Soaked to the skin and grinning, a pilot walks away from his aircraft after being hosed down by his squadron mates — the traditional Air Force welcome for a crew member completing a milestone or final combat mission. Behind him stands a Douglas A-1 Skyraider in three-tone Southeast Asia camouflage, its markings exceptionally clear: the tail code TC above the serial presentation AF 37 618. This identifies Bureau Number 137618, a Douglas AD-6 / A-1H transferred from Navy stocks, the Air Force convention being to display the Navy Bureau Number with its leading digit omitted. The TC code is that recorded for the 1st Special Operations Squadron operating Skyraiders from Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Base. Water still runs from the pilot's fingers, and the apron behind him lies under a sheet of standing water. Project: 219827