Wreaths Radio Previews America's Vietnam Flying Ace Program on Mission Matters


The Air and Space Forces Association, Gerrity Chapter 215, in conjunction with the Oklahoma Defense Industry Association and Oklahoma Aeronautics, presents America’s Leading Vietnam Ace in September. You can learn more about him on Mission Matters Wednesday.

In this week’s episode of Mission Matters, Wreaths Across America’s Director of Veteran and Military Outreach, Joe Reagan, speaks with Charles "Chuck" DeBellevue.

Col. (RET) DeBellevue had a distinguished military career and was one of only five Americans to achieve flying ace status during the Vietnam War. He was credited with six MiG kills, the most earned by any U.S. aviator during the Vietnam War, and is a recipient of the Air Force Cross. “When we were flying, there was no rescue, “ Col. DeBellevue shared. “We all knew. We handpicked the people who flew with us. Everybody got the same one ride. Rank had no bearing on it; we didn’t care what your rank was. It made the briefing very short because we didn’t talk about standards, we talked about what was important, and that was getting the job done. If you were afraid to die, you probably didn’t fly with us. You had to be focused on the mission. There was no tanker back then, and if you screwed up on your fuel, it was nice knowing you.”

On September 8th, 2022, Col. DeBellevue will participate in an Association of the Air and Space Force-sponsored discussion on how Vietnam-era tactics informed modern air doctrine. “September the 8th is September 9th in Southeast Asia, and that’s the day fifty years ago that I made Ace, so we’re commemorating that and talking about that mission and how what we did back then help set up the U.S. Air Force and the military for going into Iraq.”

Tune in to Mission Matters Wednesday at 10:00 AM and again at 7:00 PM Eastern and Sundays at 7:00 PM. Listen here online at www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/radio or on any of the major streaming platforms.