Fighter Pilot
Dan Petkunas and I met for his interview, where I found his story intriguing as we shared our Vietnam experiences. When I mentioned that he’s one of a very few fighter pilots of the Vietnam War I’ve interviewed, he calmly replied, “Cool.”

Lumberjack or Pilot
Dan was born February 2, 1948 in Chicago, Illinois where he grew up, eventually graduating from Proviso West High School on June 17, 1966.  Dan attended the University of Illinois at Urbana, graduating June 19, 1970, and was promptly commissioned second lieutenant via his ROTC membership.

From age 10, Dan figured being a lumberjack or a pilot was his future, but growing older, he realized cutting down trees was not it.  Becoming a fighter pilot became a fixed future for him during college, so afterwards Dan attended Sacramento’s navigator training at Mather Air Force Base for nine months.

When given the choice of planes to fly, Dan said, “I chose to fly a plane with a gun, so I selected the F4 Phantom II.”

Claustrophobia

Dan W. Petkunas Distinguished Flying Cross 3 Awards

Next, Dan went to George Air Force Base in Victorville for six months to learn how to fly F-4s.  When he was fully strapped into an F-4 cockpit for the first time, a massive sense of claustrophobia flashed over him. He quickly realized that he had to get over it if he were to fly F-4s.

Dan graduated as an F-4 weapons system officer in January 1972. Following graduation, the 22 graduates were given their preference of serving in England or Thailand.

Dan chuckled recalling that 20 graduates volunteered for Thailand, which was granted, but the two who chose England were instead sent to South Vietnam.

Next, Dan was sent to Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington State for two weeks of general survival training and continued on to a one-week jungle training course in the Philippines.

Dan and his fellow pilots were instructed to thoroughly conceal themselves in the jungle while Filipino troops searched for them.  Dan was caught simply because his boot polish odor gave him away.

Urbana to Udorn
Next, Dan was assigned to the 13^th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Udorn Royal Thai Air Base, where F-4 Phantom fighter jets flew combat missions over North Vietnam and occasionally over the Mekong Delta.

Dan W. Petkunas 13th Tactical Fighter Squadron

Upon arriving at Udorn, Dan and his fellow newly minted F-4 pilots went through combat orientation and went on days later to flying, bombing runs and missions to protect B-52 bombers, A-7s, F-105s and other F-4s.

Dan’s job as a weapons system officer was flying backseat, but both pilots could control their F-4.

At Udorn, Dan watched F-4s return from their missions and he was both awestruck and relieved at just how many actually returned, because he remembered movies of World War II bombing runs when so many U.S. planes were routinely shot down.

Dan W. Petkunas, F-4 Weapons System Officer & Pilot

During 1972, the 13^th Squadron adopted a black panther as their mascot, nicknamed “Eldridge” after Black Panther Leader Eldridge Cleaver.

222 Combat Missions
Dan surmised that he spent at least seven of his nine lives during his one-year tour of duty, flying 222 combat missions and experiencing many close calls.  A total 382 F-4s were shot down during the Vietnam War.

On one mission, after a bombing run over Hanoi, they dropped their F-4 down to 50- to 100-f00t elevation, zipping along at 600 knots when suddenly Dan noticed a sizable hill looming ahead, which his pilot obviously didn’t see, so Dan eased their F-4 up, barely missing it.

His pilot calmly said, “Thank you.”

On a night mission over North Vietnam requiring full blackout – no external lights – his pilot lost sight of their wingman.  Again, Dan saved the day just in the nick of time, spotting the plane and instantly rolling their F-4 over, avoiding collision.

Back at Udorn, neither pilot nor the other F-4 crew said a word.

Clearly, they were unnerved.  The most notable close call came on July 30, 1972 during an escort mission with an F-4 Recon team assigned to photograph over Hanoi.

Flying over North Vietnam required refueling over the Gulf of Tonkin, and when flying over Hanoi, the safest route was flying low and slow behind a ridge north of Hanoi, nicknamed Thud Ridge.

Dan W. Petkunus Shadow Box

Once they passed it, they immediately climbed to 9,000 feet and kicked up to 600 knots to avoid the NVA’s missiles and anti-aircraft flak, but then dropped to 100 feet at 900 knots over Hanoi.

It was unbelievably dangerous, especially flying low, dodging ridge after ridge, returning back to the Gulf for refueling.

Their refuel plane was in sight over the Gulf when they flat ran out of fuel and had to eject into pitch blackness over water.

Parachuting down, Dan thought if they landed too close to shore, the communists would surely capture them.  Dan believed no one would ever find them, but thankfully, a U.S. Marine helicopter picked them up 30 minutes later.

Linebacker II and Love

Dan and Tem Petkunas

Ordered by President Nixon, from December 18-29, 1972, Dan’s squadron supported Linebacker II, known as “The Christmas Bombings,” a maximum bombing campaign to destroy major Hanoi and Haiphong military complexes.

This hair-raising heavy bomber campaign was the largest since World War II.

Dan witnessed a B-52’s right wing get hit by an NVA missile and helplessly watched it go down in flames. Dan received the Distinguished Flying Cross w/2 Devices among his numerous awards.

The highlight of Dan’s Udorn tour of duty, which ended January 1973, was falling in love with Tem Nuankathok, whom he later married in November 1973 at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico.

They’ve been married 46 years and have two sons and one grandchild.  On Veterans Day 2017, Dan joined several of us local Vietnam veterans with The Greatest Generations Foundation to visit Danang, Vietnam to meet President Trump.

2017 Veterans Day President Trump Signing Vietnam Veterans Declaration

This was a major treat for all six of us.  Following his Air Force retirement, Dan worked as a contracts manager until 2011, but these days, Dan enjoys bicycling, the gym, playing poker and visiting Tem’s family in Thailand.

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