The Don Englebreston Collection

Champagne Toast beside Douglas A-1 Skyraider, Tail Code TS, Serial 37 628, Southeast Asian Air Base, Vietnam War Era

Champagne Toast beside Douglas A-1 Skyraider, Tail Code TS, Serial 37 628, Southeast Asian Air Base, Vietnam War Era

The toast that closed the ceremony, photographed against the aircraft itself. The Skyraider's fin carries the tail code TS and the serial presentation AF 37 628, matching the partial number seen on the aircraft named BALLS A' FIRE elsewhere in this sequence; the numbering is consistent with a former US Navy Bureau Number applied to a USAF A-1H. An officer identified by his name tape as WILLIAMS holds the bottle, and the honoree, still soaked from the fire hose, holds a cup in each hand. Paper cups and a single bottle of sparkling wine were the standard equipment of a flight-line celebration. Project: 219827