Air Strike in "Happy Valley." 24 x 36.

"Happy Valley" was just east of Anh Khe pass. Here troops in contact
are sending up red and green smoke to mark their positions, and the
Forward Air Controller has sent in his white phosphorous rocket
marking the target for one of a flight of two F-100s from the Iowa Air
National Guard squadron stationed at Phu Cat. The F-100 is carrying
high drags and unfinned napalm used in low-level skip bombing and is
also armed for strafing with four cannons. Each pass of each fighter
will be cleared by the FAC, who is in contact with his air support
team and the ground commander by radio. NB: Wilson answered an inquiry
about a painting, and a carbon copy of part of his letter seems to
relate to this painting:
(I knew the pilot of the first helicopter
downed on Feb 28 was hit), and it looked as if continued insertion
might be too costly. Meanwhile, I hunted, and couldn't find the NVA
marksman. However, Koreans in the valley and on the peak took bearings
on the sound of his anti-aircraft 12.7 mm and gave me a location and I
put a set of F-100s from the Iowa National Guard on that target. They
had flack the first passes, and from then on, the gun was silent. The
operation proceeded without hitch after that and the Koreans captured
the destroyed gun that evening. By the next day the pocket had closed
and the Koreans were up to the points shown by their colored smoke
signals, and we put in successive strikes as the NVA fled to the
north. The Forward Air Controller in the white Cessna (Lt. Bentley in
this case) has just put his white phosphorous mark in a valley north
of the previous strike where the jungle is still afire, and a TACO has
released his bombs on the new mark.

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