so we named our aircraft the 'Carolina Kangaroo'. All up, I flew 100 missions in Vietnam.
Service number 052363
RAAF, 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron USAF
Physical description
Black and white photo of Alan Reed Sqdr Ldr Pilot at the N.V.V.M. 2015 with supporting info.
