Don Engebretsen presenting his research on OLAA at a Mel Swanson Day gathering. Engebretsen flew the Douglas A-1 Skyraider with Operating Location Alpha Alpha, the 56th Special Operations Wing detachment based at Da Nang, which flew close air support, combat search and rescue, and missions in support of MACV-SOG reconnaissance teams. In later years he assembled a detailed day-by-day reconstruction of the detachment's history from flight records, photographs and the recollections of the men who served there. The screen behind him shows one such working file, dated 15 June 1970, listing the detachment's fourteen pilots by name and nickname and recording the arrival of Lieutenant Colonel Mel Swanson and two other new men. His own name appears on the roster. Photographs like this document not only the veterans but the act of preserving their history. Project: 219130