NIMROD TRUCK KILLERS - Patch - USAF 609th Special Operations - Vietnam War, 5340

Description

USAF Patch - Flight Jacket Patch Vietnam War
Measures - 4 x 3.8 inches (10 x 9.5 cms)
609th Special Operations Squadron - Ho Chi Minh Trail, Laos
USAF - 609th Air Commandos - ACS
- SOS
NIMROD – 609
th
Special Operations Squadron
The 609th Special Operations Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit.
Its last assignment was with the 56th Special Operations Wing at Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Navy Base, Thailand.
The squadron served for two and a half years combat duty during the Vietnam War, primarily flying missions over the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos.
It earned several decorations, including the Presidential Unit Citation, before it was inactivated in December 1969.
The 609th Special Operations Squadron was organized as the 609th Air Commando Squadron at Nakhon Phanom RTAFB, Thailand on 15 September 1967.
It was assigned to the 56th Air Commando Wing. The squadron flew the Douglas A-26 Invader, a twin engine attack bomber of WWII vintage.
These aircraft were transferred from the 606th Air Commando Squadron which transitioned to other aircraft.
The primary mission of the 609th was night interdiction of truck traffic along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
Its call sign for these missions was "Nimrod", inherited from the 606th and other squadrons that had flown that mission, and "The Nimrods" soon became the squadron's nickname. The squadron's A-26 aircraft carried tail letters "TA".
On 1 August 1968, all Air Commando Wings were redesignated as Special Operations Units, and the 56th Air Commando Wing became the 56th Special Operations Wing, with the 609th Air Commando Squadron becoming the 609th Special Operations Squadron.
The night interdiction tasks of the 609th were gradually taken over by squadrons flying Lockheed AC-130 gunships, and the A-26 aircraft were phased out of active service by November 1969.
By the time the last four surviving A-26s were withdrawn at the unit stand down, the squadron had flown 7,159 combat missions, and been credited with destroying 4,268 enemy supply trucks.
The 609th was inactivated on 1 December 1969. The squadron's losses had been heavy, and it was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for gallantry.
The remains of two squadron pilots, Maj. James E. Sizemore and Maj. Howard V. Andre, shot down over Laos in 1969, were recovered in 2013 and buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Flight Jacket Patch
Vietnam War Original
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