Episode 15 – Don Campbell F-100 Pilot Interview Vietnam

In Episode 15 of *Military Tales*, we meet Don Campbell, a veteran F-100 Super Sabre pilot whose journey from flying lumbering tankers to sleek single-seat jet fighters captures the tenacity and spirit of Cold War-era airmen. Don shares his path from a teenage farm kid buzzing fields in Ohio to a combat-tested pilot flying Troops in Contact missions in Vietnam with the 510th Tactical Fighter Squadron—the “Buzzards.” Along the way, he recounts flying KC-97s and KC-135s during tense Strategic Air Command assignments, his long-awaited transition to fighters, and intense missions supporting ground troops in the jungle. With vivid stories of napalm drops, afterburner runs to save pinned-down soldiers, and a thrilling return to the F-100 cockpit decades later, Don reflects on a life shaped by aviation, baseball, and even sports car racing. It’s an episode full of grit, gratitude, and the pure joy of flight.

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Episode 15 introduces Don Campbell, a veteran F-100 pilot who volunteers at the Tennessee Museum of Aviation. Don recounts his background, starting with his upbringing on a small farm in southwestern Ohio. He learned to fly as a teenager off a grass strip, saving money and admits to doing some “dumb stuff” like buzzing farmers and illegally taking friends for rides. His goal in college, where he attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, on a baseball scholarship, was to complete Air Force ROTC, graduate as a second lieutenant, and go to pilot training with the aspiration of flying single-engine, single-seat jet fighters.

After graduating seventh in his pilot training class in the late 50s/early 60s, his initial assignments weren’t to fighters. He ended up in the Strategic Air Command (SAC), first flying the KC-97, a four-engine piston-driven tanker, which he describes as a “lousy airplane to fly”. He volunteered for fighters every year but was initially deemed a “critical crew resource” in SAC. He eventually upgraded to the KC-135 tanker and was assigned to Puerto Rico, flying Temporary Duty (TDY) missions to Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War to refuel F-105s and F-4s going “up north” and after their missions. These aircraft often returned “pretty well shot up” from the surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), MIGs, and sophisticated AAA they faced.

An Air Force policy of rotating pilots meant everyone would eventually get a turn in the war, creating an opportunity for Don to finally get a fighter assignment. In 1968, he was assigned to the F-100 and went through training at Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix. He describes this period as “great to be back in a single engine airplane and having fun”. He graduated high in his F-100 class.

His assignment in Vietnam was to the 510th Tactical Fighter Squadron, known as the “Buzzards,” at Bien Hoa Air Force Base. Arriving from a multi-engine background, he found himself among pilots who had been flying fighters for years. He initially felt like the “new guy” but gained respect by flying well and not making mistakes.

Most of the missions he flew in Vietnam were Troops in Contact (TIC), providing crucial support to ground troops who were being attacked. He recounts being scrambled from alert, where two fighters were kept loaded and ready with pilots living nearby. On one TIC mission, he successfully hit a suspected Viet Cong weapon storage hooch with a high-drag bomb, earning respect from his squadron mates. Another mission involved helping Army troops who were being overrun; they used all their ordnance (bombs, napalm, 20mm bullets) and even dropped external tanks to help keep the enemy down, before resorting to flying low and fast with afterburners engaged to make noise and buy time for the troops to be evacuated by helicopter. He also describes sinking a “sand pan” (boat) that had guns on it with his last “slick bomb” (without retardation devices) after multiple missed attempts by both himself and his lead.

The F-100 typically flew missions “down south” because it wasn’t considered sophisticated enough to handle the intense SAM, AAA, and MIG threats “up north”. He mainly faced light arms fire or automatic weapons fire. He did get some holes in his airplane but was very lucky and never had to eject, though he did experience minor issues like hydraulic failure.

Don found the missions in Vietnam very self-satisfying because they were helping the young ground troops, who he describes as “just kids” enduring difficult conditions with snakes, spiders, and swamps. He felt good about being able to assist them.

He describes the F-100 as a “great airplane” and “probably the last of the what we would call stick and rudder seat of the pants type [of] fight[er]”. It used basic, round dial instruments. He notes its long service history and the strong organization of former F-100 pilots.

Looking back on his life, Don reflects on three things he really wanted to do: fly jets, play baseball (which he did in college), and race cars (which he did for about 20 years in sports car club of america). He feels he had a “really good time” because he accomplished all of these goals.

A highlight he shares is getting to fly in the only remaining flying F-100 in May 2016 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It was a two-seater used for training, and he was among a small group of former pilots selected for a ride. Climbing back in the cockpit after 40 years, he describes the feeling of punching the afterburner, taking off, and doing maneuvers like rolls and turns. They flew up to .95 Mach and made passes over the reunion group on the ground. He calls it an “absolutely fantastic” experience and feels very lucky to have had the opportunity.